PFL champ Nurmagomedov to defend title in July

Two of the Professional Fighters League's most successful and best-known fighters will be at the top of the bill when the promotion holds an event on July 31 at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

Usman Nurmagomedov will defend his lightweight championship against Archie Colgan in a main event featuring two undefeated fighters.

Nurmagomedov (21-0, 1 NC) last fought in February, beating Alfie Davis by technical submission in his first title defense. Colgan (13-0) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jay-Jay Wilson in October.

The PFL New York co-main event pits undefeated Dakota Ditcheva (15-0) against Denise Kielholtz (9-5) in a women's flyweight bout.

Ditcheva, who is No. 8 in the ESPN women's pound-for-pound rankings, has not fought since last July's unanimous decision victory over Sumiko Inaba. Ditcheva broke her hand in that bout, then broke the other one while training for a fight with Kielholtz originally scheduled for February.

In the PFL's announcement of the Nurgamomedov bout, CEO John Martin acknowledged the fan appeal of the fighter as cousin of retired UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, saying Usman "has been a class above every man to stand opposite him. Some crumble to his aura, some to his skills ..." Nurmagomedov is No. 6 in the ESPN lightweight rankings.

Regarding the return of Ditcheva, Martin said in the PFL statement: "Where better to bring one of the faces of PFL than New York. Twelve finishes in 15 fights is an astounding knockout rate for her weight class, and she's must-see TV every time she steps in the cage."