PFL 2021 Championship Preview: Fierce Rivals Battle For Welterweight Glory

A pair of former champions will collide in a rematch for the PFL welterweight championship as 2018 winner Magomed Magomedkerimov of Russia meets 2019 victor Ray Cooper III of Hawaii on October 27th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

Cooper and Magomedkerimov are no strangers to each other, having faced each other for the welterweight championship back in the 2018 season.

Magomedkerimov submitted Cooper in the second round to claim the inaugural PFL welterweight championship.

The following season, Cooper would redeem himself by going all the way and claiming the title for himself.

Magomedkerimov, meanwhile, missed out on a finals rematch with Cooper due to an illness.

With both men looking to be two-time titleholders, they both set out on a mission to reclaim gold in the 2021 season.

Cooper (23-7-1) began the season with a first-round submission win over Jason Ponet and then followed that up with a unanimous decision win over former world title contender Nikolay Aleksakhin.

Those wins were enough to send Cooper back into the postseason as the third seed.

In the semifinals, Cooper edged out top former world champion Rory MacDonald to book a third-consecutive finals appearance.

Magomedkerimov (29-5), on the other hand, opened the 2021 season with a first-round submission against Chris Curtis.

The lone elimination round win was enough to secure a spot in the semifinals, setting him up with a do-or-die matchup against Sadibou Sy.

In the semis, Magomedkerimov dominated Sy by unanimous decision to return to the finals and position himself in a rematch against Cooper.

With a ton of history between them and even more on the line, Cooper and Magomedkerimov will definitely bring the fireworks as they battle for the PFL welterweight championship and a million-dollar prize.