1⃣WEEK OUT @kingimpa and Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov clash as the 2024 PFL Light Heavyweight World Title is on the line 👑🏆
[ #PFLWorldChampionship | Friday, Nov 29th | 3PM ET | ESPN+] pic.twitter.com/I00i0GBInt— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 22, 2024
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov wants what he believes to be his piece of the Professional Fighters League pie, having put himself in position for life-changing compensation.
“Wolfhound” will vie for a million-dollar payday when he faces Impa Kasanganay in the light heavyweight final as part of the PFL 2024 Season Championships on Nov. 29 at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Yagshimuradov steps back into the cage with the wind of six-fight winning streak in his sails. He advanced to the final with victories over Jakob Nedoh, Simon Biyong and Rob Wilkinson. Kasanganay, meanwhile, has put together a 9-1 run across his past 10 appearances. The Kill Cliff Fight Club standout rode wins over Alex Polizzi, the aforementioned Nedoh and Joshua Silveira to the final. Kasanganay was the PFL light heavyweight champion in 2023.
As Yagshimuradov and Kasanganay move ever closer to their high stakes showdown at 205 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:
35: Years of age for Yagshimuradov, who was born on May 22, 1989 in Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan.
13: Yagshimuradov wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 54% of his career total (24). He owns four other wins by submission (17%) and seven more by decision (29%).
3: Sub-minute finishes on the Yagshimuradov resume. He cut down Sergei Lewandowskiy with punches in 30 seconds at Oplot Challenge 20 on Dec. 21, 2012, wiped out Anton Stepanenko with punches in 53 seconds at Oplot Challenge 55 on April 27, 2013 and punched out Maxim Kushnerenko in 27 seconds under the Real Fight Promotion banner on Aug. 28, 2015.
6: Countries in which Yagshimuradov has put his mixed martial arts trade into practice. He has gone 11-3-1 in Ukraine, 6-2 in the United States, 4-2 in Russia, 1-0 in Austria, 1-0 in Germany and 1-0 in Poland.
114: Combined victories between the seven men—Karl Albrektsson, Corey Anderson, Mikhail Ragozin, Magomed Ankalaev, Aleksander Boyko, Rashid Yusupov and Vasily Babich—who have defeated Yagshimuradov. They sport a cumulative .702 winning percentage at 114-48-1.
30: Years of age for Kasanganay, who was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 17, 1994.
5: Kasanganay victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 28% of his career total (18). He holds four other victories by submission (22%) and nine more by decision (50%).
218: Seconds needed for Kasanganay to dismiss Roger Pratcher with a rear-naked choke at a King of the Cage show on May 11, 2019. More than five years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.
50: Rounds started by Kasanganay as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 11 different occasions and carries a 9-2 record in those bouts.
.867: Cumulative winning percentage between the four men—Johnny Eblen, Raimond Magomedaliev, Carlston Harris and Joaquin Buckley—who have beaten Kasanganay. They boast a combined record of 65-10.