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Usman Nurmagomedov will attempt to defend his lightweight belt for a third time at PFL New York. | PFL MMA
Two of Professional Fighters League’s top stars will be in action when the organization debuts in the Empire State this summer.
PFL New York will be headlined by a lightweight tilt tilt pitting reigning champion Usman Nurmagomedov against Archie Colgan, while Dakota Ditcheva will return from injury to face Denise Kielholtz in the evening’s co-main event. The promotion announced the bookings on Tuesday. PFL New York takes place at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, Long Island and airs on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
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Nurmagomedov is unbeaten in 22 professional outings, with his lone blemish coming as a result of a failed drug test at Bellator 300. The 28-year-old Dagestani captured PFL lightweight gold with a majority decision over Paul Hughes in January 2025. He has since defended the belt with a unanimous verdict against Hughes in a rematch this past October and with a third-round submission of lightweight tournament winner Alfie Davis at PFL Dubai on Feb. 7. Nurmagomedov’s resume also includes victories over the likes of Alexandr Shabliy, Benson Henderson and Patricky Freire.
A collegiate wrestler at the University of Wyoming, Colgan is undefeated in 13 professional outings. The 30-year-old known as “King” initially built his name under the Bellator MMA banner, earning eight victories with the promotion before it was purchased by the PFL. Since then, Colgan has scored back-to-back decision wins over Mansour Barnoui and Jay-Jay Wilson in PFL competition.
“PFL New York will be the culmination of three consecutive main event World Title fights, and on July 31, the world will see elite MMA at its finest,” PFL CEO John Martin said in a release. “In one corner you have the lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, who has been a class above every man to stand opposite him. Some crumble to his aura, some to his skills, but either way his ability is undeniable. And now we have a challenger everyone says could be the kryptonite, Archie Colgan, an NCAA Division I wrestler who many believe is yet to lose a round. Does a legacy continue, or a legacy start? We’ll find out, and I can’t wait.”
Ditcheva returns for the first time since last July, when she suffered a broken hand in a victory against Sumiko Inaba at PFL Capetown. The British muay thai specialist is a 2023 PFL Europe Champion and a 2024 PFL flyweight champion. She earned the most significant victory of her career to date at the 2024 PFL finals, where she scored a second-round stoppage of former UFC title challenger Taila Santos. “Dangerous” was initially slated to meet Kielholtz on Feb. 7 before another broken hand forced her to withdraw from the event.
Kielholtz, a Dutch kickboxing standout with a black belt in judo, will take a three-bout winning streak into the matchup with Ditcheva. Most recently, she outpointed replacement foe Antonia Silvaneide at PFL Dubai on Feb. 7. Kielholtz notably challenged for flyweight gold at Bellator 262, falling to Juliana Velasquez via unanimous decision on July 16, 2021.
Top notch featherweights headline PFL San Diego: Tune in Saturday, June 27 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
“Then we also have the return of Dakota Ditcheva, and where better to bring one of the faces of PFL than New York,” Martin stated. “Twelve finishes in 15 fights is an astounding knockout rate for her weight class, and she’s must-see TV every time she steps in the cage. But she won’t have it easy in her return, Kielholtz has world championship level kickboxing and a black belt in judo, meaning high risk for Dakota, and an opportunity to disrupt for Denise.”
PFL New York Card
Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan
Dakota Ditcheva vs. Denise Kielholtz
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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