RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA — Skilled Fighters League, in partnership with the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Blended Martial Arts Federation (SMMAF) held Championships of the 2024 PFL World Season and the first-ever PFL MENA Season on Friday at King Saud College. Following an thrilling evening of motion on ESPN+ and DAZN, ten new champions had been topped.
In the principle occasion, Timur Khizriev (18-0) coasted to a unanimous determination win towards 2023 PFL Featherweight Champion Brendan Loughnane (30-6). It was in the end Khizriev’s world-class grappling and tempo that was the distinction, as Khizriev grew to become the fourth Russian PFL athlete to win a Championship in 2024.
The co-main occasion noticed Dakota Ditcheva (14-0), a former PFL Europe Champion, end former UFC title challenger Talia Santos (22-4) and lay declare to the 2024 PFL Girls’s Flyweight Championship. It was an ideal season for the 26-year-old, who completed all 4 of her opponents en path to the title.
The pleasure of Turkmenistan Dovletzhan Yagshimuradov (25-7-1), shocked the 2023 PFL Gentle Heavyweight Champion Impa Kasanganay (18-5) in 58-seconds to assert the 2024 Championship. A victor in his first PFL season, Yagshimuradov brings the primary main world MMA title to his dwelling nation of Turkmenistan.
In a battle of unbeaten Russian Welterweights, Shamil Musaev (20-0-1) handed Magomed Umalatov (17-1) the primary defeat of his profession, following a flurry of strikes that ended that bout practically two minutes into the second spherical. With arguably essentially the most spectacular run within the 2024 World Season, “The Silent Murderer” now has championship gold and a one-million-dollar examine to show it.
Gadzhi Rabadanov (24-4-2) is the 2024 PFL Light-weight World Champion following a vicious third spherical knockout of former Bellator Champion Brent Primus (15-4). Coaching alongside Bellator Light-weight Champion Usman Nurmagomedov, and underneath the tutelage of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Rabadanov now brings one other 155-pound championship dwelling to Russia.
After a number of unsuccessful makes an attempt at successful the PFL Championship, sambo champion Denis Goltsov (36-8) lastly captured PFL gold as he accomplished the World Season as champion, ending fellow Russian Oleg Popov (29-2) through submission within the opening spherical.
Previous to the 2024 PFL World Championships, PFL MENA’s inaugural season got here to a detailed, with 4 champions topped within the Welterweight, Light-weight, Featherweight, and Bantamweight divisions.
Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al-Qahtani (10-2) emphatically completed Morocco’s Marouane Bellagouit (6-1) within the opening body to earn the PFL MENA Featherweight Championship. The 26-year-old gained the championship in entrance of a partisan dwelling city crowd.
At Welterweight, Omar El Dafrawy (13-6) shocked these in attendance when he clipped Mohammad Alaqraa (7-1) with a left hook and instantly capitalized on the chance with hammerfists, incomes the PFL MENA Welterweight title within the course of.
Native celebrity Hattan Alsaif (3-0) confirmed as soon as once more why the hype is actual, as a robust knee within the clinch precipitated Lilia Osmani (0-1) to drop to her knees and the referee to place a cease to the bout. The fighters confirmed a harmful number of strikes, however Alsaif’s energy proved to be the distinction who improved her beginner report to 3-0.
The 2024 PFL MENA Bantamweight Championship was wrapped across the waist of Ali Taleb (12-1) after catching a stray kick from Rachid El Hazoume (15-4), who unleashed a ferocious proper hook to separate his opponent from consciousness.
The primary ever PFL MENA World Champion was topped within the Light-weight division, as Mohsen Mohammadseifi (7-2) picked up the unanimous determination (50-45 x2, 49-46) following a fiery encounter with Georges Eid (10-5), endlessly etching his title within the historical past books as he impressed the judges together with his energy, aggression, and big hooks to safe their favor.
Mansour Barnaoui (22-6) picked up the fifteenth submission victory of his profession in a technical stand-up bout with England’s Alfie Davis (17-5-1), who broken his opponent with piercing knees and powerful elbows within the clinch, earlier than the combat went to the bottom and ended through rear-naked choke.
The Heavyweights miraculously discovered the ultimate bell after three rounds of buying and selling heavy photographs, with Slim Trabelsi (8-0) successful by split-decision (29-28 x2, 28-29). Recovering from an enormous knockdown in spherical two, Trabelsi bounced again to grind out the win towards Abraham Bably (5-1).
The cardboard’s first determination victory went to Brazil’s Gabriel Braga (15-2), who relished within the legalization of elbows by opening up Jeremy Kennedy (19-5) on the toes within the first spherical earlier than the rest of the combat was hotly contested in each hanging and grappling in a aggressive bout.
In a real back-and-forth battle, the lightning strikes of Asael Adjoudj (9-1) had been slowed by the grinding strain and floor management from Jose Perez (9-2). Nevertheless, within the third spherical, Adjoudj shocked his opponent with a guillotine and have become the primary fighter to submit Perez and prolonged his unbeaten streak to 9.
The primary combat of the night opened the cardboard in beautiful trend, as Costello van Steenis (16-3) completed Joao Dantas (7-2) within the very first spherical utilizing a sequence of calf kicks to arrange a devastating head kick.
2024 PFL Championship World Season Outcomes:
Timur Khizriev (18-0) def. Brendan Loughnane (30-6) through unanimous determination (50-45, 49-46 x2)Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) def. Talia Santos (22-4) through TKO at 4:41 of spherical twoDovletzhan Yagshimuradov (25-7-1) def. Impa Kasanganay (18-5) through KO at :58 of spherical oneShamil Musaev (20-0-1) def. Magomed Umalatov (17-1) through KO at 1:44 of spherical threeGadzhi Rabadanov (24-4-2) def. Brent Primus (15-4) through KO at 2:31 of spherical threeDenis Goltsov (36-8) def. Oleg Popov (19-2) through submission [triangle choke] at 2:55 of spherical one
PFL MENA Championship Outcomes:
Abdullah Al-Qahtani (10-2) def. Marouane Bellagouit (6-1) through TKO at 3:21 of spherical oneOmar El Dafrawy (13-6) def. Mohammad Alaqraa (7-1) through TKO at :57 of spherical twoHattan Alsaif (3-0) def. Lilia Osmani (0-1) through KO at 1:37 of spherical twoAli Taleb (12-1) def. Rachid El Hazoume (15-4) through KO at 1:25 of spherical oneMohsen Mohammadseifi (7-2) def. Georges Eid (10-5) through unanimous determination (50-45 x2, 49-46)
PFL Showcase Bouts Outcomes:
Mansour Barnaoui (22-6) def. Alfie Davis (17-5-1) through submission [rear-naked choke] at 3:41 of spherical threeSlim Trabelsi (8-0) def. Abraham Bably (5-1) through cut up determination (29-28×2, 28-29)Gabriel Braga (15-2) def. Jeremy Kennedy (19-5) through unanimous determination (29-28 x3)Asael Adjoudj (9-1) def. Jose Perez (9-2) through submission [guillotine choke] at 1:10 of spherical threeCostello van Steenis (16-3) def. Joao Dantas (7-2) through KO at :48 of spherical one
