One of the biggest fights in recent Professional Fighters League history is off after Shamil Musaev’s withdrawal from Saturday’s main event.
The Professional Fighters League lost one of its biggest fights in recent memory just hours before the league’s return to Washington, D.C.
Shamil Musaev, winner of the 2024 PFL welterweight tournament, was supposed to face 2025 champ Thad Jean in the PFL DC main event. But just hours before the card, Musaev has withdrawn from the fight for undisclosed reasons.
MMA Junkie‘s Nolan King was the first to report the news of Musaev’s withdrawal.
Musaev’s withdrawal is the latest hit to the PFL DC card after Magomed Umalatov, Valentin Moldavsky, and former The Ultimate Fighter standout Mando Gutierrez had fights canceled. This was supposed to be arguably the biggest test in Jean’s career after recent wins over former Bellator titleholders Jason Jackson and Logan Storley.
Luckily, the PFL has also reportedly booked a last-second replacement to face Jean in the reshuffled main event slot.
Thad Jean vs. Ernesto Rodriguez booked for new PFL DC main event, Shamil Musaev out
Ernesto Rodriguez, originally booked to face Aaron McKenzie on the PFL DC undercard, will fight Jean in the new welterweight main event. As of this writing, it’s uncertain if McKenzie will still fight.
Rodriguez enters PFL DC with a 11-1-0 record and 3 knockout wins. This is the third opponent change that Rodriguez has dealt with ahead of PFL DC after he was originally supposed to face Umalatov.
As for Musaev, he hasn’t fought since a unanimous decision loss to Ramazan Kuramagomedov earlier this year, his first career defeat. He’s earned recent wins over Murad Ramazanov, Storley, and Umalatov in the PFL SmartCage.
Musaev will look to return to action later this year after his sudden withdrawal from PFL DC.
What is your prediction for Thad Jean vs. Ernesto Rodriguez? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
