AJ McKee defeated Salamat Isbulayev by unanimous decision (30-27 across all three cards) in the main event of PFL San Diego, extending his win streak to three and handing Isbulayev his first career loss. Liz Carmouche submitted Viviane Araujo via guillotine choke in round two. Alexander Shabliy returned from a lengthy absence to defeat Alfie Davis by unanimous decision, while Hassan Makhmudsharipov submitted Joshua Weems with an arm-triangle choke in the first round.
PFL San Diego delivered a stacked night of results on June 28, with AJ McKee headlining the card and several notable performances across the card.
McKee picked up a dominant unanimous decision victory over Salamat Isbulayev in the main event, sweeping all three judges' scorecards at 30-27 to extend his current win streak to three. The result handed Isbulayev the first professional loss of his career.
In one of the evening's most compelling finishes, Liz Carmouche submitted Viviane Araujo via guillotine choke in round two. Carmouche, 42, fights out of The Arena and carries a 13-7 record alongside a striking accuracy of 54 percent and an active takedown game that averages 2.57 takedowns per fifteen minutes. The American veteran's grappling instincts proved too much for Araujo on the night.
Araujo, a 39-year-old Brazilian ranked eighth in the women's flyweight division, came in at 13-7 as well. Fighting out of Cerrado MMA, she averages 3.84 significant strikes per minute and had managed 1.72 takedowns per fifteen minutes throughout her career, but was unable to avoid the submission in the second round.
Alexander Shabliy returned from a lengthy layoff and showed no rust, earning a unanimous decision over Alfie Davis to re-announce his presence in the lightweight picture.
Hassan Makhmudsharipov provided one of the night's quickest finishes, submitting Joshua Weems with an arm-triangle choke in the opening round. Weems, 32, carried an 11-3 record into the bout and brought an eye-catching 64 percent striking accuracy along with 4.77 takedowns per fifteen minutes, but the finish came before his offensive tools could factor into the outcome.
Why it matters
- McKee's third straight win strengthens his position as a title contender in his division
- Carmouche's submission victory over a top-ten flyweight keeps her relevant in a deep women's division
- Shabliy's return win signals the former champion-level contender is back in the lightweight mix
