Pawel Pawlak defeated Mamed Khalidov by TKO in the final second of the fourth round in a middleweight title fight. The victory marks Pawlak's fourth successful defense of his middleweight championship belt. Details about the specific event or organization were limited in the post.
Pawel Pawlak defended his middleweight championship in dramatic fashion on April 19, 2026, stopping Mamed Khalidov via TKO with just one second remaining in the fourth round.
The finish extended Pawlak's reign at the top of the division, marking his fourth successful defense of the middleweight title. The 37-year-old Polish fighter, who trains out of Octopus Lodz, improved his professional record to 12-3-0 with the victory. Standing six feet tall with a 73-inch reach, Pawlak fights out of an orthodox stance and has built his championship run on measured, patient output, averaging 1.67 significant strikes per minute with one takedown attempt per 15 minutes of action.
Khalidov, a veteran presence in European MMA and a former longtime champion himself, was unable to survive the late surge, falling just one tick before the bell that would have carried him into the fifth round.
Why it matters
- Pawlak's fourth successful title defense firmly establishes him as one of the most durable champions in his organization's middleweight history
- The near-miraculous timing of the finish — one second before the round ended — underscores how close Khalidov came to reaching championship rounds
- At 37, Pawlak continues to compete and finish at the highest level of his promotion, raising questions about who in the division can challenge him next
