PFL announces 15-fight card for Dubai event on November 14

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Vadim Nemkov poses with his mentor Fedor Emelianenko. | Photo via PFL Professional Fighters League has officially unveiled the finalized 15-fight lineup for its upcoming event in United Arab Emirates, scheduled for Nov. 14 at the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai. The card will be topped by a heavyweight championship bout between PFL titleholder Vadim Nemkov and fellow Russian knockout artist Sergei Bilostenniy. The co-main event will see undefeated welterweight prospect Patrick Habirora battling Omar El Dafrawy. Nemkov (20-2, 1 no-contest) puts his title on the line for the first time since stopping Renan Ferreira in four minutes to claim the belt in December 2025. The Fedor Emelianenko protege is a former Bellator champion and hasn’t lost in a decade, going undefeated in 15 MMA fights under the RIZIN, Bellator and PFL banners. “I always try to finish fights with a submission or a choke. Like Fedor says, fights should end early,” Nemkov stated in a release. “But fighting is unpredictable, things don’t always go according to plan, so you have to be ready to adjust during the fight.” Bilostenniy (15-4) earned a shot at the gold by beating Ferreira via second-round knockout in May, improving to 4-1 in the PFL cage. The 31-year-old contender scored two-thirds of his MMA victories by knockout, including three of his four PFL victories against “Problema” Ferreira, Karl Williams, Tyrell Fortune and Kasim Aras. “I’m in the middle of my training in Moscow, there’s not long left now until a real, action-packed fight,” Bilostenniy said. “A true test for myself. I want to treat the fans to a great, exciting bout between two big Russian guys! My mindset is excellent, I’m ready for battle. See you all soon.” Belgium star Habirora puts his undefeated 9-0 record at test in the co-headliner against PFL MENA welterweight champion El Dafrawy (16-6). Habirora went 3-0 in PFL Europe with a trio of first-round knockouts, most recently stopping ex-UFC champion Benson Henderson in 20 seconds, while El Dafrawy aims to extend his winning streak to three after securing a pair of victories earlier this year. The main card is set to start at 1 p.m. ET on the ESPN App in the United States and features undefeated heavyweight Pouya Rahmani versus Oleg Popov, plus former Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis vs. Joji Goto and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov versus David Martinez at welterweight. Check the complete PFL Dubai card below. Main card Vadim Nemkov vs. Sergei Bilostenniy Patrick Habirora vs. Omar El Dafrawy Pouya Rahmani vs. Oleg Popov Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. David Martinez Sergio Pettis vs. Joji Goto Preliminary card: Shem Rock vs. Connor Hughes Lewis McGrillen vs. Nawras Abzakh Asaël Adjoudj vs. Movlid Khaybulaev Alexei Pergande vs. Akhmed Magomedov Khasan Magomedsharipov vs. Adam Borics Denis Goltsov vs. Maxwell Djantou Nana Ernesto Rodriguez vs. Rhys McKee Khabib Nabiev vs. Styve Ngono Khamzat Abaev vs. Leon Hill Aleksandra Savicheva vs. Jacinta Austin