Business as Usual for Timur Khizriev

Timur Khizriev has known nothing but success as a professional mixed martial artist, his 2024 run in the Professional Fighters League included. Two decision victories brought him six points and the No. 3 seed at 145 pounds, launching him into the featherweight semifinals opposite Gabriel Braga this Friday at PFL 9 in Washington, D.C. Khizriev enters the playoffs with a perfect 16-0 record.

Once part of the Bellator MMA roster, Khizriev does not believe there are many differences between the two promotions. However, he has enjoyed the consistent schedule the PFL provides.

“I’m staying busy,” he told Sherdog.com. “There is no time to rest. We have fights every two months or less. Overall, I like staying busy, so I’m OK with this [format]. The first fight for me was a little heavy because I was coming out from Ramadan [and] all those adjustments with the weight cut, but now we’re already onto the third fight and I’m getting used to it. It’s all the same. I’m just trying not to overwork.”

Khizriev respects Braga abilities, but he has grown accustomed to facing opponents of the Brazilian’s ilk. “Gabriel is a good fighter,” he said. “He’s a great striker. He’s got a lot of power in his hands, but I’ve faced guys like him before many times.” Ahead of their semifinal, the 28-year-old Dagestan native incorporated an extended stay in the United Arab Emirates into his training.

“For me, the approach is going to be the same, doing a lot of wrestling, grappling [and] striking,” Khizriev said. “I just did a two-week camp in Dubai, but overall, it’s the same old, wrestling, grappling and striking.”

After relocating from Bellator, Khizriev has remained focused on capturing a PFL championship and the $1 million back prize that comes with it. Only Braga stands between him and the featherweight final.

“My primary goal right now is to become the champ, to get that belt, because that’s what I was working on in Bellator,” he said. “I was doing solid, but now we move to PFL and we have to finish that business here. The primary and main goal is to get the belt. The rest is just supporting evidence.”