Sergei Bilostenniy secured the PFL heavyweight title on Saturday at PFL Dubai, earning a unanimous decision victory over Vadim Nemkov.
The judges scored the bout 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 in favor of the challenger, according to Yahoo Sports.
Nemkov dominated early, securing a takedown and threatening with a belly-down armbar in the first two minutes.
Bilostenniy utilized his physical advantages to dictate the pace for the remainder of the contest.
By the final round, Nemkov appeared overmatched, struggling to land effective takedowns despite outstriking his opponent, the outlets reported.
In the co-main event, Patrick Habirora continued his undefeated streak by securing a first-round submission win over Omar El Dafrawy.
Habirora utilized a high-elbow guillotine choke to end the fight at 3:11 of the opening round.
Following the victory, the fighter issued a direct appeal to the organization’s leadership regarding his future.
He shouted, “Nakisa, boss, next is the belt!” during his post-fight interview.
Elsewhere on the card, Oleg Popov defeated Dubai native Pouya Rahmani via unanimous decision in a heavyweight clash.
Rahmani struggled to find offense after a strong opening hook and appeared exhausted for the final ten minutes of the bout.
The main card also featured a knockout victory for Lewis McGrillen, who landed a leaping knee against Nawras Abzakh in the final seconds of the first round.
Abzakh failed to return to his corner after the bell, leading the referee to end the match, per the official results.
In the preliminary card, Connor Hughes secured a violent knockout victory over Shem Rock in the second round.
Additionally, Adam Borics overcame an early deficit to submit Khasan Magomedsharipov with a triangle choke in the first round.
The night of competition concluded with several other bouts, including a submission win for Saygid Izagakhmaev and a decision victory for Akhmed Magomedov.
The event highlighted several rising prospects within the PFL international ranks, according to the official event summary provided by the organization.