Chizov Sets Sights on the PFL Europe Final: “Nerves make me sharper.”

“When I started my MMA career, I was 15. In places like Ireland, when teenagers want to become mixed martial artists, they can say to their parents, ‘Look, we have Conor McGregor,’ a role model. 

In Latvia, when I decided to start my professional fighting career, my parents were saying, ‘Do we have somebody who made it to the top and made really good money?’

We had nobody.”

On September 26th, at Zenith Nantes Métropole, Alex Chizov put his and Latvia’s name further into the world. He out-boxed Italy’s Claudio Pacella over three rounds to win a split decision and book his place opposite Connor Hughes in the PFL Europe lightweight final. 

He’s trained across Europe and Thailand and has long eyed a U.S. camp when the timing suits—after the European belt, if all goes to plan. For now, the focus is narrow: recover, refine, and prepare for the most important 15 minutes of his career.

FULL POST-FIGHT INTERVIEW WITH ALEX CHIZOV

“It’s always nerves… not about being hit—about the opportunity of a lifetime,” Chizov told the SlotsFighter team. “This tournament can change my life and my family’s life. When I get nervous, I feel more sharp.”

That sharpness indeed showed early; Chizov set the tone with forward pressure, a clean jab, and tidy footwork, landing the more frequent and cleaner shots to clearly take Round 1. The second was tighter as Pacella’s volume climbed, but Chizov’s defenses held up. In the third, Pacella cracked Chizov clean, and even forced him down to a knee, but Chizov closed the round smart, banking very crucial minutes.

Even so, Chizov admits his heart sank for a beat when he heard the 2–1 call: “When I heard ‘split decision’, I thought, ‘Not today, please.’ But I knew I did more damage. He was bleeding, and that would matter.”

He calls it the hardest fight of his 15-bout pro career. “When you smoke a guy in one round, you don’t learn as much,” he said. “This time I went to deeper waters, and I grew from it.”

In May, Chizov landed a left hook on Mark Ewen and ended their quarterfinal inside two minutes; fantastic reset after earlier PFL seasons that didn’t break his way. Now 12–3 with 7 KOs and 3 submissions, he’s rounded everywhere. 

Next up: Connor Hughes!