Alfie Davis sees a kink in Gadzhi Rabadanov’s armor – especially in five-round fights.
Davis (19-5-1) meets Rabadanov (26-4-2) in Friday’s 2025 PFL World Tournament 9: Finals headliner (ESPN, ESPN+) at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. The last time Rabadanov tasted defeat was in a five-round decision loss to Mehdi Dakaev in December 2020. Davis took a lot from that fight.
“I definitely went back to when he lost because although he’s been on a bit of a streak, I think people just stylistically and tendencies are still the same,” Davis told MMA Junkie Radio. “Even myself, I still have tendencies and stuff that I do when I first started kickboxing. I just think your body is designed in certain ways. So, I definitely looked at his last loss, and it was a five rounder. So, he got exploited in that one when he lost in the five rounder.
“He got tired. His style of boxing didn’t really lend to the style that this guy was using, so I watched that. Also, I’ve been watching even his recent wins. Some of them, he’s had some edgy moments, like particularly his fight against J.J. Wilson. He nearly lost that fight. There were some other fights where they were quite close, and he’s made some stuff that I feel like I can exploit.”
Davis has surprised many with his route to the finals by taking out veterans Clay Collard and Brent Primus. He understands how life changing the $500,000 can be but insists that winning a world title has more value to him.
“I keep pinching myself, and I’m like, wow, if I win this money, it’s mad what it can do for me and my family,” Davis said. “But equally I’ve got a job to do, and I think winning the title and what that represents will mean more to me. I’ve always had this inclination that I’m going to earn a lot of money in my life. I feel like I work hard, I educate myself.
“So, I feel like it’s only a matter of time before I earn a lot of money. But there’s not a lot of time where you become a world champion. I’ve got a certain window where I can do that. So, the money is a big deal, don’t get me wrong, but it’s more about me performing and showing what I’ve been working so hard on for so many years.”
