Rivalries: Logan Storley

Logan Storley can probably see the pot of gold at the end of the Professional Fighters League rainbow, though it remains out of reach for now.

The 32-year-old Kill Cliff Fight Club rep will face Masayuki Kikuiri when their welterweight semifinal helps anchor PFL 2025 World Tournament 5 on June 12 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Storley steps back into the spotlight on the strength of back-to-back victories. He last suited up on April 3, when he took a three-round unanimous decision from Joseph Luciano in their welterweight quarterfinal at 2025 PFL World Tournament 1.

As Storley moves ever closer to his forthcoming clash with Kikuiri at 170 pounds, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Joaquin Buckley

Storley kept his perfect record intact with a rinse-and-repeat unanimous decision over “New Mansa” in a Bellator 197 welterweight showcase on April 13, 2018 at Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri. Scores were 30-27, 30-26 and 30-26. The outcome was never in doubt. Buckley had no answer for the skills the four-time NCAA All-American wrestler brought to the table. Operating in the shadows of the Michael Chandler-Brandon Girtz main event, Storley struck for repeated takedowns, navigated the guard with ease and applied effective ground-and-pound while maintaining dominant positions. He advanced to mount in the first and second rounds, as he methodically broke down Buckley across the 15-minute encounter.

Michael Page

In what remains his most significant victory to date, Storley laid claim to the interim Bellator MMA welterweight championship with a contentious split decision over the London Shootfighters cornerstone in the Bellator 281 headliner on May 13, 2022 at The SSE Arena in London. Judges Michael Bell and Bryan Miner scored it 49-46 and 48-47 for Storley, while David Lethaby saw it 48-47 for Page. Storley executed multiple takedowns, applied smothering top control and forced the British karateka to operate outside of his comfort zone for extended stretches. Page was expectedly superior in the standup exchanges and did his best work in Round 4, but his inability to stay upright cost him in the long run. It was the first loss for “Venom” in more than three years.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the Semifinals of the PFL World Tournament LIVE Thursday, June 12 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+

Yaroslav Amosov

The Ukrainian “Dyanmo” returned from the battlefield in his war-torn homeland and unified the Bellator MMA welterweight championship with a five-round unanimous decision over Storley in the Bellator 291 main event on Feb. 25, 2023 at 3Arena in Dublin. All three cageside judges turned in 50-45 scorecards. Amosov showed no signs of rust in what was his first appearance in nearly two years. He overwhelmed Storley with pace across their 25-minute rematch, battering him with heavy leg kicks and efficient combinations. Most importantly, Amosov shut down the South Dakota native’s notoriously stubborn wrestling game and even managed to mix in a few takedowns of his own. When paired with his November 2020 split decision over Storley, the virtuoso performance moved him to 2-0 in their head-to-head series.

Shamil Musaev

The “Silent Assassin” made his presence known in the Professional Fighters League when he punched out Storley in the second round of their featured PFL 3 attraction on April 19, 2024 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Musaev brought it to a close 27 seconds into Round 2. Storley was out of his depth despite entering the cage as the betting favorite. Musaev doubled over his counterpart with a spinning back kick to the body, floored him with a right hand and left him reeling with a flying knee in an overwhelming first round. Storley never recovered. He tried to crowd the Musaev at the start of Round 2, only to be met with a devastating right uppercut that dropped him where he stood. The Russian pounced with a hailstorm of follow-up punches and ultimately separated Storley from his senses with a one last slashing left hand to the face. It was the first stoppage loss of the American’s career.