PFL Finals: Alfie Davis stuns Gadzhi Rabadanov to win lightweight tournament

Britain’s Alfie Davis stunned defending champion Gadzhi Rabadanov to win the PFL lightweight tournament by unanimous decision in Charlotte, North Carolina.

London’s Davis landed the more damaging strikes to edge a close contest with all three judges scoring it 48-47 in the 33-year-old’s favour.

Davis was overcome with emotion as the result was read out as he won $500,000 (£369,000) – a prize he described as “life-changing”.

He becomes the third Briton to win an annual PFL tournament after featherweight Brendan Loughnane in 2022 and women’s flyweight Dakota Ditcheva last year.

“I don’t know what to say, I’ve worked so hard for this,” said Davis.

“To be a champion like Gadzhi, I respect him and have watched him for so many years – he and his team are amazing. To beat someone like that is a dream come true.”

Davis reached the final after enjoying the best spell of his 11-year career with wins over Clay Collard and Brent Primus.

In Russia’s 32-year-old Rabadanov, however, he was facing last year’s champion and a fighter on a 12-fight win streak.

Davis said he had suffered from a lack of confidence in the past, but has put that behind him with a string of impressive displays.

His new-found confidence was on full display as he danced his way to the cage, before being introduced as someone whose “charisma can be seen from space”.