The Pechanga Arena hosted a fight night that didn’t just deliver knockouts and submissions — it redrew the competitive map of the Professional Fighters League. From a former champion bulldozing the last undefeated prospect standing in his way, to a 37-year-old local legend tapping out a fellow UFC veteran with a picture-perfect guillotine, PFL San Diego Presented by GOVX was the kind of card that forces the promotion’s matchmakers back to the drawing board. When the dust settled, the PFL’s featherweight, women’s flyweight, lightweight, and light heavyweight divisions all looked fundamentally different. Here’s everything that happened.

The Mercenary Reclaims His Crown — McKee Ends Isbulaev’s Perfect Record

In the main event of PFL San Diego, No. 2-ranked featherweight AJ “Mercenary” McKee (25-2) didn’t just win — he sent a message. Standing across from him was No. 4 Salamat Isbulaev (10-0 entering), an undefeated Kazakhstani destroyer who had yet to see a scorecard in a professional career built entirely on finishes. McKee, the former Bellator Featherweight World Champion, made sure Isbulaev’s first trip to the judges was also his first loss.

McKee controlled the grappling exchanges from the opening bell, grounding Isbulaev repeatedly across all three rounds and imposing his wrestling-heavy, suffocating style at will. The danger for Isbulaev never went away entirely — McKee nearly locked in a submission in the final moments of the third round that would have been the exclamation point the performance deserved. It wasn’t needed. All three judges scored it 30-27, a unanimous and emphatic decision that moved McKee’s win streak to three and firmly positioned him as the top contender in a PFL featherweight division that currently has no reigning champion.

In the co-main event, San Diego’s own Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche (26-8) continued her remarkable run with a second-round submission of Brazil’s Viviane “Vivi” Araujo (14-8). After a competitive first round, Carmouche turned a takedown attempt from Araujo into a deep guillotine choke and forced the tap at 2:07 of round two. The win sends Carmouche directly into the title picture: she’ll be watching closely when Dakota Ditcheva meets Denise Kielholtz at PFL New York Presented by Arkham on July 31, with the winner expected to face her next.

The Rankings Shake-Up Nobody Saw Coming

While the top of the card grabbed the headlines, the undercard delivered the kind of results that shake up divisional standings for months.

At lightweight, No. 4-ranked Alexander “Peresvet” Shabliy (25-4) made a thunderous return after more than two years on the sidelines, defeating No. 2-ranked Alfie “The Axe Man” Davis (20-7-1) via unanimous decision with a dominant 30-27 showing across all three rounds. Davis, the Englishman who entered as one of the division’s top-ranked fighters, was outworked from start to finish as Shabliy picked up his first victory since 2023. The win is a seismic shift in the 155-pound rankings — a man who came in ranked four spots below Davis just leapfrogged him with a shutout performance.

In the main card opener, former PFL Tournament World Champion Robert “Razor” Wilkinson (20-5) made a statement in the light heavyweight division, finishing England’s Abraham “The One and Only” Bably (8-3) via second-round TKO at 3:23. Wilkinson was relentless in the clinch, battering Bably with knees before transitioning to ground-and-pound from side control to force the stoppage.

The prelims added even more intrigue to the rankings picture. Undefeated Khasan Magomedshairpov improved to 11-0 with a first-round arm-triangle submission of Josh Weems. Jena Bishop submitted the returning UFC veteran Ariane Lipski da Silva with an armbar in round one. Shannon Clark earned a third-round TKO of Ilara Joanne to improve to 8-1. Sarvarjon Khamidov (17-1) tapped out Justin Wetzell with a rear-naked choke in round two. And undefeated prospect Cobey Fehr (4-0) capped the night with an anaconda choke finish of Daniel Bzdigian in round one.

The next major PFL event, PFL New York Presented by Arkham, takes place July 31, with Dakota Ditcheva vs. Denise Kielholtz headlining — and after tonight, the women’s flyweight division has a very hungry contender watching from San Diego.

Full PFL San Diego Presented by GOVX Results

Main Card

• AJ McKee (25-2) def. Salamat Isbulaev (10-1) via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
• Liz Carmouche (26-8) def. Viviane Araujo (14-8) via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:07, Round 2
• Alexander Shabliy (25-4) def. Alfie Davis (20-7-1) via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
• Rob Wilkinson (20-5) def. Abraham Bably (8-3) via TKO (punches) at 3:23, Round 2

Preliminary Card

• Khasan Magomedshairpov (11-0) def. Josh Weems (15-6) via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:10, Round 1
• Jena Bishop (11-3) def. Ariane Lipski da Silva (19-11) via submission (armbar) at 4:08, Round 1
• Sarvarjon Khamidov (17-1) def. Justin Wetzell (12-4) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:11, Round 2
• Shannon Clark (8-1) def. Ilara Joanne (13-11) via TKO (strikes) at 1:43, Round 3
• Cobey Fehr (4-0) def. Daniel Bzdigian (3-1) via submission (anaconda choke) at 2:00, Round 1