The PFL playoffs went pretty much according to form, with all six No. 1 seeds advancing to the $1 million finals, with four No. 2 seeds and a pair of No. 3 seeds reaching the promised land.
Murad Ramazanadov might have had the biggest task in front of him on Friday in his welterweight semifinal against top-seeded Shamil Musaev. Not only did Musaev enter the bout in Washington, D.C., with a 16-0-1 record, the most recent of those victories came less than two months earlier when he'd knocked out Ramazanadov in the second round.
Musaev, who finished Logan Sorely in his first-round bout in April in Chicago, never was close to getting a finish on Friday, but nor was the outcome ever in doubt. He used his overall game to control Ramazanadov and won by scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28 to make his way to the finals.
There, he'll meet No. 2 Magomed Umalatov, who won his own decision over Neiman Gracie on Friday. Umalatov was in control throughout, despite some late Gracie submission attempts off of his back, and won by scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27 to advance to the finals.
Top-seeded Brendan Loughnane, the 2022 champion, had to sweat out a split decision over Kai Kamaka in his welterweight semifinal to earn his place in the final. He landed a spinning kick to the body late in round one that badly hurt Kamaka, and he nearly finished him.
Loughnane took a split decision, with one judge favoring Kamaka 29-28 but the other two giving it to Loughnane by scores of 30-27 and 29-28. In the welterweight final, he'll meet No. 3 Timur Khizriev, who won a split decision over No. 2 Gabriel Braga in a striking battle. Scores were 30-27 twice for Khizriev and 29-28 for Braga.
That means the PFL Final shapes up like this:
Heavyweights: No. 1 Denis Goltsov versus No. 2 Oleg Popov.
Light heavyweights: No. 1 Impa Kasanganay versus No. 3 Dovlet Yagshimuradov.
Welterweights: No. 1 Shamil Musaev versus No. 2 Magomed Umalatov.
Lightweights: No. 1 Brent Primus versus No. 2 Gadzhi Rabadanov.
Featherweights: No. 1 Brendan Loughnane versus No. 3 Timur Khizriev
Women's flyweights: No. 1 Dakota Ditcheva versus No. 2 Taila Santos.