Shamil Musaev is a name to remember for the future.
The undefeated Russian capped off his run through the 2024 PFL World Championships with a vicious knockout over Magomed Umalatov to claim the welterweight title and the $1 million prize that goes along with it.
The end came at 1:44 in the third round after Musaev faked an overhand right and then unloaded a brutal left hook that blasted Umalatov and sent him crashing to the canvas. Musaev followed up with a few more punches on the ground but the fight was effectively already over.
Shamil Musaev is $1 million richer following his third-round TKO win over Magomed Umalatov at the #PFLWorldChampionship card in Riyad! pic.twitter.com/NxD2nYEBBJ
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) November 29, 2024
It was another impressive showing for Musaev following a season filled with them including a stunning ground and pound finish over former Bellator champion Logan Storely to start his year.
This time around, Musaev was a bit more measured as he went to war with his fellow undefeated Russian with Umalatov possessing the kind of skills that made him really set up his combinations, especially in a somewhat listless opening round that had the crowd in Saudi Arabia booing early.
That changed once the fighters started trading shots with Musaev displaying crisp hands and nasty power throughout.
The finishing sequence was perfectly set up and executed after Musaev moved forward and launched the overhand right, which forced Umalatov to move his head to avoid the potential blow. That’s when Musaev uncorked the left hook that snapped Umalatov’s head around and send him down to the ground for the final time.
Musaev could be a potential star on the rise for the PFL, especially after his dominant run through the welterweight division in 2024.
