Carrying, and representing, an entire country is hard enough, especially in combat sports. But doing it on home turf at the biggest MMA event of the year, in front of some of the most decorated fighters of all time? Yeesh. Safe to say, the pressure was on, but for Saudi’s very own, Abdullah Al-Qahtani, it paid off, as he stopped his opponent in spectacular fashion at last weekend’s PFL vs Bellator Champion vs Champion event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“This is a huge moment for me and my people,” Al-Qahtani said backstage, with a bandaged nose. “Saudi MMA is coming.”
Adding to the Saudi winning circle was Malik Bashel, who picked up a win over Vinicius Pereira, making it 2 for 2 for the region, laying the foundation for what we can expect to come out of the Kingdom in the future.
Attending the event, and having recently made history herself, was Hattan Alsaif, who supported her fellow Saudi, Abdullah Al-Qahtani, in his historic win.
“Tonight the Professional Fighters League and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were at the center of the MMA world,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions was the first-ever PFL PPV Super Fight global event and delivered electrifying action from the best fighters in MMA. The PFL remains committed to delivering premium MMA experiences to our fans around the globe.”
PFL MENA is just the latest step in the PFL’s vision of becoming the “Champions League of MMA.”
Other notable wins of the night include Biaggio Ali-Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali. Carrying the weight of one of the most iconic figures of all time is undoubtedly a burden to carry, but Ali-Walsh put on a dominating performance in front of both of his parents in the audience, his mother being the daughter of the legendary boxer.
The outdoor arena in Riyadh gathered some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment, including Mike Tyson, comedian Russel Peters, Francis Ngannou, and, perhaps most surprisingly (especially to Dana White), current UFC Heavyweight champion and unequivocal GOAT of the sport, Jon Jones, sporting the Saudi keffiyeh in support.
Former opponent and UFC title challenger, Chael Sonnen, interviewed Jones on site, and was quick to ask about the potential matchup between Jones and former UFC heavyweight champ and current PFL signee, Francis Ngannou.
“We’ll see, we’ll see,” Jones laughed ambiguously. Though the two did not appear to come face to face at the event, the tension between the towering fighters was palpable.
Ngannou, who is slated to fight Anthony Joshua in a boxing match next month on March 8, 2024, in Riyadh, had also signed on to fight the winner of the headlining bout, Ryan Bader and Renan Ferreira. The Brazilian Ferreira, who stands at 6 foot 8, needed just 21 seconds to clobber the Bellator heavyweight champ, and will now fight the Cameroonian in a heavyweight MMA style match up at a TBC date.
This event marks the introduction of PFL MENA, which will introduce a four-event sport-season format featuring the region’s top fighters and a groundbreaking initiative with SRJ Sports Investments (“SRJ”). The full roster of the league will be revealed in March. PFL MENA is a milestone in PFL’s expansion strategy and will accelerate its presence in the MENA region, with SRJ’s support.
At the end of the evening, founder and co-chairman of PFL, Donn Davis, said, “Mark my words, by 2025, Jon Jones will fight Francis Ngannou in the PFL. The fans want to see it. I want to see it. So it’s all up to Dana White if he’ll let this happen. And if the fight doesn’t happen, then we know that is all because of Dana.”
