PFL’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) spin-off brand will return for its second year soon.
Another four-event tour from PFL MENA is expected to kick off May 9th at the Onyx Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, per a press release issued by the promotion this week.
PFL debuted its MENA tour last year in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The initial season saw four weight classes compete in eight-man, single-elimination brackets throughout the year. It came a year after PFL Europe launched using the sample four-event template.
The series showcases talent from around the region, although all events have taken place in Saudi Arabia thus far.
The first season included tournaments at bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight. The weight classes for the 2025 season haven’t been confirmed yet, although a recent story in Arab News mentioned that 2024 featherweight champ Abdullah Al-Qahtani will appear as part of the series.
Other announced names for the tour currently include atomweight prospect Hattan Al-Saif and Malik Basahel, who will be making his pro debut following an extensive amateur run.
PFL MENA is just a small part of the promotion’s attempt at expanding the brand. Along with their main U.S. tour, PFL plans to run smaller four-event tours in Europe, MENA and, for the first time, Africa this year. The Africa tour will begin in June, per a recent social media post from PFL’s Donn Davis.
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