Outside Source
Aleksandr Chizov achieved his highest level of success in the Professional Fighters League when he won the PFL Europe lightweight tournament in December and picked up two finishes during his three-fight run to the title. It was only a matter of time before the powers that be brought him onto the global roster.
The 28-year-old Latvian gets a major step up in that regard when he takes on Gadzhi Rabadanov in the PFL Sioux Falls co-main event on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota. Rabadanov was a 2024 PFL tournament winner and marches into the match with victories in 12 of his past 13 appearances. It serves as stern challenge for Chizov.
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“I’m feeling great,” he told Sherdog.com. “For me, it’s a dream come true. Since day one when I started to compete in MMA, I wanted to fight in the United States. Listen, I am from Latvia. It’s a small country in Europe, [and] 99% of people don’t even know this country exists, so for me, being able to represent this country while fighting in the States is a dream come true. I’m excited. This will be my fourth fight in a year’s time for me. I am active, and I appreciate the PFL giving me this chance.”
Chizov’s rise to prominence seems unlikely in hindsight, as he merely sought out MMA as a means to clean up his act as a teenager.
Comfortable in underdog role
“If somebody would’ve told me 10 years ago that I would be a professional fighter competing in the highest level in MMA against some Dagestan guy, I’d think they had me confused with someone else,” he said. “I grew up on the streets, doing bad stuff, drinking alcohol, smoking, no discipline, and I only started training MMA to get respect on the streets and get girls to like me. I didn’t have ambitions to be a professional athlete.
“When I told my parents this is what I wanted, they didn’t know what MMA was,” Chizov added. “When I quit school, the teacher asked me what I wanted to do. I said become MMA world champion, and that was hard to even imagine, so I’ve been dealing with this my entire life and career. I’ll be a big underdog going up against a guy from Dagestan. He’s a favorite. He’s a former champion, but this is nothing new to me.”
Despite striking gold in PFL Europe, Chizov refused to let his foot off the gas. He viewed his international achievement as a milepost in his burgeoning career.
“When it comes to the PFL Europe championship, when I won the belt, it was like a checkpoint,” Chizov said. “My ambition is to be the best in the world, fighting the best guys in the world. When I won the belt, I knew it wasn’t the world championship. It’s a good year, but it’s not the place where I want to stop. I’ve been aiming to fight the best guys in the division, and now finally, I have this opportunity to showcase my skills against one of the best guys in the lightweight division. It’s another step for my future.”
Chizov already measured the stakes. He believes a victory over Rabadanov would not only move him to the top of the 155-pound rankings but put him in the immediate conversation for a title shot.
“He’s currently second in line, so probably with a win in this fight against Gadzhi, I’ll move closer to the belt,” Chizov said. “I’ve heard something about Usman Nurmagomedov fighting Archie Colgan next for the world title. With a win here, I’m [either] a title contender or I’ll have to win one more fight. We’ll see. The thing I know is that a victory here puts me at the top of the rankings, no questions asked.”
When pressed about what fans should expect from his looming battle with Rabadanov, Chizov offered only two words: “Don’t blink.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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