Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al-Qahtani meets Morocco’s Taha Bendaoud in Main Event
PFL MENA set to become home to top MMA fighters from the Middle East and North
Africa competing in the proven PFL Season format with all events staged live
in the MENA region
The historic fight card will feature fighters in the Featherweight and Bantamweight division
competing in a PFL Playoff win and advanced format
All PFL MENA events will air on MBC ACTION and SHAHID
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - 25 April 2024 - The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest-growing and most innovative sports league in the world, has announced the matchups for PFL MENA: Riyadh, the first fight card of the inaugural season of PFL MENA. Tickets can be booked through the WeBook.com website and application here.
The historic season opener, which will take place at The Green Halls, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will feature fighters from the Featherweight and Bantamweight divisions, competing in the patented PFL Playoff win and advance format.
All four PFL MENA Season events will be live on MBC ACTION and on SHAHID, the leading TV and streaming platform in MENA, by MBC GROUP and will be accessible to fans across the region. In addition to PFL MENA, the PFL Global Season, PFL Europe, the Bellator Champions Series and PFL’s Pay-Per-View Superfight Division events will be available to watch on the Saudi Sports Company SSC via Shahid’s VIP + Sports package. All cutdowns and highlights can be seen on MBC ACTION, SHAHID & SSC.
Headlining the card will be The Kingdom’s own Abdullah “The Reaper” Al-Qahtani taking on Morocco’s Taha Bendaoud in a Featherweight main event.
Pete Murray, CEO of PFL, said: "PFL is all about creating opportunities, and we're proud to offer fighters in the MENA region a chance to compete. With its talented athletes, MENA is a perfect fit for PFL's season format, giving fighters a big stage to showcase their skills. By bringing top-tier events to the region, we're not only serving passionate MMA fans but also pushing the sport forward. Our goal is to grow MMA and expand PFL's reach globally, and working with SRJ Sports to build PFL MENA has been incredibly rewarding."
Danny Townsend, CEO at SRJ Sports Investments, said: “The launch of PFL MENA is another massive moment for sport in this region and we are thrilled to have played our part in making it happen. As SRJ, we’re aiming to redefine the landscape of international sport in a way that brings more and more opportunities to Middle Eastern sport and young talent and grows our shared sporting ecosystem. PFL MENA will do just that, with PFL MENA: Riyadh launching the perfect global platform to showcase the trailblazing talent coming from this part of the world.”
See the complete fight card below:
Featherweight Bout:
Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Taha Bendaoud
Bantamweight Bout:
Ali Taleb vs. Nawras Abzakh
Bantamweight Bout:
Xavier Alaoui vs. Rachid El Hazoume
Featherweight Bout:
Islam Reda vs. Adam Meskini
Bantamweight Bout:
Tariq Ismail vs. Jalal Al Daaja
Bantamweight Bout:
Elias Boudegzdame vs. Hassan Mandour
Amateur Female Atomweight Bout:
Hattan Alsaif vs. Nada Faheem
Featherweight Bout:
Maraoune Bellagouit vs. Motaz Askar
Featherweight Bout:
Ahmed Tarek vs. Abdelrahman Alhyasat
Showcase Featherweight Bout:
Mido Mohamed vs. Yazeed Hasanain
Showcase Flyweight Bout:
Malik Basahel vs. Harsh Pandya
PFL MENA: Riyadh will be the first installment of the thrilling four-event sport-season format featuring the region’s top fighters and a groundbreaking initiative with SRJ Sports Investments ("SRJ"). The rest of the inaugural season will take place across key markets in the Middle East.
PFL is the only organization in MMA with a sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.
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ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sports business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.
ABOUT SRJ SPORTS INVESTMENTS
SRJ (/Surge/) Sports Investments is a leading sports investor, wholly owned by PIF, and established to develop a world-class sports sector in Saudi Arabia and beyond. SRJ Sports Investments focuses on driving sustainable investment across technology, media, programming, IP rights, and commercialization of venues – serving the sports sector in Saudi Arabia and across the MENA region.
