القحطاني 😳
Amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing!#Like_comment
#Arabic pic.twitter.com/1eY6TMgYI2
— PFL MENA (@PFLMENA)
September 20, 2024
When it comes to MMA, nothing is guaranteed. Friday showcased bouts at bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight and welterweight, along with several high-profile bouts, including one featuring some of the hottest amateur prospects. The Professional Fighters League completed a four-division playoff for its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) series, setting up four intriguing finals. The winners of both the main and co-headline events spoiled the PFL MENA 3 party with upset victories.
The main attraction of the 10-bout show was at 145 pounds, where favorite Abdullah Al-Qahtani (9-2, 4-1 PFL) suffered his first defeat under the PFL banner in perhaps the biggest fight of his career. “The Grim Reaper” rallied the crowd’s support, while unbeaten Abdulrahman Al-Hiyasat (5-0, 2-0 PFL) silenced them. Al-Hiyasat battered Al-Qahtani on the ground and used his grappling to control the bout, despite the referee’s repeated calls for action. The Jordanian, nicknamed “The Cobra,” kept a step ahead for much of the bout, attacking at the right time and drawing blood from Al-Qahtani. When the final bell sounded, Al-Hiyasat won by a score of 30-27 and a duel score of 29-28 to advance to the featherweight final.
Omar El Dafrawy did it!
Advance to the finals by first round KO Follow
He will face Mohamed Alakra in the championship.
About #PFLMENA Welterweight Title! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ehgWq6YhQS
— PFL (@PFLMMA)
September 20, 2024
Heading into the co-main event, bettors and pundits were predicting that Jarrah Al Shirawi (20-7, 4-4 PFL) would dominate his opponent and win the $100,000 championship fight. That didn’t happen, however, as Omar El Dhaflawi (12-6, 2-0 PFL), fearing an upset, eased up early on and again. A confident El Dhaflawi, who may have been overlooked by some, had promised a second-round knockout the week of the bout. He was off by a few minutes, taking down Al Shirawi with a flurry of fists that rendered the “Lion of Jordan” unconscious for a moment before waking him up again. The defeated Al Shirawi briefly protested to referee Lorenzo Spoto, but the damage was done and the bout was called off at 3:09 of the first round.
In the welterweight semifinals, dominance was the meat of the match as Mohamed Alakra (7-0, 2-0 PFL) held off Amir Fazli (6-3, 0-2 PFL) over three rounds, with Dhaflawi scoring a brutal knockout. The Kuwaiti outmaneuvered Fazli, who entered on short notice, neutralizing most of his attacks. The unbeaten 24-year-old out of the American Kickboxing Academy won the bout on the scorecards, 30-27 twice and 30-26 once. The victorious 170-pounders will meet in a rematch of their previous bout in 2023 under the UAE Warriors banner, which the latter won.
In a 15-minute battle that closed out half of the lightweight bracket, Mohsen Mohammad Seifi (6-1, 2-0 PFL) and Suhir Tahiri (7-5-1, 1-1 PFL) battled it out for $100,000. The Iranian Mohammad Seifi fought strong in the first round, but Tahiri fought back hard in the second stanza and nearly finished him off. Perhaps saved by the bell, Mohammad Seifi survived until the third round. Both fighters struggled in the final round, but Mohammad Seifi landed the cleaner punches and had the power to take his opponent to the ground a few times to secure the win. One judge saw the win as 0-3 after three rounds, while the other two scored it 29-28 in Mohammad Seifi’s favor and sent him to the finals.
Left hook + straight right = good night 👊
Ali Taleb wins with a stunning first round KO!
. Follow |
About #PFLMENA pic.twitter.com/9o357jlaWt
— PFL (@PFLMMA)
September 20, 2024
Ali Taleb (11-1, 4-1 PFL) put in one of the most impressive performances of the night, aggressively asserting his place in the 135-pound championship. More than a decade younger and several pounds lighter than his opponent, the Swedish fighter dominated Jalal Al Daja (11-9, 0-2 PFL). Taleb swarmed Al Daja from the get-go and never let up. The 26-year-old Taleb closed out the bout with a powerful left hook followed by a decisive right punch to end Al Daja’s momentum at 2 minutes, 18 seconds.
Extending his winning streak to six, Islam Reda (11-1, 2-0 PFL) knocked Maraun Beragui (6-1, 1-1 PFL) off the unbeaten ranks. A suffocating performance from the grappling-oriented Reda made it a tough fight for the Moroccan kickboxer. Throughout the three-round featherweight bout, Reda put Beragui in tough positions on both the cage and the mat multiple times, effectively controlling the bout from bell to bell. The two judges awarded the round 10-8 to the “Egyptian Zombie” at the halfway point, settling for scores of 30-26, 30-27, and 29-27. Reda will now face Al-Hiyasat in the final for the 145-pound MENA Championship and a check for $100,000.
To decide the other half of the bantamweight tournament, Rachid El Hazmeh (11-3, 2-1 PFL) squared off against Elias Boudegzdame (19-9, 1-1 PFL). In a fast-paced bout, both fighters traded blows, but in the end, Hazmeh prevailed, leaving the Frenchman who calls himself “Smile” covered in blood and earning the bout a 29-28 score from the judges. “Haz” will face hard-hitting bantamweight Taleb at the end of the year for the MENA crown.
Georges Eyde unleashes some fierce ground and pound in the first round! Follow |
About #PFLMENA pic.twitter.com/xZsR1unNe4
— PFL (@PFLMMA)
September 20, 2024
The first tournament bout on the card saw one of the few finishes, as “The Bulldozer” Georges Eid (10-4, 1 NC, 2-0 PFL) did just that against Omar Reguigui (4-1, 1 NC, 0-1, 1 NC PFL). Eid handed the Tunisian the first defeat of his professional career, thwarting a lengthy takedown attempt and severely punishing Reguigui’s. The ground-and-pound continued so long that referee Lorenzo Spoto stepped in at 1 minute 37 seconds into the first frame, making Eid the first finalist of the night. Eid will face Mohamed Seifi at the end of the year to compete for the MENA lightweight gold medal.
Non-tournament bouts included amateur flyweight Malik Basahel, who defeated Saher Kasmier by clear decision. The night began with French 145-pound boxer Adam Meskini (9-3, 1-1 PFL) defeating Yazid Hassanain (3-2, 0-2 PFL) by split decision in a showcase matchup.
