Brendan Loughnane is one step away from joining an exclusive club on Friday night when he main events the 2024 PFL World Championship event live on DAZN.
The British MMA star will be going head-to-head with Timur Khizriev in the final of this year's featherweight tournament, and if victorious in Riyadh, Loughnane will be the latest fighter to become a two-time PFL champion.
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However, he will be coming up against an opponent in Khizriev who is undefeated in 17 fights, and has impressed over the past 11 months.
Who will come out on top? MMA analyst Dan Hardy spoke to DAZN News about where this fight will be won and lost.
Brendan Loughnane
Stay out of the clinch
The reality is Loughnane’s got to stay out of the clinch in this one, Khizriev has got good striking, he’s more comfortable if he’s got you attached your hips, if he’s got you on the floor and if he’s trying to climb onto your back.
Target the calf, slow down Khizriev
I expect Brendan to work that lead leg and try to do as much damage to the calf of Khizriev as possible, at least slow down his level changes and his movement.
Avoid grappling as much as possible
Brendan knows where he wins this fight and I don’t think he will try and engage in any kind of grappling.
I think maybe in his head, if this fight hits the floor, he’s got the ability and scrambling technique to get back to his feet and get back to where he wins this fight.
If Brendan is trying to grapple with him offensively on the floor, that’s going to be a very long night and it will waste a lot of energy as well.
Timur Khizriev
Test the kicking game
Khizriev has got good kicks, so if Brendan’s playing too much on the outside, he may find himself in a 50-50 battle in the kicking game with Khizriev.
Close the distance, get the fight to the floor
Khizriev’s should be fighting with his kicks on the outside but then ultimately closing the distance, if he can do that underneath the punches of Loughnane, get to the hips quicker and get the fight to the floor.
If he’s on the floor in top position, he’s going to be a nightmare for everybody to deal with, there are not many better grapplers coming out the British Isles than Brett Johns and he wasn’t able to get anything going against Khizriev.
How to watch the PFL World Championship live on DAZN on Friday
Watch Brendan Loughnane vs. Timur Khizrie and the PFL World Championship fight card live with a DAZN subscription.
Right now you can sign up to a subscription at a huge discounted rate with DAZN's Black Friday offer. UK viewers get up to 33% off their subscription, while US customers get up to 50%.
For an annual subscription, that is now only £89.99, reduced from £119.99, in the UK, and $112.50 down from $224.99 in the US. There are also monthly subscription options.
DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 150 fights a year across boxing, bare knuckle boxing, MMA and crossover boxing.
Signing up before November 29, with both annual and monthly options, will get you get the best seat to the biggest fights still to come this year and into 2025.