PFL Chicago: Unbeaten Khizriev returns on Friday in a rematch with Braga
After more than a year out, featherweight Timur Khizriev (18-0) steps back into the cage. In the co-main event in Chicago he faces Gabriel Braga, whom he narrowly beat once before.
Symbolic image · Photo: Chris Rycroft / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
At PFL Chicago on Friday, October 16, at Wintrust Arena, Timur Khizriev makes his comeback. The unbeaten Dagestani featherweight (18-0, No. 2 in the PFL rankings) meets Brazil's Gabriel Braga (17-3, No. 5) in the co-main event. The headliner is the women's flyweight title fight between Liz Carmouche and Jena Bishop.
According to Sherdog, Khizriev is fighting for the first time since beating Brendan Loughnane in the 2024 PFL featherweight tournament. He was out for more than a year after being injured in a violent crime in his homeland. Khizriev won the first meeting with Braga in the 2024 playoffs by split decision, the PFL says – a place in the final was at stake.
According to the PFL, a win would put Khizriev back in line for a world title fight. Braga wants to avenge his narrow defeat in the first meeting. The main card starts at 11 p.m. US Eastern Time (5 a.m. Saturday in Germany).