Preview: 2023 PFL 1 ‘Loughnane vs. Moraes’

Featherweights

Movlid Khaybulaev (19-0-1, 5-0-1 PFL) vs. Ryoji Kudo (11-4-1, 1-2 PFL)

ODDS: Khaybulaev (-650), Kudo (+425)

After winning the 2021 PFL featherweight championship, Khaybulaev spent the duration of 2022 on the sidelines. Based on his past performance, the Dagestani figures to be a favorite to claim his second title at 145 pounds. Like many of his countrymen, Khaybulaev is a suffocating grappler. Takedowns, top control and ground-and-pound carried him past the likes of Chris Wade, Brendan Loughnane and Lance Palmer in 2021 and will likely be his bread-and-butter once again. The Fight Nights Team product is competent on the feet, as well, possessing intelligent head movement, defense and countering ability. He also will throw the occasional spinning strike and has a couple flying knee finishes on his record, though that type of stoppage has not surfaced during his PFL tenure.

Kudo made his debut with the league in 2022, and early returns were promising before he was completely overwhelmed by the wrestling of Bubba Jenkins ahead of a first-round submission loss in a postseason matchup. The Japanese fighter’s calling card is the power in his hands, which surfaced in earlier PFL bouts. He dropped Loughnane early on in their regular-season pairing before falling via majority decision, then absolutely walloped Alejandro Flores Garcia for a first-round knockout in his sophomore PFL outing. While he showcased solid defensive wrestling and scrambling ability against Loughnane, his struggles against Jenkins do not bode well for his chances here.

Kudo’s generally patient approach is balanced by periodic bursts of aggression. These attacks could lead to his being sucked into the clinch by Khaybulaev, and Kudo simply does not have the grappling chops to hang with his Dagestani adversary. Kudo’s best chance is to clip Khaybulaev during an early exchange or risk being controlled for the better part of 15 minutes. Since Khaybulaev is a position-over-submission type of grappler, look for Kudo to make it to the final horn. Still, this has the looks of another clear-cut decision triumph for Khaybulaev.

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