The Professional Fighters League has officially
started populating its return to France this May.

At
PFL Europe 2, which will take place at the Accor Arena in Paris
on May 24, the organization has announced a pair of non-tournament
tilts to take place on the billing. The bout order is still in
flux, given that this event will also contain the league’s
bantamweight bracket of four fights plus an alternate match at
least. A key encounter on the billing sees Paris native Mansour
Barnaoui (22-6) take on Archie
Colgan (11-0) in a lightweight matchup outside of tournament
parameters.

The well-traveled “Afro-Samurai” drifted through organizations over
the years until he amassed a seven-fight stoppage streak, which put
him on the radar of Bellator MMA. When signed to that major org in 2022,
he introduced himself by tapping Adam
Piccolotti. While a pair of decisions against Brent
Primus and Jay-Jay
Wilson did not go his way, Barnaoui had to rebound by
throttling Yusuke
Yachi with a brabo choke. He crossed over into the PFL side of
the company following the merger, and prevailed in his PFL debut by
hitting a rear-naked choke on Alfie
Davis.

Like Barnaoui, Colgan cut his teeth on the Bellator circuit, other
than a pair of appearances with Legacy Fighting Alliance and a brief stop off
at Eagle FC’s one-off card in Miami in 2022. The unbeaten
29-year-old presents quite a different style than his opponent, as
Barnaoui celebrates the lion’s share of his wins by submission—15
of 22—while Colgan has earned just one pro win by tapout. While he
started out as a pro with six stoppages in his first seven
victories, “King” has heard the final bell in four straight fights
to conclude his time with Bellator.

Additionally, the organization stated that it picked up local
athlete Taylor
Lapilus, a free agency that departed the Ultimate Fighting Championship last year after
completing his contract. His opponent has not yet been determined.
The other fight PFL has put together also comes at 155 pounds, as a
pair of Belgians in Patrick
Habirora (6-0) and Nicolas
Di Franco (10-4-1) tangle for superiority.

The undefeated Habirora has tested the waters in PFL Europe on two
separate occasions in 2024, matching up against Claudio
Pacella and Catalin
Safta in non-tournament engagements. This fight will also be a
showcase match for the 24-year-old, who posts the majority of his
wins via strikes. Standing in his way will be European Beatdown
veteran Di Franco, who has not yet competed for a major
organization and will be coming off a loss. Di Franco most recently
saw his three-fight win streak come to a halt in December courtesy
of elbows from Noah
Gugnon.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

Internationaler Kampfkunst und Kampfsport Kleinanzeiger