As the PFL continue their global expansion, the promotion have confirmed they will return to Saudi Arabia on May 10, as they launch their PFL MENA season.
The card will feature playoff bouts in both the Featherweight and Bantamweight divisions, with athletes looking to advance through the PFL tournament.
At the top of the bill, Abdullah “The Reaper” Al-Qahtani will face Taha Bendaoud in a Featherweight contest. Since signing with the PFL last year, Al-Qahtani has been on a tear, competing three times and winning all three contests. He first fought inside the Smart Cage in against Lamar Brown at PFL 6, stopping the American in the first round with a rear naked choke. He then returned just two months later and earned a unanimous decision against David Zelner.
‘The Reaper’ continued his fine form in 2024 when he featured on the PFL vs Bellator CHAMPS card and stopped Edukondala Rao in the third round of their bout.
The unbeaten Bendaoud gets his first chance inside the Smart Cage, following a successful spell with UAE Warriors. In his three professional bouts so far, the Moroccan stopped Tryston Hutchinson in his professional debut before taking decision wins against Sithembiso Hadebe and Younes Chamali.
Ahead of the inaugural card, 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.”
The full fight card can be found below:
Featherweight: Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs Taha Bendaoud
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb vs Nawras Abzakh
Bantamweight: Xavier Alaoui vs Rachid El-Hazoume
Featherweight: Islam Reda vs Adam Meskini
Bantamweight: Tariq Ismail vs Jalal Al-Daaja
Bantamweight: Elias Boudegzdame vs Hassan Mandour
Amateur Female Atomweight: Hattan Alsaif vs Nada Faheem
Featherweight: Maraoune Bellagouit vs Motaz Askar
Featherweight: Ahmed Tarek vs Abdelrahman Alhyasat
Showcase featherweight: Mido Mohamed vs Yazeed Hasanain
Showcase flyweight: Malik Basahel vs Harsh Pandya
