As sentiments mount about the UFC\u2019s dwindling heavyweight ranks, a recent victor at PFL Dubai has posited that his promotion has a deeper roster in that weight category. The combatant in question is Pouya Rahmani, who secured a submission win over Karl Williams to improve upon his spotless professional MMA record.<\/p>\n
Also a prolific grappler, Rahmani secured a win in a prior grappling contest against Hamdy Abdelwahab at ADXC 5 in August 2024, with the latter being somewhat recently cut from the UFC. When asked for his thoughts on Abdelwahab no longer being a contracted UFC athlete, Rahmani said [via Bowks Talking Bouts<\/a>],<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I fight with Hamdy. I finish him by submission in 2 minutes. So and also now Hamdy is out of UFC. Another person, now he\u2019s in UFC, Denzel Freeman. I did grappling with him also. I beat him in ADXC. So, I beat ADXC champion also in grappling. Yeah, but to be honest, I\u2019m not very close and I don\u2019t think about all of these things, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very focused on my career, my training, and I don\u2019t get into these things, to see, oh, what happened or why this guy is out? Because I\u2019m so busy with what I do, you know. Now, I just come from training. I\u2019m so tired, you know, and you can\u2019t see my face. Yeah, but as I told you from beginning, as I see from my eyes, from my experience, this UFC fighter, you see them, they are not that level of grappling at all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey just knows little bit, you know, no one of them on that level of grappling. Yeah, if you talk about, for example, Khamzat Chimaev, yes. On his division, he destroy everyone because he\u2019s very good grappler. If you talk about Islam Makhachev, yes. But other people on the other division and especially heavyweight no one is there, brother, good grappler.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo a lot of them also the event I used to fight grappling, they invite them. They ask them for fight with me because they are looking for opponent for me, no one of them accept, you know. The top five of UFC, some of them they are grappler and no one of them accept to fight with me. I don\u2019t want to mention their name but yeah they are not that level of grappling. What people see and what I see is much different because I am on this game and what I feel I can do to them is much different, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Pouya Rahmani: \u201cheavyweight division in PFL is much better than UFC right now\u201d<\/p>\n When touching on the mounting sentiment among MMA fans that the heavyweight division in PFL stands up well to the UFC\u2019s weight class in terms of depth, Rahmani stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts<\/a>],<\/p>\n \u201cIn my opinion, also heavyweight division in PFL is much better than UFC right now.\u201d<\/p>\n