Aleksandr
Chizov achieved his highest level of success in the
Professional Fighters League when he won the PFL Europe
lightweight tournament in December and picked up two finishes
during his three-fight run to the title. It was only a matter of
time before the powers that be brought him onto the global
roster.
The 28-year-old Latvian gets a major step up in that regard when he
takes on Gadzhi
Rabadanov in the
PFL Sioux Falls co-main event on Saturday at the Sanford
Pentagon in South Dakota. Rabadanov was a 2024 PFL tournament
winner and marches into the match with victories in 12 of his past
13 appearances. It serves as stern challenge for Chizov.
“I’m feeling great,” he told Sherdog.com. “For me, it’s a dream
come true. Since day one when I started to compete in MMA, I wanted
to fight in the United States. Listen, I am from Latvia. It’s a
small country in Europe, [and] 99% of people don’t even know this
country exists, so for me, being able to represent this country
while fighting in the States is a dream come true. I’m excited.
This will be my fourth fight in a year’s time for me. I am active,
and I appreciate the PFL giving me this chance.”
Chizov’s rise to prominence seems unlikely in hindsight, as he
merely sought out MMA as a means to clean up his act as a
teenager.
Comfortable in underdog role
“If somebody would’ve told me 10 years ago that I would be a
professional fighter competing in the highest level in MMA against
some Dagestan guy, I’d think they had me confused with someone
else,” he said. “I grew up on the streets, doing bad stuff,
drinking alcohol, smoking, no discipline, and I only started
training MMA to get respect on the streets and get girls to like
me. I didn’t have ambitions to be a professional athlete.
“When I told my parents this is what I wanted, they didn’t know
what MMA was,” Chizov added. “When I quit school, the teacher asked
me what I wanted to do. I said become MMA world champion, and that
was hard to even imagine, so I’ve been dealing with this my entire
life and career. I’ll be a big underdog going up against a guy from
Dagestan. He’s a favorite. He’s a former champion, but this is
nothing new to me.”
Despite striking gold in PFL Europe, Chizov refused to let his foot
off the gas. He viewed his international achievement as a milepost
in his burgeoning career.
“When it comes to the PFL Europe championship, when I won the belt,
it was like a checkpoint,” Chizov said. “My ambition is to be the
best in the world, fighting the best guys in the world. When I won
the belt, I knew it wasn’t the world championship. It’s a good
year, but it’s not the place where I want to stop. I’ve been aiming
to fight the best guys in the division, and now finally, I have
this opportunity to showcase my skills against one of the best guys
in the lightweight division. It’s another step for my future.”
Chizov already measured the stakes. He believes a victory over
Rabadanov would not only move him to the top of the 155-pound
rankings but put him in the immediate conversation for a title
shot.
“He’s currently second in line, so probably with a win in this
fight against Gadzhi, I’ll move closer to the belt,” Chizov said.
“I’ve heard something about Usman
Nurmagomedov fighting Archie
Colgan next for the world title. With a win here, I’m [either]
a title contender or I’ll have to win one more fight. We’ll see.
The thing I know is that a victory here puts me at the top of the
rankings, no questions asked.”
When pressed about what fans should expect from his looming battle
with Rabadanov, Chizov offered only two words: “Don’t blink.”