Pawel Pawlak successfully defended his middleweight title for the fourth time by defeating Mamed Khalidov via technical knockout in the final seconds of the fourth round. The dramatic finish came at the very end of round four, securing Pawlak's continued reign as champion. This marks Pawlak's fourth consecutive title defense in the middleweight division. Khalidov, a veteran competitor, was unable to survive the late onslaught from the champion.
Pawel Pawlak made a successful fourth defense of his middleweight championship on April 19, 2026, stopping Mamed Khalidov via technical knockout in the closing seconds of round four to cement his hold on the title.
Pawlak, 37, enters the record books with a 12-3-0 career mark and a reign that has now seen him turn back four consecutive challengers. The Polish orthodox fighter out of Octopus Lodz stands six feet tall with a 73-inch reach. He lands 1.67 significant strikes per minute and adds a takedown roughly once every 15 minutes, making him a measured, well-rounded threat who is capable of finding a finish late in a fight, as Saturday's dramatic ending demonstrated.
Khalidov, a longtime veteran of the middleweight division, could not weather the champion's late-round pressure and was stopped before the bell could rescue him in the fourth.
Why it matters
- Pawlak's four consecutive title defenses establish him as one of the most durable champions in the division's recent history.
- The stoppage of a proven veteran like Khalidov reinforces Pawlak's legitimacy at the top of the middleweight rankings.
- A finish in the championship rounds signals that Pawlak, despite being 37, still carries meaningful stopping power deep into fights.
