PFL World Tournament 8 – Husein Kadimagomaev vs Kyle Driscoll

Husein Kadimagomaev and Kyle Driscoll met in a lightweight prelim at PFL World Tournament 8 on August 1, 2025, in Atlantic City, and from the opening bell it was clear this was going to be a fight built around positioning and pressure. Kadimagomaev started with forward movement, pressing behind short punches to close the distance and work for takedowns, while Driscoll relied on counters and fast footwork to stay balanced. The opening exchanges took place almost entirely in the clinch or against the fence, with both fighters trading control in a battle for underhooks.

The first round also saw the fight’s only moment of controversy when Kadimagomaev landed an illegal downward elbow while working from top position. Referee Giovanna Scano immediately stepped in with a warning, and the bout continued without a point deduction. From there, Kadimagomaev spent much of the round working for control from half guard and side positions, forcing Driscoll to defend and scramble out of bad spots. Driscoll’s ability to get back to his feet kept him competitive even in moments when he was grounded.

As the fight moved into the second and third rounds, the momentum began to even out. Driscoll upped his pace, mixing level changes with short punches inside, while Kadimagomaev stayed committed to clinch takedowns and riding time on the ground. Each round had long stretches of wrestling exchanges where control shifted back and forth, leaving little in the way of clean striking but plenty of grappling work for the judges to score. By the final horn, both men had their moments in top control and had left no clear winner in the eyes of the crowd.

After three grinding rounds, the judges rendered a split decision in favor of Kyle Driscoll with scores of 27–30, 29–28, and 30–27. The result gave Driscoll his first PFL win, improving his record to 15–4, while Kadimagomaev slipped to 11–2 after a performance where his grappling control was not enough to sway the scorecards. The fight highlighted the difficulty of judging close wrestling battles and left fans debating which mattered more—activity or control—on a night when the margins were razor thin.