Rizin champion Shaidulaev claims PFL belt too, beats McKee

Rajabali Shaidulaev, 25, of Kyrgyzstan, a rising star groomed by Japan's major mixed martial arts promotion Rizin, has now wrapped a PFL championship belt around his waist as well. The fighter, undefeated in 20 bouts, has also signaled a move to North America through PFL.

Shaidulaev defended his Rizin featherweight title while simultaneously claiming the vacant PFL featherweight championship, beating former Bellator champion AJ McKee by unanimous decision in the main event of Super Rizin 5 at Kyocera Dome Osaka on Thursday.

Tagged as the favorite going in, Shaidulaev faced an early scare, getting dropped by a precise one-two from McKee. He fired right back, however, hoisting McKee up and slamming him down to the canvas.

From there, Shaidulaev took control of the fight. Employing his signature ground game, he chipped away at McKee with short punches and elbows from top position, a pattern that continued through the second and third rounds. McKee briefly took Shaidulaev's back in the third round but could not hold the position. With 90 seconds left in the fight, Shaidulaev scored a takedown and controlled McKee until the final bell. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 in favor of Shaidulaev.

Shaidulaev has one fight remaining on his Rizin contract and is expected to face Kyoma Akimoto at the promotion's New Year's Eve event.

The win pushed Shaidulaev's record to 20-0. However, it also marked his first career decision victory, ending a 100 percent finish rate that had included seven knockouts and 12 submissions. Even so, his record remains dominant, and given that he is only 25, he stands out as an increasingly attractive prospect for larger organizations.

Shaidulaev is expected to shift his focus to PFL afterward and compete in earnest in North America. According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, Shaidulaev recently signed a two-year deal with MVP, an emerging MMA promotion known for streaming its events on Netflix. MVP merged with PFL in July and took over its operations.

Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Japanese MMA star Mikuru Asakura, 34, knocked out veteran Shinya Aoki, 43, by first-round TKO. Aoki was making his return to the Rizin ring after 11 years. Asakura had challenged Shaidulaev in his previous fight, at the New Year's Eve event in December 2025, but lost by first-round TKO after being knocked unconscious.