THE MATCHUPS ARE SET!
The regular season concludes with bantamweights and lightweights
live from Verti Music Hall in Berlin on July 8. Live on DAZN.Advertisement
Get your tickets here: https://t.co/SZ7bSjdOqj pic.twitter.com/H7KJwINNDJ
— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope)
April 21, 2023
Berlin will receive a rare event from a major organization, as a
branch of the Professional Fighters League will be stopping
off there this July.
Per a press release provided from the organization on Friday, PFL
Europe’s second event in 2023 has received a large portion of its
lineup. The prelims have not been added, but the eight-fight main
card sees a slate composed half with bantamweights and the other
half in the lightweight division.
PFL Europe 2 will take place at the Verti Music Hall in Berlin
on July 8. The four victors of each weight category will advance in
the tournament playoffs that will take place in Paris this
September. The headlining attraction comes at the 135-pound
category, when Francesco
Nuzzi (9-1) takes on Farbod
Iran Nezhad (11-2).
Italy’s Nuzzi has not tasted defeat since 2016 in his sophomore pro
outing, when Adrian
Claudiu Iancu hit an early rear-naked choke on him. Since then,
Nuzzi has strung together eight straight wins, with six finishes.
Along the way, the man known as “Berserker” avenged that loss to
Iancu with a first-round guillotine choke. Most recently, Nuzzi met
fellow PFL Europe 2 competitor Moktar
Benkaci in a showcase fight on PFL 8 last year. After nearly
two rounds of action, with Benkaci having the upper hand, he
inadvertently poked Nuzzi in the eye to stop the fight. The result
ruled a no contest ended Nuzzi’s win streak.
Born in Iran and currently residing in Germany, Nezhad has not seen
quite as much success as of late for his opponent, but he is riding
a three-fight win streak into this pairing. Of note, Nezhad claimed
the Super League MMA bantamweight belt over Bellator MMA alum Darko
Banovic last June. Although he began his career with a record
of 8-0-1, the opposition in which he faced was not entirely up to
par – those first eight victories came over men with a combined
win-loss total of 13-11.
The promotion does not currently list broadcast plans for
international audiences, but those in Germany and other European
nations will be able to watch it live on Dazn. The previous event,
PFL Europe 1, was unavailable for viewing for Americans and those
from many other countries, as the company’s ESPN deal does not
apply to this European offshoot. At the end of this tournament, the
four victors from the various weight categories will claim a
$100,000 check, and they may be able to clinch a spot in the 2024
PFL Regular Season and vie for next year’s $1 million prize.
PFL Europe 2 Main Card:
Francesco
Nuzzi vs. Farbod
Iran Nezhad – bantamweight
Moktar
Benkaci vs. Khurshed
Kakhorov – bantamweight
Frans
Mlambo vs. Dominique
Wooding – bantamweight
Ali
Taleb vs. Kenji
Bortoluzzi – bantamweight
Aleksandrs
Chizovs vs. Acoidan
Duque – lightweight
Connor
Hughes vs. Dylan Tuke –
lightweight
Radu
Maxim vs. Jakub
Kaszuba – lightweight
John
Mitchell vs. Geisym
Derouiche – lightweight