- George Chung
- Apr 25, 2024
- 3 min read
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 fight card will feature fighters in the Featherweight and Bantamweight division competing in a PFL Playoff win and advanced format
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced the matchups for PFL MENA: Riyadh, the first fight card of the inaugural season of PFL MENA.
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.”
Here is the complete Fight Card
Main Event
Featherweight Bout
Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Taha Bendaoud
Co-Main Event
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.
