Aleksandrs Čižovs won’t fight again until 2027. The Latvian lightweight, who won the PFL Europe title in Lyon last December, has had surgery on his hand, he told TV3 in an interview published on 19 October. He says he first hurt the hand in a fight last December, and his only fight that month was the tournament final itself. PFL lists him as Alex Chizov, with a 13-4 pro record.
I feel good after the operation. I hurt my hand in a fight back in December last year, and after that it got in the way of training properly and of preparing for my next fight.
Aleksandrs Čižovs to TV3
Why he said no to Shabliy in Chicago
According to TV3, PFL first had Čižovs pencilled in for a fight in Dubai in November, and his camp had already started when that bout was called off. PFL then came back with a short-notice offer: Alexander Shabliy at PFL Chicago on 16 October. Shabliy is No. 1 in PFL’s lightweight rankings, so it would have been a big chance. Čižovs turned it down.
At that point I was already in UFC fighter Arman Tsarukyan’s training camp, helping him prepare. Physically, I just wouldn’t have had time to get ready properly for a fight like that.
Aleksandrs Čižovs to TV3
He told TV3 that PFL then let him know there were no more fights planned for him this year. So he used the gap.
So I decided to use this time to have the operation, let the injury heal and start my recovery, so it won’t bother me in the future. I’ll be back in the cage in 2027.
Aleksandrs Čižovs to TV3
The surgery, the cancelled Dubai date, the Chicago offer and the Tsarukyan camp all come from TV3’s interview. We couldn’t find any of them on PFL’s own channels. PFL Chicago went ahead on 16 October without Shabliy on the card.
How he won the PFL Europe title
Čižovs needed three fights to win the 2025 PFL Europe lightweight tournament:
- Quarter-final, 10 May 2025, Belfast: stopped Scotland’s Mark Ewen in the first round, 1:33 in.
- Semi-final, 26 September 2025, Nantes: beat Italy’s Claudio Pacella by split decision over three rounds.
- Final, 13 December 2025, LDLC Arena, Lyon: knocked out England’s Connor Hughes with a right hand 50 seconds into the third round.
The final was worth the title and $100,000, according to PFL. It wasn’t one-way traffic. PFL’s own coverage had Čižovs wobbling Hughes in the first round before Hughes fired back. Then came the right hand in round three, and PFL’s post on X simply said: “LIGHTS OUT!”
He has fought once since. Stepping up against Gadzhi Rabadanov, the 2024 PFL lightweight world champion, he lost a unanimous decision at PFL Sioux Falls on 2 May in a catchweight bout (he weighed in at 160 lb). Rabadanov is now No. 2 in PFL’s lightweight rankings. By his own account, the hand was already getting in the way of his preparation for that fight.
What’s next
No date or opponent for his return has been announced. He’s 28, and PFL still bills him as its 2025 PFL Europe lightweight champion. We’ll update this story when PFL confirms his next booking.
