Top Reasons to Catch PFL 7

Perhaps the fourth time can be the charm for Denis Goltsov.

The physically imposing and undeniably skilled 6-foot-5 Russian will set out in pursuit of the 2024 Professional Fighters League heavyweight championship when his semifinal showdown with Tim Johnson headlines PFL 7 this Friday at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The life-changing $1 million payday that long ago became synonymous with the PFL has thus far eluded Goltsov. He was a finalist in 2023 and reached the semifinals in 2019 and 2021.

Goltsov, 34, enters his latest assignment with wins in seven of his past eight outings, a technical knockout loss to Renan Ferreira in the 2023 final his only misstep. The Sambo Piter stalwart last suited up at PFL 4, where he needed a little more than two minutes to put away Thiago Santos with punches in June. Goltsov has delivered 28 of his 34 professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, a staggering 18 of them inside one round. Johnson, meanwhile, made the most of his opportunity as a short-notice substitution and emerged as the unlikeliest of playoff qualifiers. The 39-year-old Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran debuted for PFL on June 13, when he wiped out Danilo Marques with punches 3:14 into the first round of their pairing and banked the six points necessary to join the postseason party. A two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Minnesota State University Moorhead, Johnson dropped anchor the distinguished Xtreme Couture camp in Las Vegas.

In addition to the high-stakes Goltsov-Johnson showdown, here are three other reasons to catch PFL 7:

Train Rolls On

The Dakota Ditcheva hype machine shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, the opposite may be true. She will look to take the next step in what appears to be an unabated march to superstardom when her women’s flyweight semifinal against Jena Bishop serves as the co-main event. Ditcheva, 26, punched her ticket to the playoffs with back-to-back first-round finishes of Lisa Mauldin and Chelsea Hackett. The undefeated American Top Team standout has stopped 11 of her first 12 opponents, 10 of them by knockout or technical knockout. On the other side of the equation, Bishop steps into the spotlight with a 7-1 record in tow. The decorated 39-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt managed to qualify for the playoffs despite a split decision defeat to Taila Santos in her most recent appearance at PFL 4. Bishop won multiple International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation championships in 2017 and could pose a real threat to her favored counterpart should any extended grappling exchanges ensue.

‘Girl-Rilla’ Warfare

Reigning Bellator MMA champion Liz Carmouche will attempt to make another move toward fattening her bank account when she confronts Santos in the other women’s flyweight semifinal. Carmouche has pieced together a nine-fight winning streak since she left the UFC on the heels of a five-round decision defeat to Valentina Shevchenko in their 2019 rematch. Now 40, she nailed down her spot in the postseason in most dramatic fashion at PFL 4, where the Lafayette, Louisiana, native rallied to dispatch Kana Watanabe with an armbar 4:52 into the third round of their June 13 encounter. It was the third armbar submission of Carmouche’s outstanding 29-fight career. Santos, meanwhile, secured a postseason berth with a first-round rear-naked choke submission of Ilara Joanne and her aforementioned split verdict over Bishop. The Astra Fight Team product has never been finished as a pro, having lost only to Shevchenko, Mara Romero Borella and Erin Blanchfield—all on points. A former Aspera Fighting Championship titleholder, Santos compiled the 4-3 record in the UFC before exiting the promotion a year ago.

Under Heavy Fire

Oleg Popov’s degree of difficulty figures to be on a steep incline from here on out. The once-beaten Fedor Emelianenko protege will collide with longtime Bellator contender Linton Vassell in the other heavyweight semifinal. Popov, 32, climbs into the cage brimming with confidence, a remarkable 16-fight winning streak on the table. Victories over Steve Mowry and Davion Franklin propelled him into the semifinals. On the other side of the ledger, Vassell fills in for the injured Valetin Moldavsky on short notice. The 41-year-old Kill Cliff Fight Club rep has won six of his past seven bouts—a run of sustained success that has seen the Englishman best Moldavsky (twice), Johnson, Tyrell Fortune, Ronny Markes and Sergei Kharitonov. Vassell has held titles in the Olympian MMA Championships and Ultimate Challenge MMA organizations.