The PFL announced the return of young talents Usman Nurmagomedov and Dakota Ditcheva for an event in New York on July 31.
The PFL is returning to the Big Apple for their biggest card of the year so far as the promotion announced the return of two of its superstars for bouts at UBS Arena in Long Island on July 31. Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will take on fellow undefeated Bellator veteran Archie Colgan in the main event while 2024 tournament winner Dakota Ditcheva will face Denise Kielholtz in a bout that was previously scheduled for earlier this year.
USMAN NURMAGOMEDOV CHOKES OUT ALFIE DAVIS TO DEFEND THE TITLE 😱🏆#RoadToDubai | LIVE NOW | 📺Streaming on the ESPN App: pic.twitter.com/8CZn9bJScR
— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 7, 2026
Nurmagomedov, 28, will look to continue his run dominant run going back to his time in Bellator as he looks to notch the second defense of his title. At 28-0, the prospect turned bonafide force has wins over former champions Patricky Pitbull, Benson Henderson, fellow Grand Prix finalist Alexandr Shabliy, back-to-back wins over Irish contender Paul Hughes, and 2025 tournament winner Alfie Davis. If there wasn’t enough attention him, Nurmagomedov is quickly approaching free agency and with his longtime teammate Islam Makhachev no longer occupying the lightweight division in the UFC there is great speculation on the kind of offer he could receive to bring his talents to the Octagon.
Opposing him will be the unbeaten 30 year-old Archie Colgan who’s developed as a professional under the LFA, Bellator, and most recently the PFL banner. At 13-0 Colgan has long been working his way to the title. Last fighting in October, “King” will be looking to shake off a layoff en route to claiming his first professional belt.
Striking Ace @dakotaditcheva returns to the SmartCage on Friday, November 25th! #PFLWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/Lzhrr4MmDC
— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 8, 2022
In the co-feature, undefeated Dakota Ditcheva will make her long-awaited first appearance of 2026 after being forced out of a previously scheduled date due to a broken hand. The former winner of both the mainland and European tournament winner for the promotion, “Dangerous” has run roughshod over the competition with wins over former UFC title challenger Taila Santos, Jena Sumiko Inaba, Jena Bishop, and more. The 15-0 professional also signed a contract extension with the company last year and the company will undoubtedly be looking to flex her star power as talks ramp up for a potential new broadcast partner going into 2027.
Denise Kielholtz will be fighting for the first time since 2023 and notably will be making her first appearance in the PFL in any form since the company absorbed her former promotion. The former Bellator kickboxing champion is riding back-to-back victories but has been inactive since 2023. She was forced to withdraw from a regular season bout with Taila Santos in 2024. Her next scheduled bout was set to be against Ditcheva earlier this year but was postponed due to Ditcheva’s injury.
This will be the first time that the PFL returns to New York since 2023 when The Theater at Madison Square Garden hosted a pair of playoff events for the promotion.