Professional Fighters League is making its return to Southern California, with San Diego the site of a pro mixed martial arts event for the first time in nearly two years.
PFL San Diego Presented by GOVX will take place June 27 at Pechanga Arena, with former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee squaring off against undefeated Salamat Isbulaev in the main event.
Bellator held its final event – Bellator 300 on Oct. 27, 2023, at Pechanga Arena – before being acquired less than four weeks later by PFL. The company returned to San Diego for Bellator Champions Series 4 on Sept. 7, 2024.
“San Diego has one of the strongest fight cultures in the country, and it’s a community that truly understands and appreciates this sport,” PFL CEO John Martin said. “Bringing PFL here and doing it with a card headlined by a Southern California star like A.J. McKee makes this event especially meaningful for us.”
The 31-year-old McKee (24-2), who fights out of Long Beach, continues his pursuit to reclaim his place atop the 145-pound division. Ranked No. 2 in the PFL, McKee is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Adam Borics at PFL Madrid in March. He has won both his fights since returning to featherweight after a 4-1 stint in the 155-pound lightweight division.
The sixth-ranked Isbulaev (10-0) has quickly scaled the 145-pound rankings. In his PFL debut, the 29-year-old from Kazakhstan recorded a first-round knockout upset of former PFL featherweight champ Jesus Pinedo in February.
“This is the kind of fight that defines a division. A proven champion in A.J. McKee facing an undefeated challenger in Salamat Isbulaev, who’s coming off a statement win over a former champion and brings serious momentum into this matchup,” Martin said.
Tickets for PFL San Diego Presented by GOVX are available through pre-sale Monday at pfl.info/sandiego.
The main card will air live at 7 p.m. on ESPN 2. The prelims, which starts at 4 p.m., will air on the ESPN app. No other bouts have been announced.