The Professional Fighters League (PFL) launched its historic inaugural season of PFL MENA at The Green Halls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday. Athletes in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions took center stage, securing their spots in the PFL MENA Playoffs.
In the headline bout, Abdullah Al-Qahtani delighted hometown fans by defeating Yazeed Hasanain of Jordan via verbal submission, earning a spot in the PFL MENA Featherweight Semifinals.
In the co-main event, Ali Taleb of Iraq dominated Nawras Abzakh of Jordan from start to finish, securing a unanimous decision victory and a place in the Bantamweight Semifinals, advancing his career record to 11-1.
Rachid El Hazoume of Morocco exhibited his submission prowess, forcing compatriot Xavier Alaoui to tap out to a rear-naked choke in the second round, progressing to the Bantamweight Semifinals with a career record of 14-3.
Egypt's Islam Reda delivered a standout performance, defeating Morocco's Adam Meskini by unanimous decision to reach the PFL MENA Featherweight Semifinals, extending his winning streak to five and improving his career record to 11-1.
Jalal Al Daaja of Jordan secured his place in the PFL MENA Playoffs with a majority draw decision over Sudan's Tariq Ismail in their Bantamweight matchup, pushing his career record to 12-7.
Elias Boudegzdame of Algeria became the first Bantamweight fighter to advance to the PFL MENA Playoffs, securing a slick second-round guillotine submission win over Egypt's Hassan Mandour to move to 19-8 in his MMA career.
Hattan Alsaif of Saudi Arabia made a spectacular MMA debut by knocking out Egypt's Nada Faheem with a head kick in the second round of their Women's Flyweight amateur showcase bout, becoming the first Saudi female to sign with a major MMA promotion.
In Featherweight action, Morocco's Maraoune Bellagouit landed a powerful left hook in the third round to knock out Mido Mohamed of Egypt and advance to the Semi Finals, maintaining an undefeated record of 5-0.
Abdelrahman Alhyasat of Jordan outworked Ahmed Tarek of Egypt in the first Featherweight bout of the PFL MENA season, winning by unanimous decision and moving to 4-0 in his professional career.
To kick off the action, Saudi Arabia's Malik Basahel delivered a dominant performance, defeating India's Harsh Pandya by unanimous decision in a Flyweight amateur showcase bout, improving his career record to an impressive 19-2-1.
COMPLETE PFL MENA: RIYADH RESULTS
Featherweight Bout:
Abdullah Al-Qahtani def. Yazeed Hasanain by Verbal Submission (Punches) at 4:59 of Round 2
Bantamweight Bout:
Ali Taleb def. Nawras Abzakh by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bantamweight Bout:
Rachid El Hazoume def. Xavier Alaoui by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:55 of Round 2
Featherweight Bout:
Islam Reda def. Adam Meskini by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight Bout:
Jalal Al Daaja def. Tariq Ismail by Majority Draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Bantamweight Bout:
Elias Boudegzdame def. Hassan Mandour by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:53 of Round 2
Women’s Atomweight Bout - Amateur:
Hattan Alsaif def. Nada Faheem by KO (Head Kick) at 0:41 of Round 2
Featherweight Bout:
Maraoune Bellagouit def. Mido Mohamed by TKO (Punch) at 4:12 of Round 3
Featherweight Bout:
Abdelrahman Alhyasat def. Ahmed Tarek by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-27)
Flyweight Bout - Amateur:
Malik Basahel def. Harsh Pandya by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
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