PFL Best Bets, Predictions & Expert Picks Friday, July 31, 2026 — PFL New York

Analysis

Everyone thinks Dakota Ditcheva is untouchable. She is fifteen and zero for a reason. But the betting market has gone completely off the rails here. Denise Kielholtz is sitting at plus 1500. That is a number you usually see for a fighter off the street taking on a world champion. Our model actually has Kielholtz as a slight favorite with a 50.6 percent chance to win. That creates a massive 44.4 percent edge for bettors brave enough to take the dog. Ditcheva has a four inch reach advantage and that usually matters in the PFL cage. But Kielholtz is a veteran who knows how to close the distance. She has nine wins and five losses. Those losses came against top tier talent. The model expects this to go the distance 71 percent of the time. It is projecting a decision win at a 77 percent confidence level. If this fight stays standing and becomes a technical kickboxing match, Kielholtz has the tools to make it ugly. Most bettors are just looking at the undefeated record and clicking the favorite. We are not doing that. The value on the underdog is too high to ignore. It is a pure math play. You do not see edges like this often in professional PFL bouts. Kielholtz has been in there with the best in the world. She won't be intimidated by the hype or the lights in New York.

Public Fade

The public is obsessed with Ditcheva's perfect record. They are laying minus 4000 on a fighter the model says is in a coin flip. This is a textbook example of hype inflating a price beyond reason.

Analysis

Amru Magomedov is the latest hype train in the lightweight division. He is ten and zero and the books have him priced like he is some kind of unbeatable force. But Angel Alvarez is no pushover. He has eleven wins and only two losses. The model is seeing something the public is missing. It gives Alvarez a 46.3 percent chance to pull off the upset. At plus 1200 odds, that is a 38.6 percent edge. That is massive. Magomedov is talented, but he has not faced the same level of grit that Alvarez brings to the PFL. The model expects about 2.4 rounds of action. It leans toward a decision at 48 percent confidence. Alvarez has a seventy inch reach and he knows how to use it to keep grapplers at bay. If he can stuff a few early takedowns, the pressure shifts to the undefeated fighter. We have seen this story before in the PFL. A heavy favorite gets frustrated when they cannot get the finish early. Alvarez is durable enough to stick around and win rounds. The price assumes Magomedov has a 96 percent chance to win. Our data says it is closer to a coin flip. We take the dog every single time in that scenario. He has the power to keep Magomedov honest and the cardio to push a hard pace for fifteen minutes.

Public Fade

Casual bettors see a ten and zero record and assume the win is guaranteed. They are ignoring Alvarez's experience and the fact that the model sees this as a 46.3 percent win probability for the dog.

Analysis

This prelim bout is where the real money is hiding. Levan Khabalaev is the favorite at minus 700. He is undefeated at five and zero. Chamy Delva is coming in as a plus 500 underdog with a seven and one record. Here is the kicker. The model actually favors Delva to win this fight. It gives him a 51.2 percent win probability. That is a 34.6 percent edge on the moneyline. Khabalaev has looked good against lower level competition, but Delva has more experience in deep water. The model expects this fight to go about 2.4 rounds. It sees a 50 percent chance of this ending in a decision. Delva has shown he can handle the pace of a three round PFL fight. Khabalaev is still a bit of a question mark when the fight goes past the first five minutes. If Delva can survive the initial burst, he becomes the favorite to win the later rounds. And it's not just about the record. Delva has more tools to win if the fight gets technical. The public is blinded by the zero in the loss column for Khabalaev. But records can be deceiving in the early stages of a career. Delva has the skills to win this outright. Getting five to one on a fighter the model thinks should be the favorite is a gift.

Public Fade

The public is backing the undefeated Khabalaev because of the minus 700 price tag. They think the odds imply dominance, but the model says Delva is actually the more likely winner.