Top Reasons to Catch PFL 3

Business has certainly picked up for Magomed Umalatov.

The undefeated American Top Team welterweight will put his pristine 14-0 record on the line when he kicks off his 2024 Professional Fighters League campaign opposite former Bellator MMA champion Andrey Koreshkov in the PFL 3 headliner—the event features competitors at 145 and 170 pounds—this Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Umalatov, 32, has won all five of his fights under the PFL banner, having bested Kyron Bowen, Leandro Silva, Jarrah Al-Silawi, Dilano Taylor and Nayib Lopez in succession. He has secured 11 of his 12 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, nine of them inside one round. Koreshkov figures to be his toughest test to date. The 33-year-old Alexander Shlemenko protégé enters his organizational debut on the strength of a five-fight winning streak. Koreshkov last appeared on July 29, when he eked out a split decision over Lorenz Larkin at a show co-promoted by Bellator and the Rizin Fighting Federation. He held the Bellator welterweight crown for 482 days, from July 17, 2015 to Nov. 10, 2016.

In addition to the Umalatov-Koreshkov showdown, here are four other reasons to catch PFL 2:

1. Bounce-Back Opportunity

Brendan Loughnane must now show he can get back on the horse. The 34-year-old Dana White’s Contender Series alum and 2022 PFL champion will attempt to rebound from the first stoppage loss of his 31-fight career when he collides with Pedro Carvalho in the featherweight co-headliner. Loughnane had his shot at a repeat derailed at PFL 4, where a nuclear knee strike and follow-up punches from Jesus Pinedo brought him down a mere 94 seconds into their June 8 encounter. The setback snapped a five-fight winning streak for the Manchester, England, native and eliminated him from playoff contention. Carvalho, meanwhile, steps into the spotlight on the heels of back-to-back defeats. The SBG Ireland export last fought on Sept. 23, when he succumbed to punches from Aaron Pico at Bellator 299. Victories over “The Ultimate Fighter 15” graduate Sam Sicilia, former M-1 Global champion Daniel Weichel and onetime Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Mads Burnell anchor the Carvalho resume.

2. Wrestling with Change

While a pair of losses to Yaroslav Amosov dimmed some of the shine surrounding him, Logan Storley was one of the more intriguing additions to the PFL welterweight field. A four-time NCAA All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota, the Kill Cliff Fight Club standout will face Shamil Musaev in his first assignment with the company. Storley, 31, last suited up at Bellator 298, where he buried Brennan Ward with punches in the second round of their Aug. 11 confrontation. It was his first legitimate finish in nearly five years. On the other side of the equation, Musaev carries a 14-0-1 record into his PFL debut. The 30-year-old Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki and Fight Nights Global veteran has secured 11 of his 14 professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. An October 2021 majority draw with Michal Pietrzak at KSW 64 remains the only blemish in Musaev’s ledger. He operates out of the Golden Team camp in Moscow.

3. Grappler’s Delight

Goiti Yamauchi was not afforded anything close to a soft landing in his return from a gruesome knee injury. The 31-year-old grappling savant will rematch fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Neiman Gracie in a three-round welterweight showcase. Yamauchi—who punched out Gracie in their first clash some 21 months ago—has not appeared since a leg kick from Michael Page ruptured his patella tendon 26 seconds into their Bellator 292 pairing on March 10, 2023. The Anjo, Japan, native owns a remarkable 21 wins by submission, 13 of them via rear-naked choke. Gracie, meanwhile, has lost four of his past seven bouts after starting his mixed martial arts career a perfect 7-0. He last strapped on the gloves at Bellator 290, where he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Dante Schiro in February 2023. Gracie, 35, has never been submitted.

4. Try, Try Again

Bubba Jenkins may be running short on time. A two-time NCAA All-American wrestler who won a national championship at Arizona State University in 2011, Jenkins will toe the line against Kai Kamaka III in a three-round featherweight attraction, as he once again sets out in pursuit of an elusive PFL title. The former Brave Combat Federation champion was a semifinalist in 2021 and 2023 and reached the 145-pound final in 2022. Jenkins, who turned 36 in February, finds himself on the rebound following a technical knockout loss to the aforementioned Pineda at PFL 7 on Aug. 4. On the other side of the docket, Kamaka heads into his company debut with the wind of a three-fight winning streak in his sails. The 29-year-old Hawaiian last appeared at Bellator 300, where he outpointed Henry Corrales to a unanimous verdict on Oct. 7. Kamaka has gone the distance in 14 of his 18 career outings.