Canadian lightweight Michael Dufort, known as "The Canadian Badass," posed during the PFL 5 weigh-in in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 20, 2024. In a fight on Friday, Russian lightweight Gadzhi Rabadanov knocked out Dufort in the second round, securing his spot in the Professional Fighters League lightweight final. The image was provided by Cooper Neill of the Professional Fighters League.
In a stunning turn of events, Canadian lightweight Michael "The Canadian Badass" Dufort faced a brutal defeat in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) semifinal on Friday. The match, held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, ended in the second round when Russian lightweight Gadzhi Rabadanov delivered a powerful left hook that sent Dufort crashing to the canvas. Rabadanov followed up with a flurry of punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight just 1 minute and 51 seconds into the round.
Rabadanov, who now boasts a record of 23 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw, will advance to the PFL lightweight final, where he will face top-seeded Brent Primus. The winner of the final will take home the 155-pound title and a prize of USD 1 million.
Despite the intense competition, Rabadanov expressed his respect for Dufort, calling him "a very nice guy" in a post-fight interview.
Dufort entered the fight with high hopes, aiming to follow in the footsteps of his friend and training partner, Olivier "The Canadian Gangster" Aubin-Mercier, who retired as a two-time PFL lightweight champion. Aubin-Mercier had been in Dufort's corner during his title wins, adding to the emotional stakes of the bout.
In the first round, Dufort managed to keep Rabadanov at bay with effective jabs, but the Russian fighter took control in the final 90 seconds, taking Dufort to the ground. Dufort tried to secure a choke, but Rabadanov managed to escape. The second round began with Dufort attempting to clinch Rabadanov against the fence, but it was the Russian who ultimately dictated the fight's outcome with his decisive left hook.
This defeat marks a significant setback for Dufort, who now holds a record of 13 wins and 6 losses. Earlier in the PFL season, Dufort had shown promise, submitting Denmark’s Mads Burnell in April and securing a playoff spot after a contentious split-decision loss to American Adam "The Bomb" Piccolotti in June, a fight many believed Dufort had won.
Rabadanov's victory extends his winning streak to nine fights, with three of those wins coming in the PFL and four in Bellator. His only loss in recent years was to France's Mehdi Dakaev in December 2022, during an Eagle Fighting Championship event in Moscow.
Both fighters have trained with some of the best in the sport. Dufort has worked with legends like Aubin-Mercier and former UFC two-division champion Georges St-Pierre, while Rabadanov trained under the guidance of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, both of whom are members of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Brent Primus, who Rabadanov will face in the final, secured his spot by defeating No. 4 seed Cassius Clay Collard in a one-sided match on Friday. Primus dominated Collard, spending much of the fight on his opponent's back and neutralizing his striking game. The 39-year-old former Bellator champion has shown himself to be a formidable contender, winning his previous two regular-season fights and now eyeing the PFL lightweight title.
