PFL CEO Peter Murray has expressed his excitement at getting to hold an ‘unprecedented event in MMA’ when PFL vs Bellator: CHAMPS, takes place later this year.
Earlier this week, the promotion held a press conference at the Hard Rock Live, Hollywood ahead of their mammoth fight card, headed to Saudi Arabia on February 24th as part of the Riyadh Season. The card will feature former and current champions from both PFL and Bellator squaring off in a champ vs champ contest, along with some very familiar faces from both promotions.
Speaking at the press conference, Murray discussed his immense pride at being able to hold such an event. He said:
“There’s a lot of hardware up here. We have PFL Champs versus BELLATOR Champs. This is really an unprecedented event in MMA. Many fans have been talking about this for years. Other promotions have been talking about this as well. I am so proud that on the heels of the BELLATOR acquisition we can now present the very best in MMA. At the end of each year, we will kick off the next season for both PFL and BELLATOR, a major tentpole event which will be PFL Champions vs. BELLATOR Champions. Think of it as MMA’s All-Star Game. This will be long term.”
“We’re certainly paving the way for the next generation of great athletes and champions.”
The Riyadh season has and will continue to see a monumental amount of heavyweight action with the Day Of Reckoning and Fury vs Ngannou already having taken place and Joshua vs Ngannou & the undisputed World Heavyweight title fight already signed to happen this season. It appears that the MMA side of things will be no different, with PFL Heavyweight Renan Ferraira taking on Bellator Champion Ryan Bader at the top of the bill. Speaking on the magnitude of the event itself, both men praised the promotion for creating such an incredible card.
Ferraira is not only looking forward to the event itself, but is exhilarated at the thought of being able to test his skills against someone like Bader. He said:
“It’s a special moment for the fans and a special moment for the sport. I feel honoured to be in the position as the main event to fight against a guy with the credentials that Ryan Bader has. Just excited to get there. You guys know my fighting style, always pressing the action and moving forward. So just excited to put on a great show.
Bader has competed for 17 years as a professional and admits this is one of the first times, he has seen something like this happen and cant wait to try and get his hands on yet another title.
“It’s a huge deal. This doesn’t happen in MMA. Fans want these types of super fights. A lot of organizations don’t want to risk putting their champions out there and have another organization come out and sweep them. I love that we are doing this in Saudi Arabia. The whole card, if you look at it, is stacked. I am ready to claim another belt too. I love it and I’m ready for this huge opportunity.”
Full PFL vs Bellator: CHAMPS fight card:
PPV Card - ESPN+ PPV and DAZN - 3 pm ET
Heavyweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Renan Ferreira (PFL World Champ) vs. Ryan Bader (Bellator Champ)
Middleweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Impa Kasanganay (PFL Light Heavyweight World Champ) vs. Johnny Eblen (Bellator Champ)
Featherweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Jesus Pinedo (PFL World Champ) vs.
Patricio Pitbull (Bellator Champ)
182- Pound Contract Weight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Ray Cooper III (Former PFL World Champ) vs. Jason Jackson (Bellator Champ)
Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Bruno Cappelozza (former PFL World Champ) vs. Vadim Nemkov (former Bellator Champ)
Light Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Thiago Santos (PFL title contender) vs. Yoel Romero (Bellator title contender)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Clay Collard (PFL title contender) vs. AJ McKee (former Bellator Champ)
Early Card - ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (US) - 12 pm ET
Featherweight Showcase Bout: Gabriel Braga (PFL title contender) vs. Aaron Pico (Bellator title contender)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Biaggio Ali Walsh (Pro Debut) vs. Emmanuel Palacio (Pro Debut)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis
Featherweight Showcase Bout: Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondal Rao
Amateur Flyweight Bout: Malik Basahel vs. Vinicius Pereira
