Timur Khizriev defeated Gabriel Braga by split decision at PFL Chicago. Two judges scored the bout 29-28 for Khizriev, while the third had it 28-29 for Braga.
Timur Khizriev took a narrow split-decision win over Gabriel Braga at PFL Chicago on Saturday. Two judges scored the fight 29-28 for Khizriev, while the third saw it 28-29 for Braga.
The result leaves Braga with the kind of loss that came down to a single round on one scorecard. The Brazilian entered the bout at 17-3-0 and is 27 years old.
Braga's profile points to a fighter who leans on control rather than volume. He lands 1.67 significant strikes per minute with a 48.48 percent accuracy rate, a figure that suggests he picks his shots carefully. His wrestling is the more notable number: he averages 2.73 takedown attempts per 15 minutes. He does not hunt submissions, averaging zero attempts per 15 minutes, so his offense tends to come from striking and top position rather than finishing holds.
Physically, Braga stands five-foot-nine, or 175 cm, with a 72-inch reach, which is 183 cm.
Why it matters
- The split decision means the bout was close enough that a single round could have flipped the outcome, and one judge saw it for Braga.
- Braga's three career losses now include another tight result, which keeps the margins in his recent fights thin.
- For Khizriev, a win by the narrowest possible route still counts in the standings, and it came in a fight where the cards were not unanimous.
The 29-28 scores on two cards and 28-29 on the third suggest a round that could have gone either way decided the fight. Split decisions of this kind often turn on who was credited with control or damage in the closest frame, and the judges in Chicago did not agree on that point.
Braga's wrestling-heavy approach and measured striking made for a competitive night against Khizriev, but it was not enough to earn him the nod from the majority of the panel.
