The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is returning to New York on July 31. In the UBS Arena, lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov puts his title on the line against fellow unbeaten Archie Colgan. It’s the second title defense for the 28-year-old Russian fighter.
Also, undefeated PFL superstar Dakota Ditcheva is back. She takes on Denise Kielholtz in the co-main event of the night. PFL CEO John Martin informed the New York Post about the fights.
Fighting For The Lightweight Title
Usman Nurmagomedov is one of the best lightweight fighters in the world and the current PFL lightweight champion. The Russian fighter came to the PFL in 2025 when the promotion bought Bellator MMA, and he came over as the lightweight champion. Under the PFL banner, he defended his Bellator MMA title against Paul Hughes. A couple of months later, the PFL set up a rematch for the vacant PFL lightweight title between the two fighters. Nurmagomedov won again and won the title. Last February, he put his title on the line against challenger Alfie Davis. Nurmagomedov won via arm-triangle choke submission in the third round. Now he will take on Archie Colgan.
Just like Nurmagomedov, Colgan also came over from Bellator MMA. The American fighter took an 11-0 record along with him in the cage when he made his PFL debut in the Summer of 2025. Colgan beat Mansour Bernaoui after three rounds via unanimous decision. Colgan, who is a very good wrestler, was also able to neutralize and beat Jay Jay Wilson in October last year via unanimous decision. Colgan will now get his first shot at the belt. The 30-year-old can win his first-ever title in a professional MMA fight.
The Queen Of PFL
While she is not the main event, many eyes will be on Dakota Ditcheva again. The undefeated 27-year-old out of Sale, England, is one of the biggest stars in PFL. Ditcheva signed with the PFL in 2022. The British fighter had to win the European tournament in 2023 to get into the PFL 2024 big tournament. She completely overwhelmed her opponents with very good striking. With two first-round finishes against both Lisa Mauldin and Chelsea Hackett, she made the semi-finals. There she beat Jena Bischop by TKO in the first round. In the tournament’s final, she took out Taila Santos in the second round to win. Ditcheva only fought once last year. She beat Sumiko Inaba by unanimous decision. Ditcheva was supposed to fight Kielholtz earlier this year but got injured. The fight is now booked again.
The Dutch Kielholtz is a former Bellator Kickboxing champion and a former Bellator MMA title challenger. The 37-year-old, fighting out of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is known for her technical striking and her judo background. In her final Bellator MMA fight in 2023, she beat Sumiko Inaba. Kielholtz was supposed to debut for PFL in 2024, but got pregnant and took time off from the sport. She debuted earlier this year instead. It was supposed to be against Ditcheva, but the British fighter got hurt. Kielholtz fought Antonia Silvaneide instead and won after three rounds via unanimous decision. Now the fight with Ditcheva is booked again.
Other fights for the event will be announced at a later time.
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