The Professional Fighters League kicked off on Friday at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the PFL Middle East and North Africa Finals serving as the appetizer for the PFL 2024 Season Championship. Four regional warriors have been crowned PFL MENA Champions and could be included in next season’s global showcase.
Ali Taleb caught Rashid El Hasmeh with an underworld uppercut and quickly and brutally won the PFL MENA bantamweight title in one round. As the Moroccan struggled, Taleb finished off the beatdown with a crisp right hook that sent El Hozme down for the count. The victory marks Taleb’s second consecutive first-round knockout victory.
Mohsen Mohammad Seifi defeated Lebanon’s Georges Eid by unanimous decision 50-45, 50-45, 49-46 to win the PFL MENA lightweight title. Despite the lopsided score, the fight was much closer. The length of Eid kept Mohammad Seifi within range and the fight took place at a gentle pace. Mohammad Seifi’s jab and some flurry of strikes started to give him the upper hand by the middle stages, but neither fighter was able to make a clear difference. Eid had his moments, but it was Mohammad Seifi who was busier than usual, and his efforts paid off.
Omar El Dhahrawy won the PFL MENA welterweight title on a six-fight winning streak, but will need to erase his last professional loss to claim the $100,000 prize. Standing in front of him was undefeated Mohammad Alakullah, a graduate of the American Kickboxing Academy. Alakra outclassed El Dhahrawy a year ago and looked like he could stop him in the first round, but the Egyptian weathered the storm. After interrupting the action with a low blow, El Dhahrawy made Alakraa pay with a single leg shot. El Dhahrawy froze his opponent with a nasty left hook on the button, then landed a few unanswered punches, forcing referee Gerd Richter to intervene. The PFL MENA featherweight final was short, sweet, and violent. Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al Qahtani and Morocco’s Maraune Belaguit traded bombs throughout the first round of their championship fight, but it was clear neither was going to go all the way. Both fighters had their nails clipped and were bleeding, but it was Al-Qaftani who stood still after being hit with a vicious right hand midway through the first round.
Amateur atomweight standout Hattan Alsaif showed off his skills by defeating Lilia Osmani in two rounds. Alsaif was too much for Osmani, overwhelming her in the clinch and adjusting her with hard knees and elbows. Osmani held on in the second round, but the Riyadh native had nothing to offer and was saved by referee Bashir Reda. The fight ended 97 seconds into the second round.
Costello van Steenis has started the PFL MENA Championship in style. The Dutch-Spaniard smashed his shin straight into the unprotected jaw of João Vitor Ramos Dantas in the first round of their middleweight showcase match, sending him out cold 46 seconds into the fight. The win was Van Steinis’ second finish of 2024.
SBG Ireland’s rising star Asael Ajouji looked like his eight-game winning streak would slip away, but he grabbed Jose Perez by the neck just in the nick of time. After a first round that was a battle of featherweights, Perez completely mounted Ajuj and rained down blows to close out the second round. Adjudge, who was on the back foot, sent the judge out of the ring with a guillotine 1 minute and 10 seconds into the final round.
2024 PFL featherweight semifinalist Gabriel Braga bounced back with a solid win over Bellator MMA alum Jeremy Kennedy at the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The two featherweights fought hard, each ending in a one-round draw heading into the deciding final five minutes of the fight. Braga’s wrestling ultimately choked the Canadian, leading the judges to a close but clear unanimous decision: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.
Two undefeated heavyweight prospects shared a smart cage when England’s Abraham Babry took on Tunisia’s Slim Trabelsi. Babley was the sharper, faster fighter early on, catching Trabelsi with left hooks multiple times. But the American Kickboxing Academy product couldn’t give up. Trabelsi charged forward and finished the fight in a superior position as Bubbly’s gas tank evaporated. It was a tough battle for points, but in the end both judges favored Trabelsi’s strong finish over Bubbly’s flash: 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.
Bellator veteran Mansour Barnawi scored a thrilling third-round finish with a rear-naked choke against Londoner Alfie Davies in his PFL debut. “Afro Samurai” got off to a good start, but was eliminated in the second round. Davis was on the verge of winning his fourth straight match, but was knocked unconscious by a heavy right hand from the Frenchman. Barnaoui continued to attack from the Thai clinch with heavy knees and elbows before grounding Davis 3:41 into the third round. This was Barnaoui’s 15th career submission victory.
