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PFL World Tournament First Round Preview: Lightweights

Originally posted on Empire Sports Media
By Daniel Cunningham | Last updated Apr 17, 2025 5:59 PM ET

Tomorrow night the PFL World Tournament continues in Orlando, Florida with the promotion’s third event. Middleweights and lightweights take center stage tomorrow night in arguably the most stacked card of the tournament cards thus far. The featured lightweight bout contains last year’s champion Gadzhi Rabadanov (24-4-2) as he takes on UFC and Bellator vet Marc Diakiese (18-7).

Diakiese finished his UFC contract back in 2023 and then signed with the PFL. He made his debut last September in the Bellator Champions Series and won a decision over Tim Wilde. Now, he’ll get to take on the 2024 lightweight champion and there’s some serious heat behind this matchup after their face-off earlier this week.

Can we fast forward to Friday Night

2024 PFL Lightweight World Champion Gadzhi Rabadanov and Marc Diakiese wasted no time in letting each other know how they feel in their first faceoff ahead of Friday

[ #PFLWorldTournament | Friday, April 18th | 7PM EST | ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/8f1ivtHE7W
— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 16, 2025

Rabadanov won the lightweight season last year and now he’ll try to capture the World Tournament. I’m a little surprised to see him in the tournament to be honest. He dominated the competition last year including scoring finishes in the semifinals and the championship event. He’s won ten in a row and I figured he might fight Usman Nurmagomedov. However, he’s in the World Tournament and it’s hard not to see him as the betting favorite.

Mads Burnell (20-6) is on the card tomorrow night and he’s set to take on Jay Jay Wilson (10-1). Burnell competed in the season last year and went 2-1 which included a win over Clay Collard. Wilson is fighting for the first time since September 2023. His only career loss came to the 2024 champion Rabadanov by decision back in 2022.

Fan favorite Clay Collard (25-14) is also in the PFL World Tournament and he’ll be facing Alfie Davis. The other matchup features last year’s runner-up Brent Primus (15-4) as he takes on Vinicius Cenci (8-2).

The full World Tournament bracket can be viewed below.

This article first appeared on Empire Sports Media and was syndicated with permission.

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