Gadzhi Rabadanov, a highly-ranked lightweight contender in the PFL and a notable trainee of Khabib Nurmagomedov, has expressed his enjoyment of the Rizin fighting ruleset but has ruled out participating in bare-knuckle boxing. Rabadanov recently secured a win over Alex Chizov via decision at the PFL Sioux Falls event.
Previously, Rabadanov experienced success in the Rizin organization, earning a unanimous decision victory against Koji Takeda on the Bellator vs. Rizin crossover card on New Year’s Eve 2022. The 32-year-old fighter seemed to appreciate the Rizin rules, which permit soccer kicks and face stomps. He commented to Bowks Talking Bouts:
“Wow, brother, I like this. It’s very good. Very good rules. Like soccer match, you know [laughs]. But little bit crazy. That’s old school. Pride time. Pride and being Japan, Tokyo is very beautiful city. I like that rules but little bit crazy. People don’t understand. It’s so dangerous for fighters. So dangerous. Maybe if they [are] going to make this tournament again, together of course, I try to get [a] fight there.”
Rabadanov further elaborated on his willingness to compete under the Rizin rules again, acknowledging their inherent danger but expressing a preference for them over bare-knuckle fighting. He stated:
“Yeah, that [is] dangerous. But I like this. If I can, I can fight without gloves, too. But I like this. Of course, if they do this again, I try to be there.”
This sentiment was contrasted with the experience of Emiliano Sordi, another PFL fighter who competed in a Gamebred Bare Knuckle MMA bout between his PFL appearances. Sordi reported that he disliked fighting without gloves due to the significant hand injuries it caused.
When asked about the possibility of engaging in bare-knuckle fights, Rabadanov indicated a strong preference for traditional boxing, stating:
“I’m not sure. But I try to fight in boxing, but bare knuckle is little bit, I don’t know. I’m not sure. Boxing. I like boxing. I will try match, get match to boxing, but not bare knuckle. This is a little bit crazy.”
Translation:
Gadzhi Rabadanov, a highly-ranked lightweight contender in the PFL and a notable trainee of Khabib Nurmagomedov, has expressed his enjoyment of the Rizin fighting ruleset but has ruled out participating in bare-knuckle boxing. Rabadanov recently secured a win over Alex Chizov via decision at the PFL Sioux Falls event.
Previously, Rabadanov experienced success in the Rizin organization, earning a unanimous decision victory against Koji Takeda on the Bellator vs. Rizin crossover card on New Year’s Eve 2022. The 32-year-old fighter seemed to appreciate the Rizin rules, which permit soccer kicks and face stomps. He commented:
“Wow, brother, I like this. It’s very good. Very good rules. Like soccer match, you know [laughs]. But a little bit crazy. That’s old school. Pride era. Pride and being in Japan, Tokyo is a very beautiful city. I like those rules but they’re a little bit crazy. People don’t understand. It’s so dangerous for fighters. So dangerous. Maybe if they are going to organize this tournament again, together of course, I will try to get a fight there.”
Rabadanov further elaborated on his willingness to compete under the Rizin rules again, acknowledging their inherent danger but expressing a preference for them over bare-knuckle fighting. He stated:
“Yeah, that is dangerous. But I like this. If I can, I can fight without gloves, too. But I like this. Of course, if they do this again, I will try to be there.”
This sentiment was contrasted with the experience of Emiliano Sordi, another PFL fighter who competed in a Gamebred Bare Knuckle MMA bout between his PFL appearances. Sordi reported that he disliked fighting without gloves due to the significant hand injuries it caused.
When asked about the possibility of engaging in bare-knuckle fights, Rabadanov indicated a strong preference for traditional boxing, stating:
“I’m not sure. But I will try to fight in boxing, but bare knuckle is a little bit, I don’t know. I’m not sure. Boxing. I like boxing. I will try to get a match in boxing, but not bare knuckle. This is a little bit crazy.”
