Saturday’s PFL card in Washington DC has a major shake-up at the top, with Shamil Musaev out of his welterweight title fight against Thad Jean and Ernesto Rodriguez expected to step in.
Musaev was scheduled to headline at CareFirst Arena in a welterweight title bout with Jean, but withdrew ahead of fight night. The reason for his withdrawal is unclear, and he had been in Washington earlier in the week for promotional faceoffs.
Rodriguez, who represents Cuba, is now expected to face Jean for the welterweight belt. He was originally slated to meet Aaron McKenzie on the preliminary card and enters the opportunity on a nine-fight winning streak, including a March majority-decision victory over Masayuki Kikuiri.
Three people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the changes, while the promotion has not yet made an official announcement.
Jean brings an 11-0 record into the matchup and is described as one of PFL’s fastest-rising stars. He captured the 2025 PFL World Tournament by defeating Mukhamed Berkhamov, Jason Jackson, and Logan Storley.
