https://arab.news/5utm7
- Top MMA fighters from the region will compete in a sport-season format across 4 live events in the Middle East starting in April
RIYADH: The Professional Fighters League has announced the launch of PFL MENA, the promotion’s second international league, which will make its debut in April 2024.
The official announcement was made following the PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions event in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, the first-ever MMA event in Saudi Arabia.
PFL MENA will introduce a thrilling four-event sport-season format featuring the region’s top fighters and a groundbreaking initiative with PIF-owned SRJ Sports Investments. The full roster of the league will be revealed in March.
CEO of SRJ Sports Investment, Danny Townsend, said: “The launch of the PFL MENA League is another incredible milestone for the sport of MMA, and one we are delighted to play a role in. Saudi Arabia is quickly emerging as the international home of combat sports; bringing world-class talent here and to the wider MENA region remains at the core of SRJ’s investment mandate.
“With the launch of a new PFL MENA League, we’re backing the development of the region’s exceptional talent, helping provide new pathways to the top. We are confident that investments like these will continue inspiring even more young people to take up sport and help grow the MMA fanbase on a global scale.”
PFL CEO Peter Murray announced the brand’s second international league with partners SRJ.
“Driven by the strategic importance of mixed martial arts in burgeoning markets, SRJ’s investment underscores the immense potential of the sport in the region,” he said. “PFL MENA expands the PFL brand and MMA footprint in the Middle East bringing events to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the wider region.
“We’re very excited to be launching PFL MENA and providing up-and-coming athletes from The Middle East a global platform for them to be able to showcase their skills and potentially compete for a life-changing opportunity at a PFL Championship and a million-dollar purse,” Murray added.
Jerome Mazet, general manager of PFL MENA, said: “Through PFL MENA, we hope to be able to not only find and develop the next Middle Eastern MMA star, but we also want to be able to put the spotlight on MMA in the region and give it the attention and the exposure that it deserves.”
Ahead of the launch of PFL MENA, the PFL organized the first-ever international MMA event in Riyadh — PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions — which featured world champions and some of the biggest names in combat sports.
To further highlight the launch of the PFL’s newest international league, selected fighters from the Middle East were in attendance in Riyadh, including Ahmed Amir, Mostafa Rashed Neda, Jarrah Al-Silawi, Abdullah Saleem, and Omar El-Dafrawy.
Abdullah Al-Qahtani, the first fighter to represent Saudi Arabia in the PFL, defeated India’s Edukondal Rao in a featherweight contest on the night.
The inaugural PFL MENA season will feature 32 fighters competing across four weight classes in a sports-season format, with a regular season, playoffs, and championship.
The league will also host showcase fights to develop local and regional talents, such as Hattan Alsaif, the first female fighter from Saudi Arabia to sign a contract with a major global MMA promotion. She will be making her amateur PFL debut in showcase bouts on the PFL MENA cards.