Senegal’s Moustapha Diakhate impresses in PFL debut

Senegalese mixed martial arts competitor Moustapha Diakhate made his Professional Fighters League (PFL) debut on Friday at the UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., in spectacular fashion. Diakhate (6-0-1) put the light heavyweight division on notice when he made short work of late replacement opponent Darryl Walker (2-1), winning halfway through the first round via technical knockout (TKO).

Fighting in the United States for the first time, the 6-4, 205-pound Diakhate scored an early takedown. From there, he punished Walker and earned a stoppage at 2:35 of the first round.

“It was very difficult,” Diakhate said regarding getting the bout. ”Six fighters said no. Thank you for my opponent, Darryl. He’s the best. He’s the man. He accepted this fight one or two days before the fight. I’m ready to be here at my home. New York is my home. New York has more Senegalese people.”

In the main event, Usman Nurmagomedov (22-0, 1NC) retained his PFL lightweight championship with a dominant first-round TKO of previously undefeated challenger Archie Colgan (13-1). Nurmagomedov now becomes the hottest free agent in MMA, because his contract with PFL has expired. With Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and the PFL announcing a merger last week, there could be a bidding war for the services of the talented Russian. The promotion returns tomorrow with the 14-fight PFL Charlotte.

After suffering his first defeat last summer in Queens to Shakur Stevenson, William Zepeda defeated Lamont Roach Jr. to win the vacant WBC lightweight championship.

Zepeda (33-1, 27 KOs) was relentless, throwing 884 punches over 12 championship rounds en route to a unanimous decision with scores of 117-111, 117-111, and 118-110. Roach Jr. (25-2-3, 10 KOs) had no answers for the Mexican in a disappointing performance after two consecutive draws, against Gervonta Davis and Isaac Cruz in 2025.

“I am overjoyed with this victory; this is 20 years of hard work and sacrifice,” said the 30-year-old Zepeda. “I always dreamed of becoming a world champion and today, with my incredible team, we were able to achieve it. We were able to show that I can be an adaptable fighter, that I can box, and that I can meet any opponent. Right now, I am ready to rest and enjoy this victory with my family, and we’ll see what’s next for us.”

In a packed month of combat sports action, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Philadelphia for the first time since March 2019 with UFC 330 on August 15. On the same night in Atlanta, Claressa Shields will move down in weight to challenge Kaye Scott for her WBA and WBC middleweight titles. A week later, Rolando Romero will defend his WBA welterweight championship against Brooklyn’s Teofimo Lopez Jr., who suffered a loss to Shakur Stevenson earlier this year in the light welterweight championship clash.

The post Senegal’s Moustapha Diakhate impresses in PFL debut appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.