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.