The Professional Fighters League is doubling down
when it comes to developing lightweight talent.

The tournament-based organization released on Thursday the complete
lineup for its May 9 event in Saudi Arabia.
PFL MENA 1: 2025 First Round will take place at the Onyx Arena
in the nation’s second-largest city of Jeddah, with 145ers and
155ers on tap. The champs of these two single-elimination brackets
will receive a belt for winning the tournament as well as a
potential opportunity to be called up for the $500,000 Global
season.

Fighters
only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday,
April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

In sister tournament PFL Europe, it will be lightweight and
bantamweight that have main focus. While it is unclear if two other
divisions will compete in the next PFL MENA First Round event in
June, it is likely that it will continue the same path as 2024. In
the inaugural season for Middle Eastern and Northern African
combatants, the PFL ran four concurrent brackets of bantamweight,
featherweight, lightweight and welterweight. The 135- and
170-pounders may serve on that June card, assuming the divisions
have not shifted. It is also uncertain whether the promotion will
proceed with $100,000 prizes for the victors.

Headlining the evening’s festivities will be a 145-pound
quarterfinal tilt between Abdullah
Al-Qahtani (10-2) and Islam Reda
(12-1). Due to card restructuring, Al-Qahtani reached the finals
despite a loss to Abdelrahman
Alhyasat last year, and he knocked out Maraoune
Bellagouit to claim the throne at his division. Reda was
initially booked in the finals, but he had to withdraw due to
injury.

Additional matches on the marquee include a lightweight
quarterfinal pitting Mohsen
Mohammadseifi (7-2) against Ahmed El
Sisy (6-1, 1 NC), another at 155 pounds between Salah
Eddine Hamli (8-0) and Abbas Khan
(8-3), and an additional quarterfinal pairing between 145-pounders
Izzeddine
Al Derbani (15-5) and Yanis
Ghemmouri (12-3). Eight participants from each weight category
will win and advance over the course of three fights to determine
the winner. The semifinals event is on the books for Sept. 19,
while the finals will play out on Nov. 28—and not as part of the
year-end finals for the Global season, which will be held in
August.

PFL MENA 1: 2025 Opening Round Lineup:

Abdullah
Al-Qahtani vs. Islam Reda –
featherweight quarterfinal
Ahmed
El Sisy vs. Mohsen
Mohammadseifi – lightweight quarterfinal
Abbas
Khan vs. Salah
Eddine Hamli – lightweight quarterfinal
Izzeddine
Al Derbani vs. Yanis
Ghemmouri – featherweight quarterfinal
Malik
Basahel vs. Mountassir
Boutouta – flyweight
Taha
Bendaoud vs. Abdelrahman
Alhyasat – featherweight quarterfinal
Hussein
Salem vs. Assem
Ghanem – featherweight quarterfinal
Georges
Eid vs. Mohammad
Fahmi – lightweight quarterfinal
Ahmad
Makki vs. Hasham
Elnamer – lightweight
Abdullah
Saleem vs. Souhil
Tairi – lightweight quarterfinal
Youssef
Al Housani vs. Nader
Jeffal – featherweight
Abdulaziz
Bin Moammar vs. Fares
Hamdani – 166-pound amateur catchweight

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

Internationaler Kampfkunst und Kampfsport Kleinanzeiger