Timur Khizriev – Syndication Server

Brendan Loughnane knows what to expect vs. Timur Khizriev in PFL title fight

Brendan Loughnane is confident his game plan will prevail at the 2024 PFL Championship.

[autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] is confident his game plan will prevail against [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag].

Loughnane (30-5) takes on Khizriev (17-0) on Nov. 29 in the 2024 PFL Championship main event at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event streams on ESPN+.

Loughnane is no stranger to facing accomplished grapplers. He beat Chris Wade and NCAA Division 1 wrestler Bubba Jenkins back to back to win the 2022 PFL featherweight championship.

“Listen, he’s going to try to take me down,” Loughnane told MMA Junkie Radio. “We’re not beating around the bush here. You’ve got a Dagestani vs. an English striker. We all know what’s going to happen. Whoever can implement it will be the PFL world champion in 2024.

“It ain’t no different to 2022. Bubba Jenkins coming in, wrestling, wrestling, wrestling. Guess how many takedowns he got fellas? Zero. The fight before that, Chris Wade, another wrestler, guess how many takedowns he got? Zero. Don’t be surprised if this guy does not take me down.”

Loughnane looks forward to the challenge of becoming the first to beat Khizriev but thinks he’s untested. He said their strengths of schedule have been vastly different.

“I think he’s the one stepping up to that level,” Loughnane said of Khizriev. “If you look at our last 10 opponents, my level’s are way higher than his last 10 opponents. So, we don’t know how good he actually is yet, but we’ll find out.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL Championship.

Timur Khizriev def. Enrique Barzola at 2024 PFL 6: Best photos

Check out these photos from Timur Khizriev vs. Enrique Barzola at 2024 PFL 6 in South Dakota.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag]’s victory over Enrique Barzola at 2024 PFL 6, which took place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL)

Nov 29, 2020; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) throws a pass against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Timur Khizriev unhappy with 2024 PFL 3 win, thinks Ramadan affected his performance

Despite defeating veteran Brett Johns, Timur Khizriev is disappointed by his performance at Friday’s 2024 PFL 3.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag] got the win and 3 points in the opening round of the 2024 PFL featherweight season, but he’s convinced there was room for much more.

Friday, Khizriev (15-0) defeated veteran Brett Johns in a unanimous decison on the preliminary card of PFL 2024, Week 3 at Wintrust Arena. Although it was a clean victory, Khizriev doesn’t think he performed at his best against Johns (20-4), and he has an idea as to why that happened.

“To be honest, I’m not fully happy with my performance,” Khizriev said in Russian through a translator in his post-fight interview. “Obviously, a win is a win, but I just feel like I wasn’t fully there. My normal energy wasn’t present, and I think it was partly because of Ramadan. I was fasting, and the last day was specially hard for me. Normally, I don’t have a problem with weight cutting and this time I had a little trouble, so I don’t think I was fully recovered.

“But again, we’re moving on, and hopefully the next fight will be more interesting.”

Johns chose a heavy grappling approach, something that didn’t surprise Khizriev. Khizriev just thought he would’ve been more dangerous on the ground when it came to grappling with Johns, which leaves him with a sour taste despite keeping his unbeaten record and moving on with three points to the final season bout.

“No, I was not surprised with him wrestling,” Khizriev said. “As a matter of fact, I felt that was the only chance he actually had. With striking, I think he realized he didn’t have a chance with me.

“I’m just not really happy with the way I was on the ground today, and I know he has wrestling. I know he has fought good guys like (Aljamain) Streling and you know, I was expecting that. But again, it wasn’t the best performance, but we’ll get another chance.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2024, Week 3.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 11-17)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Sept. 11-17.

Timur Khizriev: Dagestan-Dublin rivalry doesn’t exist outside Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor was volatile, but Timur Khizriev said the hate stopped with them.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag] will fight an Irishman Friday at Bellator 297, but there’s nothing but respect.

Though one of the most volatile rivalries in MMA history, [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], was between a Dagestani and Irishman, Khizriev (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) thinks the bad feelings are limited to those individuals.

“To be honest, you’ve caught me off guard. I hadn’t even thought of such a thing that Dagestan vs. Ireland. I think it’s just a coincidence. Obviously with Conor and Khabib, those are big names. For me, it doesn’t really matter. I know they have a lot of great fighters in Ireland, but I don’t see it as a rivalry necessarily.”

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Khizriev, 27, takes on former UFC fighter [autotag]Richie Smullen[/autotag] (10-2-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) in a preliminary featherweight bout at Winstar Arena. It’s all respect.

“I have nothing against this opponent,” Khizriev said. “I’ve checked him. He’s pretty good. I pretty much prepare myself every time the same way, no matter who the opponent is. Man, I just believe God’s will. Whatever is going to be is going to be.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.

Bellator 297’s Richie Smullen ready to climb featherweight rankings with win over Timur Khizriev

Richie Smullen, who’s a huge underdog, is excited by the opportunity in front of him at Bellator 297.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Richie Smullen[/autotag] is excited by the opportunity to start climbing the Bellator featherweight rankings.

Smullen (10-2-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) takes on No. 8 featherweight [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in Friday’s Bellator 297 event at Wintrust Arena. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The SBG Ireland fighter has won his past five fights in a row and sees a win over Khizriev catapulting him into the rankings.

