5 Things You Might Not Know About Gadzhi Rabadanov

Gadzhi Rabadanov can see the finish line from his current position.

The 31-year-old Russian will look to move another step closer to his second straight Professional Fighters League championship when his lightweight semifinal opposite Kevin Lee headlines PFL 2025 World Tournament 6 on Friday at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. Rabadanov has rattled off 11 consecutive victories. He last saw action on April 18, when he punched out former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder Marc Diakiese a mere 32 seconds into their quarterfinal pairing. It was the fastest finish of his 30-fight career.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the Semifinals of the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, June 20 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+

As Rabadanov zeroes in on his high-stakes showdown with the mercurial Lee at 155 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He was something of a prodigy.

Rabadanov made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 19, as he disposed of Evgeny Sokha with a kimura in the second round of their pairing under the OctagonMMA Warriors banner on Feb. 21, 2013. He compiled a 3-1 record in four appearances as a teenager, quickly establishing himself as a person of interest on the Russian regional circuit.

2. He followed a common trajectory.

The Makhachkala, Russia, native excelled in combat sambo prior to his full-time move to MMA. Rabadanov was a national champion in the discipline and went on to capture bronze at the World Combat Sambo Federation Championships in 2014.

3. Some might call him a homebody.

Rabadanov has spent well over half of his career in familiar haunts, as 20 of his 31 professional bouts have taken place in his native Russia. He has also fought in the United States, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

4. An all-star supporting cast allowed him to thrive.

The Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov protégé splits his training time between the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, the Mamishev Team in St. Petersburg and Eagles MMA in Moscow. Javier Mendes and former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov are among Rabadanov’s most trusted confidantes.

5. Setbacks have been few and far between.

Rabadanov has not lost a fight since he dropped a five-round unanimous decision to Mehdi Dakaev at an Eagle Fighting Championship show on Dec. 4, 2020—nearly 1700 days ago.