HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – For the second time in three seasons, Magomed Magomedkerimov will fight Ray Cooper III in the PFL welterweight final.
Their rematch was set Friday night after Cooper, the reigning 2019 PFL welterweight champion, won a lopsided unanimous decision against former Bellator champ and UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald in the main event of 2021 PFL Playoffs 1. Just before that in the co-main event, Magomedkerimov took care of business with his own lopsided unanimous decision win over Sadibou Sy.
Magomedkerimov (29-5) and Cooper (23-7-1) previously met in the 2018 PFL welterweight final, with Magomedkerimov winning by second-round submission to claim the title and $1 million prize.
Now they’ll run it back three years later, and Magomedkerimov at least has seen a difference in Cooper between then and now – but he still likes the matchup.
“I see the style changed a little bit,” Magomedkerimov told MMA Junkie through a Russian translator. “He used to box more. Now I see he has some wrestling going on. It’s a good thing for him, but it’s actually a good thing for me.”
After a 2020 season lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Magomedkerimov is happy to have made it back to the final.
“It’s quite a journey, and it takes several steps,” he said. “Most of the steps are behind. The most important one is ahead of me. I’m very happy, yes. I’m relieved. Time to relax a little bit right now, and we’re gonna regroup and be ready.”
You can watch Magomedkerimov’s full interview in the video above.