PFL MENA announces fight card for 2025 opening event in Jeddah

JEDDAH: The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced the fight card for the opening event of the 2025 PFL MENA season, which will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, May 9, 2025.

Headlining the card is a highly anticipated featherweight quarterfinal bout, as Saudi champion Abdullah Al-Qahtani faces Egyptian star Islam Reda, known as “The Egyptian Zombie,” in a rematch of their 2018 contest, which ended in a win for Al-Qahtani.

Reda reached the featherweight final last season but was forced to withdraw due to injury, with Al-Qahtani stepping in and ultimately claiming the title.

The card will also feature the PFL MENA debuts of several top talents from the Middle East, including Salahdine Hamli from Morocco, Ezzedine Dourbani from Jordan, Yanis Ghemmouri from Algeria, and Hussein Salem from Iraq.

In addition, exhibition bouts will include the first appearances of Abdulaziz Bin Moammar, champion of the 2024 Saudi Games, and Yousef Al-Hosani, the Emirati jiu-jitsu champion and a strong candidate to become one of the region’s breakout stars.