PFL Chicago 2 Review: Knockout Power, Rising Prospects and a Championship Night in Chicago
PFL Chicago · October 16, 2026 · Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
PFL Chicago 2 brought the Professional Fighters League back to the Windy City with a 13-bout card built around a historic women’s flyweight title fight and a high-profile featherweight co-main event.
The event featured established veterans, undefeated prospects and a preliminary card loaded with opportunities for fighters to make a statement.
The biggest storylines heading into the event were Liz Carmouche’s rematch with Jena Bishop for the inaugural PFL Women’s Flyweight Championship and Timur Khizriev’s return to action against Gabriel Braga.
The card also offered a showcase for emerging fighters looking to move up the PFL rankings.
Jena Bishop defeats Liz Carmouche
Unanimous decision · 48–47
Bishop avenged her previous loss to Carmouche and captured the inaugural PFL Women’s Flyweight Championship.
After Carmouche came out aggressively in the opening round, Bishop worked her way into the contest, used her grappling to threaten from dominant positions and did enough over five rounds to earn the judges’ decision.
Bishop’s victory was the defining result of the evening.
Carmouche entered with extensive championship experience, but Bishop showed resilience and tactical composure to turn a difficult rematch into a career-defining win.
The event also featured an important featherweight matchup between undefeated Timur Khizriev and Brazilian contender Gabriel Braga.
The night featured rising prospects, established veterans and several impressive finishes on the preliminary card.
Main Card Results
Timur Khizriev def. Gabriel Braga
Khizriev preserved his unbeaten record in a competitive featherweight contest, winning on two of the three judges’ scorecards, 29–28, 28–29 and 29–28.
Sarvarjon Khamidov def. Rafael do Nascimento
Khamidov delivered one of the night’s biggest main-card highlights, stopping do Nascimento with punches in the opening round.
Oualy Tandia def. J.P. Saint Louis
Tandia earned the judges’ verdict with scores of 30–27, 29–28 and 29–28.
Preliminary Card Highlights
Eliezer Kubanza def. Trey Waters — TKO, Round 1, 1:36.
Emiliano Sordi def. Abraham Bably — TKO, Round 2, 3:13.
Kevin Pease def. Cassio Barao — Rear-naked choke, Round 1, 3:28.
Shannon Clark def. Lucero Acosta — TKO, Round 3, 1:59.
Gamid Khizriev def. Michael Boylan — TKO, Round 1, 3:04.
Cobey Fehr def. Rosario Romero — Rear-naked choke, Round 1, 0:58.
Levan Khabalaev def. Brock Hamer — TKO, Round 1, 1:01.
Paulina Wiśniewska def. Chelsea Hackett — Unanimous decision, 29–28 on all three cards.
Noah Hermosillo def. Caden Cox — TKO, Round 3, approximately 1:40
What stood out
Khizriev remained unbeaten, surviving a close contest against an experienced opponent.
Khamidov produced a first-round knockout, making a strong statement in the bantamweight division.
The preliminaries delivered finishes across multiple weight classes, including quick submissions and technical knockouts.
Final Assessment
PFL Chicago 2 delivered a strong collection of finishes, highlighted by Khamidov’s first-round knockout, Kubanza’s quick stoppage and Pease’s submission victory.
Khizriev also emerged from a difficult co-main event with his undefeated record intact.
