The Staying Power of Valentin Moldavsky

Former Bellator MMA interim titleholder Valentin Moldavsky has taken on the top tier of the heavyweight class since 2019, and six years later, he still finds himself getting opportunities at world championships. One of eight entrants in the Professional Fighters League heavyweight bracket, he has another chance to climb to the top of the mountain.

Moldavsky has faced Linton Vassell three times—he owns a 1-2 record against him—in his career, with two of those three fights having taken place in the past two years. They were set to meet for a fourth time in a PFL 2025 World Tournament 4 heavyweight quarterfinal this Thursday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. However, Vassell’s late withdrawal cleared the way for Sergey Bilostenniy to step in and take on the Fedor Emelianenko protégé.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Thursday, May 1 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The 33-year-old Moldavsky has taken the PFL’s move from a regular-season points format to a tournament setup in stride.

“From the fighters perspective, I think the regular season may have been a bit better because you saw many times where a fighter would lose their fight but still find a way into the playoffs, so for that reason, it was probably better for the fighters,” he told Sherdog.com. “As far as moving to the tournament style, there’s no real other option. We didn’t have a choice, so we’re just preparing for this new format.”

Moldavsky sees the PFL as a new frontier full of exhilarating possibilities.

“I was a champion in Bellator, and now I want to do it again in PFL and become a tournament champion,” he said. “Not only do I want to become champion, but there are also going to be plenty of exciting fights for the heavyweight tournament champion. I have a lot of ambitions with it, and I definitely want to become champion again.”

The opportunity to add to his legacy motivates Moldavsky, a two-time gold medalist at the World Sambo Championships in addition to his time as interim Bellator heavyweight titleholder.

“The most important part for me at this stage in my career is to become a champion again. That’s it. That’s what I want the most,” he said. “Of course, the money makes a lot of sense and it would be nice to have, but there’s nothing more I want at this stage than just to become a champion.”

Having been a professional mixed martial artist for more than a decade, Moldavsky embraces this next chapter in his journey. While he has his own personal goals, his aspirations extend beyond the cage.

“First off, I want people to remember me for being a good human being,” Moldavsky said. “That’s the most important part. Of course, I would love to win this upcoming tournament and then all of the stuff that comes with it afterwards. I definitely want people to remember me as a good fighter and a good person.”