Britain’s Alfie Davis surprised defending champion Gadzhi Rabadanov to win the PFL light-weight event by unanimous resolution in Charlotte, North Carolina.
London’s Davis landed the extra damaging strikes to edge a detailed contest with all three judges scoring it 48-47 within the 33-year-old’s favour.
Davis was overcome with emotion because the consequence was learn out as he received $500,000 (£369,000) – a prize he described as “life-changing”.
He turns into the third Briton to win an annual PFL event after featherweight Brendan Loughnane in 2022 and ladies’s flyweight Dakota Ditcheva final 12 months.
“I do not know what to say, I’ve labored so onerous for this,” stated Davis.
“To be a champion like Gadzhi, I respect him and have watched him for thus a few years – he and his crew are superb. To beat somebody like that could be a dream come true.”
Davis reached the ultimate after having fun with the very best spell of his 11-year profession with wins over Clay Collard and Brent Primus.
In Russia’s 32-year-old Rabadanov, nevertheless, he was dealing with final 12 months’s champion and a fighter on a 12-fight win streak.
Davis stated he had suffered from a insecurity previously, however has put that behind him with a string of spectacular shows.
His new-found confidence was on full show as he danced his option to the cage, earlier than being launched as somebody whose “charisma will be seen from house”.
