PFL Rankings Update: Shabliy Tops Lightweight After PFL MENA 10
PFL MENA 10 took place on July 10 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the latest stop on the regional circuit that has expanded the Professional Fighters League's reach across the Middle East and Africa. The event at Boulevard Studios featured ten bouts, with Hattan Alsaif headlining with a second-round TKO over Dania Ouhachi and Hazem Kayyali picking up a co-main decision win over Hassan Shaaban.
The PFL rankings updated this Tuesday reflect activity across the full roster — including the PFL San Diego rematch between Alexandr Shabliy and Alfie Davis on June 27, which now registers in the standings. The combination of MENA 10 results and recent main-season activity produces a clear headline at lightweight: Shabliy is the new #1 contender, and Davis is no longer at the top of the 155-pound division.
Biggest Movers
| Fighter | Division | Old Rank | New Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandr Shabliy | Lightweight | #4 | #1 | +3 |
| Alfie Davis | Lightweight | #1 | #4 | −3 |
| Sergio Pettis | Bantamweight | #1 | #3 | −2 |
| Asaël Adjoudj | Featherweight | #6 | #8 | −2 |
| A.J. McKee | Featherweight | #3 | #2 | +1 |
| Mitchell McKee | Bantamweight | #2 | #1 | +1 |
| Ádám Borics | Featherweight | #8 | #7 | +1 |
| Rob Wilkinson | Light Heavyweight | #6 | #5 | +1 |
Lightweight: Shabliy Takes the Top Spot
Alexandr Shabliy moves from #4 to #1 in the PFL lightweight division. The move reflects his unanimous decision win over Alfie Davis at PFL San Diego on June 27 — a rematch that flipped the rankings at the top of the 155-pound division. Davis, who held the #1 ranking heading into that fight, drops three places to #4 in this week's update.
Usman Nurmagomedov is the PFL lightweight champion. His position is unaffected. Below him, the picture has shifted: Shabliy is now the clear leading contender, with Davis no longer the benchmark fighter in the division after the rematch loss.
Shabliy's path to this ranking was built on consistent PFL performances across multiple seasons. His record and style have always made him a threat in the division, but the Davis win at San Diego — on the main stage, against the fighter who had been #1 — is a different kind of result. It is a statement that registers immediately. The rankings reflect it.
Davis's drop from #1 to #4 is the other side of the same story. He held the top spot and lost the rematch. Three places down is a proportionate response from a committee that had him ranked at the position because of a result that has now been reversed.
Bantamweight: McKee Tops the Division, Pettis Slides
Mitchell McKee moves up one spot to #1 in bantamweight, with Sergio Pettis dropping two places from #1 to #3. Pettis held the top contender spot in the previous update; this week's rankings remove him from it. McKee — who had been at #2 — steps into that position.
The PFL bantamweight division has a cluster at the top with small movements throughout. Sarvarjon Khamidov gains one spot to #7, and Naoki Inoue also picks up one position to #9. Marcirley Alves and Lazaro Dayron each move one spot in opposing directions — Alves drops to #8, Dayron to #10.
Featherweight and Heavyweight
A.J. McKee gains one spot at featherweight, moving from #3 to #2. Asaël Adjoudj falls two places from #6 to #8. Ádám Borics moves up one to #7. The featherweight division saw minor calibration without a standout mover at the top.
At heavyweight, Abraham Bably gains one spot to #5 and Maxwell Djantou Nana moves to #6. Vadim Nemkov holds the PFL heavyweight title. Corey Anderson holds the light heavyweight belt, where Rob Wilkinson gains one spot to #5 and Simeon Powell drops to #6.
PFL MENA 10 in Context
PFL MENA 10 was the tenth edition of the regional circuit, which operates semi-independently from the main PFL season. The fighters competing in Riyadh — Alsaif, Kayyali, Kabbani, Boudegzdame, and others on the card — are building careers within the MENA ecosystem, with results that develop their profiles in the regional standings.
The regional circuit serves a different function than the main PFL season. It expands the promotion's footprint geographically and develops local talent, while the main-roster rankings are driven by results of established fighters across the global schedule.
Costello van Steenis holds the PFL middleweight title. The middleweight division produced no significant movers this week, with the pound-for-pound table also unchanged.
The next major ranking update will reflect PFL's continued activity as the season progresses. For now, the lightweight division has a new leader in Shabliy, and the bantamweight picture has Mitchell McKee at the top of the contender list.