The Professional Fighters League (PFL) launched its historic first season of PFL MENA at The Green Halls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday. Athletes from the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions took center stage, securing their places in the PFL MENA Playoffs. Here are the results from the event.
In the main event, local favorite Abdullah Al-Qahtani delighted the Riyadh crowd by overpowering Yazeed Hasanain from Jordan, leading to a verbal submission victory. This win secured Al-Qahtani a place in the PFL MENA Featherweight Semifinals.
The evening's co-main event saw Iraq’s Ali Taleb control the bout from beginning to end, outperforming Jordanian Nawras Abzakh to achieve a unanimous decision victory. With this win, Taleb not only progresses to the Bantamweight Semifinals but also improves his professional record to 11-1.
Rachid El Hazoume of Morocco showcased his grappling prowess by making Xavier Alaoui submit to a rear-naked choke in the second round. El Hazoume’s victory advances him to the Bantamweight Semifinals, enhancing his record to 14-3.
Islam Reda from Egypt delivered a compelling performance against Morocco’s Adam Meskini, winning by unanimous decision to move forward to the PFL MENA Featherweight Semifinals. This victory marks Reda's fifth consecutive win, bringing his record to 11-1.
Jordan’s Jalal Al Daaja clinched his spot in the PFL MENA Playoffs following a majority draw against Sudan’s Tariq Ismail in their Bantamweight contest, pushing Al Daaja's record to 12-7.
Elias Boudegzdame from Algeria was the first Bantamweight to advance to the PFL MENA Playoffs, achieving a second-round guillotine submission win over Egypt’s Hassan Mandour. This victory improves Boudegzdame’s MMA record to 19-8.
In a historic Women’s Flyweight amateur showcase, Saudi Arabia’s Hattan Alsaif made an impressive MMA debut by knocking out Egypt’s Nada Faheem with a head kick in the second round. Alsaif's victory marks her as the first Saudi woman to sign with a major MMA promotion.
In the Featherweight division, Morocco’s Maraoune Bellagouit ended his bout with a stunning left hook in the third round to knock out Egypt’s Mido Mohamed, advancing to the Semifinals with an undefeated record of 5-0.
The opening Featherweight bout of the PFL MENA season saw Jordan’s Abdelrahman Alhyasat defeat Ahmed Tarek of Egypt by unanimous decision, progressing to the Semifinals and improving his professional tally to 4-0.
Saudi Arabia’s Malik Basahel opened the event with a commanding performance, defeating India’s Harsh Pandya by unanimous decision in a Flyweight amateur showcase bout, boosting his record to 19-2-1.