“I can’t wait,” Smullen told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “It’s time that I climb the ranks now. I’ve got a ranked opponent, so it’s time to beat this guy and go from there, beat the next guy.”

Smullen is not afraid of the ground game of Dagestan-born Khizriev. In fact, he plans on taking the fight to the mat himself.

“I’ll be taking him down,” Smullen said. “I’m taking him down. I’m on top of him, teach him what real grappling is then. … Him on his back, me on top elbowing his face in.”

According to Bet MGM, Smullen is a massive +650 underdog against undefeated Khizriev, who is a -1000 favorite. But Smullen is a little perplexed by the wide odds.

“It doesn’t make a difference,” Smullen said. “Underdog or not, I’m hard to deal with. So I’m looking forward to it. I don’t know why I’m the underdog. We have the same amount of fights. I fought high-level opponents, as well. So, that’s just someone’s opinion underdog or not. I don’t give a f*ck about people’s opinions.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 10-16)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from April 10-16

Timur Khizriev sets sights on top featherweights after Bellator 288 win

After the most important win of his career, Timur Khizriev is ready to turn the page and climb the ladder.

CHICAGO – After the most important win of his career, [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag] is ready to turn the page and climb the ladder.

Khizriev (12-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) outworked longtime Bellator fighter Daniel Weichel (42-14 MMA, 11-6 BMMA) for a unanimous decision win this past Friday on the Bellator 288 main card at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The victory came in his promotional debut and kept him unbeaten.

After the win, Khizriev acknowledged that he had a tough opponent for his first fight in the promotion and just needed to leave with a victory. But looking forward, he thinks he can make his Bellator presence known in a hurry in the featherweight division.

Check out Khizriev’s post-fight news conference in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.

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Bellator 288 post-event facts: Usman Nurmagomedov makes history with title win

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 288, which saw Usman Nurmagomedov move to 16-0 while claiming gold.

The penultimate Bellator event of 2022 went down Saturday with Bellator 288 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

With two title fights on the card, one champ defended while another belt changed hands.

[autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) earned a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) to defend light heavyweight gold in the main event, while [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) outpointed [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) on the scorecards to claim the lightweight strap.

For more on the numbers behind the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 288.

Bellator 288 predictions: Nemkov or Anderson, Freire or Nurmagomedov in Chicago title fights?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 288 main card in Chicago, which features light heavyweight and lightweight title fights.

	Nemkov vs. Anderson	Freire vs. Nurmagomedov	Khizriev vs. Weichel	Fortune vs. James	Chokheli vs. Faraldo
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 180-106	Anderson (57%)	Nurmagomedov (87%)	Khizriev (75%)	Fortune (91%)	Faraldo (90%)
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 190-101 2018 Champion	Anderson	Nurmagomedov	Khizriev	Fortune	Faraldo
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 182-109	Anderson	Nurmagomedov	Weichel	Fortune	Faraldo
Matthew Wells @MrMWells 182-109	Anderson	Nurmagomedov	Khizriev	Fortune	Faraldo
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 179-112	Anderson	Nurmagomedov	Weichel	Fortune	Faraldo
Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 178-113 2014 Champion	Anderson	Nurmagomedov	Khizriev	Fortune	Faraldo
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 176-115	Anderson	Freire	Khizriev	Fortune	Faraldo
Simon Samano @SJSamano 175-116	Anderson	Freire	Khizriev	Fortune	Faraldo
Nolan King @mma_kings 170-121	Anderson	Nurmagomedov	Weichel	Fortune	Faraldo
Brian Garcia @thegoze 169-122 2017 Champion	Anderson	Freire	Weichel	Fortune	Faraldo
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 157-134	Anderson	Nurmagomedov	Khizriev	Fortune	Faraldo
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 142-149	Anderson	Nurmagomedov	Khizriev	Fortune	Faraldo

Bellator makes its return to Chicago this week with a pair of title fights leading the card in the “Windy City.”

Bellator 288 takes place Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 7-1 BMMA) puts his title on the line against [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA). The fight is a rematch from an April title fight that ended in a no contest after an accidental clash of heads left Nemkov with too deep of a cut to continue. The fight also is the $1 million final of Bellator’s light heavyweight tournament. Anderson was the underdog in the first fight, but now is a -230 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Nemkov is +175. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Anderson as one of three unanimous picks at 11-0.

In the co-feature, lightweight champion [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (24-10 MMA, 15-8 BMMA) puts his belt up for the first time when he takes on the unbeaten [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (15-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA). Usman is the biggest favorite on the main card at a whopping -750, but he’s not a unanimous pick. Three of our staff members are taking “Pitbull” Freire in what would be a major upset.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Timur Khizriev[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) meets [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (42-13 MMA, 11-5 BMMA) in a featherweight bout. Khizriev is a big -320 favorite at the betting window, but he has just a 7-4 picks lead.

[autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) is one of our three unanimous picks in his heavyweight bout against Chicago native [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (13-6-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). Fortune is a 3-1 favorite in the fight.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Roman Faraldo[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is our third unanimous pick at 11-0 in his welterweight bout against [autotag]Levan Chokheli[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) – even though he’s the smallest main card favorite at about 2-1.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Anderson (57 percent), Nurmagomedov (87 percent), Khizriev (75 percent), Fortune (91 percent) and Faraldo (90 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.