Usman Nurmagomedov and Dakota Ditcheva headline PFL New York

The professional fighters League is back with a big fight card this summer as they head to Long Island New York for the first time.  Bringing a stacked card headlined by Usman Nurmagomedov against number one contender Archie Colgan and a Co Main Event of Dakota Ditcheva facing Denise Kielholtz after being out of the cage for more than a year due to injury.

Nurmagomedov will return to the PFL Cage to defend his Light weight belt which he won after defeating Paul Hughes following the merger of his Bellator MMA Lightweight World Championshio belt and later followed up with a win over Alfie Davis via stoppage in his first PFL MMA title defense.  Nurmagomedov had won the Bellator MMA belt and defended it 3 times prior to the merger.  Standing across from Usman Nurmagomedov will be an undefeated challenger with a 13-0 record.  Archie Colgan defeated Jay Jay Wilson via Unanimous decision in his PFL MMA debut to position himself as the number 1 contender with 9 consecutive victories in the PFL-Bellator organizations.

The Co Main event will feature the return of Dakota Ditcheva who suffered a hand injury that has kept her out of the cage for over a year.  With a 15-0 record Dakota will face Denis Kielholtz in a match that was rescheduled after injury kept Dakota out of the cage this past February.  With wins over Taila Santos, Jena Bishop, and Sumiko Inaba, Dakota Ditcheva is a perfect 15-0 as a professional in MMA. Kielholts has won 3 consecutive fights including a victory last February over Antonia Silvaneide who replaced Ditcheva after she pulled out of the fight.

PFL New York is currently scheduled to air on the main ESPN channel July 31st at 7pm ET.  Cris Cyborg who is the current PFL MMA World Champion at 145lbs is expected to make her PFL MMA return this summer.  Possible opponents could include Leah McCourt who was a top contender with Bellator MMA, Julia Budd who won her last fight and gave fans a great 4 round war with Cris Cyborg for the Bellator MMA championship or Ketlen Vieira who was recently released by the UFC but coming off a win.  Vieira struggled to make bantamweight in the past and a move up to 145lbs could be beneficial for her career longevity.