Professional Fighters League a game-changer for MMA in Saudi Arabia and the Mena region
The chief executive of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) says next week’s “game-changing” inaugural event in Saudi Arabia will provide a launch pad to “building out a worldclass ecosystem” for mixed martial arts in the kingdom and throughout the region.
The organisation, which in November acquired fellow MMA promotion Bellator, will stage its opening fight night in Saudi Arabia with “PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions” on February 24, at the new Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
The event comes after the PFL announced in August it had signed an investment agreement with SRJ Sports Investments, an entity owned by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund.
As part of the partnership, SRJ acquired a minority equity ownership in the PFL. The deal, reported to be worth $100 million, makes SRJ an investor in PFL Mena, a new regional league set to launch this April.
PFL and SRJ will also work together in organising and staging PFL PPV Super Fights “mega-events” in Saudi Arabia – the first being “PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions”.
“We’re very excited about the partnership,” PFL chief executive Peter Murray told The National. “It’s really grounded in SRJ and their focus on not only sport investment globally, as well as regionally throughout the Middle East and specifically in Saudi. But, with respect to the PFL, they’re a key part of our overall ownership group strategy and plan to grow globally. They believe in MMA as the growth sport of this decade and the PFL’s vision to advance the sport, as well as scale our business globally. And, importantly, build a world-class ecosystem of MMA in Saudi Arabia.
“So, it really is a twofold strategy, and we’re now heading into that next phase of activating against that strategy and implementing our plan. This year it’s going to be really exciting. On the heels of our acquisition of Bellator, PFL are well positioned as a global leader in the sport. We’re really proud of the [SRJ] relationship; it’s a true partnership.”
Murray said the PFL will host several events in Saudi Arabia this year, with announcements expected next week regarding another “mega event” and also the regional league fight nights for PFL Mena. The company expects to organise six regional leagues by 2026 – Europe, Mena, Africa, Australia, Latin America and Asia – which each aim to feature the lead fighters from, and host all events in, the respective regions.
The PFL says it seeks to create a “Champions League of MMA”, where the various regional leagues will offer a pathway to compete in its global events.
This year’s PFL Mena will comprise four events. Murray described the PFL’s commitment to the sport both in Saudi and the wider region as “longterm”, adding: “We’re not like other promotions to essentially come in and leave.We’re committed to growing the sport, starting with athletes, the eco
system, putting resources in place to advance and build our global business.”
On the possibility of staging fight nights outside of the kingdom as part of the expansion, Murray said: “You will see PFL events from all of our franchises, staged not only in Saudi, but also throughout the Middle East. So, from pay-per-view fights to Global Season events – our world championship – to Bellator events, as well as PFL Mena regional league events, will be staged throughout the entire region.
“We’re having those conversations now with various stakeholders in different countries, where there’s high interest and demand for sport and the PFL’s version of MMA. We’ll be making those announcements in the coming months.”
Starting the organisation’s new division, PFL PPV Super Fights, next week’s event in Riyadh will include four champion versus champion bouts, headlined by 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira taking on Bellator counterpart Ryan Bader.
In the co-main event, 2023 PFL light-heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay faces Bellator middleweight belt-holder Johnny Eblen at 185lbs, while PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo goes head-to-head with Bellator rival Patricio Pitbull.
The fight card also features the pro debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, and Claressa Shields’ third PFL outing. The American is the current women’s IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO world middleweight boxing champion.
Meanwhile, featherweight Abdullah Al Qahtani, the first Saudi athlete signed to PFL, also makes his third appearance in the promotion when he goes up against India’s Edukondal Rao.
“It’s an unprecedented event in the sport of MMA,” Murray said. “That will be an annual tent-pole event for the PFL and a ‘mega event’ for the kingdom. So, that kicks off not only building out that world-class ecosystem of MMA in Saudi, but it also launches our new business, our PPV Super Fights’ division.
“The concept of Champ versus Champ is that the fighters now have an opportunity to prove who is the best in the weight class around the world.
“That’s what this event determines: Who is the very best in each weight class. This is all about who will be the champion of champions across these weight classes. And bringing two powerhouses together in MMA, the PFL and Bellator, having this type of cross-promotion or event, this is what fans want. So, we’re delivering it. It’s a star-studded and stacked card.”
You will see PFL events from all of our franchises, staged not only in Saudi, but also throughout the Middle East
PETER MURRAY
PFL chief executive