Saudi MMA fighter Abdullah Al Qahtani headlines inaugural PFL Mena event in Riyadh

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will launch its inaugural PFL Mena event next month in Riyadh, with home favourite Abdullah Al Qahtani headlining.

The new regional mixed martial arts league, announced earlier this year, will take place on May 10 in the Saudi Arabian capital at The Green Halls, and comprises of athletes from featherweight and bantamweight divisions. The fighters will compete in the traditional, play-off-win-and-advance PFL format.

Featherweight Bout: Abdullah Al Qahtani v Taha Bendaoud
Bantamweight Bout: Ali Taleb v Nawras Abzakh
Bantamweight Bout: Xavier Alaoui v Rachid El Hazoume
Featherweight Bout: Islam Reda v Adam Meskini
Bantamweight Bout: Tariq Ismail v Jalal Al Daaja
Bantamweight Bout: Elias Boudegzdame v Hassan Mandour
Amateur Female Atomweight Bout: Hattan Al Saif v Nada Faheem
Featherweight Bout: Maraoune Bellagouit v Motaz Askar
Featherweight Bout: Ahmed Tarek v Abdelrahman Alhyasat
Showcase Featherweight Bout: Mido Mohamed v Yazeed Hasanain
Showcase Flyweight Bout: Malik Basahel v Harsh Pandya

The first Saudi to sign with the PFL, Al Qahtani tops the bill, where he will face off against fellow featherweight Taha Benaoud of Morocco. Al Qahtani last fought in February, at the promotion’s first event in Saudi, entitled “PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions”.

There, he registered a third-round TKO victory against India's Edukondala Rao, marking Al Qahtani’s third successive win since joining the PFL. The Riyadh-born athlete’s professional record stands 8-1-0.

Elsewhere, Hattan Al Saif, the first female fighter from Saudi Arabia to sign a contract with a leading global MMA promotion, will debut. Al Saif takes on Egyptian Nada Faheem in an amateur female atomweight bout.

"PFL Mena: Riyadh"