PFL San Diego: McKee vs. Isbulaev Preview: Full Fight Card Breakdown
AJ McKee fights at home on June 27. Pechanga Arena in San Diego hosts the Professional Fighters League's first-ever event in the city, and McKee — who grew up in Long Beach — is on the kind of trajectory that makes hometown cards feel inevitable. He has won back-to-back fights since returning to featherweight, and Saturday's opponent is the stiffest test he has faced in that run.
Salamat Isbulaev is 10-0 and largely untested against elite competition. That is the core tension of this main event: a former Bellator champion pressing his title campaign against a prospect who has not yet been asked a hard question.
Full Fight Card
| Fight | Weight Class | Card Section |
|---|---|---|
| A.J. McKee vs. Salamat Isbulaev | Featherweight | Main Card |
| Liz Carmouche vs. Viviane Araújo | Women's Flyweight | Main Card |
| Alexandr Shabliy vs. Alfie Davis | Lightweight | Main Card |
| Abraham Bably vs. Rob Wilkinson | Light Heavyweight | Main Card |
| Khasan Magomedsharipov vs. Joshua Weems | Featherweight | Preliminary Card |
| Ariane Lipski da Silva vs. Jena Bishop | Flyweight | Preliminary Card |
| Justin Wetzell vs. Sarvarjon Khamidov | Bantamweight | Preliminary Card |
| Gamid Khizriev vs. Lorenzo Parente | Lightweight | Preliminary Card |
| Shannon Clark vs. Ilara Joanne | Women's Flyweight | Preliminary Card |
| Cobey Fehr vs. Daniel Bzdigian | Bantamweight | Preliminary Card |
Main Event: McKee vs. Isbulaev
McKee's résumé carries weight in any promotional context. He finished Patricio "Pitbull" Freire — one of the most decorated featherweights in combat sports history — to win the Bellator featherweight championship and the $1 million Grand Prix in 2021. A brief move to lightweight produced a split-decision loss to Paul Hughes, ending his belt ambitions at 155. He returned to featherweight with a clear plan: accumulate wins and reach the PFL title.
He is ranked second in the PFL featherweight division after back-to-back unanimous decisions over Akhmed Magomedov in July 2025 and Ádám Borics at PFL Madrid in March 2026. Saturday is another step in that campaign.
Isbulaev enters 10-0 with a strong amateur pedigree — IMMAF tournament titles before turning professional — and a PFL debut that saw him stop Jesus Pinedo with elbows. He is ranked sixth. The step from that debut stoppage to McKee is significant. How Isbulaev handles it is what the fight answers.
McKee's strength is the breadth of his game. He finishes on the feet and on the ground, manages range well, and has competed in high-pressure championship moments. Isbulaev's path to an upset likely runs through early physical aggression before McKee settles into his rhythms.
Co-Main Event: Carmouche vs. Araújo
Liz Carmouche is 42 and fighting like that is not her problem. The San Diego native won the 2025 PFL women's flyweight tournament — defeating Ilara Joanne, Elora Dana, and Jena Bishop across three bouts — and holds the PFL flyweight title. Her history in the sport is longer than most: she was the first woman to fight for a UFC title, challenging Ronda Rousey in 2013, and is a former Bellator flyweight champion.
Carmouche was originally scheduled to face Dakota Ditcheva, the undefeated top-ranked flyweight who is sidelined with a hand injury. Viviane Araújo, who made her PFL debut in April 2026 with a unanimous decision over Shanna Young after compiling a 13-4 UFC record across nine years, stepped in. Araújo knows this level. She has competed at it for a long time.
For Carmouche, this is about defending her position. The winner moves closer to Ditcheva when she returns.
Notable Bouts
Shabliy vs. Davis — Rematch: Alfie Davis defeated Alexandr Shabliy by unanimous decision at Bellator 259 in May 2021. Both men are now PFL contenders, with Davis ranked first at lightweight. This rematch has legitimate stakes at the top of the division.
Bably vs. Wilkinson: Rob Wilkinson carries a 19-5 record and a defined finishing background into this light heavyweight clash. Abraham Bably enters 8-2. A technical fight between two men capable of ending things quickly.
The San Diego Significance
PFL has never run San Diego before. The choice of Pechanga Arena — a 12,000-seat venue with a strong combat sports history — reflects the scale the promotion expects from this card. McKee's local roots are part of that calculation. A Long Beach native fighting for a title run in Southern California carries a different weight than a road card would.
The PFL featherweight division is moving toward a title picture. McKee needs this win to stay relevant in that conversation. Isbulaev needs this fight to prove he belongs in it.