ABDULLAH AL-QAHTANI THRILLS HOME CROWD WITH PFL MENA TITLE ON HISTORIC NIGHT FOR MMA IN SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi’s Al-Qahtani wins PFL MENA Featherweight title with first-round knockout
Local hero Hattan Alsaif extends perfect start to MMA career with thrilling stoppage
Inaugural PFL MENA Championship crowned four Arab champions
Five-fight card part of a stacked event in Riyadh led by PFL World Championship
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (29 November 2024) – The inaugural PFL MENA Championship delivered an unforgettable spectacle at King Saud University in Riyadh on Friday as local hero Abdullah Al-Qahtani thrilled the home crowd by claiming the Featherweight PFL MENA Championship title.
The Saudi Arabian fighter, known as “The Reaper”, was one of four PFL MENA champions crowned on a watershed night for mixed martial arts in the region as part of a five-fight card featuring Arab fighters.
Competing in the headline bout of the PFL MENA Championship, ahead of the PFL Global Season Championship, Al-Qahtani ensured a fitting end to the historic occasion with a brilliant first-round knockout of Morocco’s Marouane Bellagouit.
The final move began with a perfect right hand that sent Bellagouit flying to the ground, and sensing a finish, Al-Qahtani moved in to complete the job with a barrage of powerful punches to claim the title and send the packed crowd into raptures. The 27-year-old’s professional record now stands at 10-2.
On what it means to win the PFL MENA title on front of his home fans, Al-Qahtani said: “I’ve been waiting for this belt for a long time. To win the belt here in Saudi Arabia, I dedicate it to all my people and my family. I’m very happy for this.”
Al Qahtani thanked the crowd for their support and providing him the energy to get the victory, adding: “When I’m in the cage I feel that it’s not just me who’s fighting – all the crowd, all the people are with me and it gives me a big push.”
In the co-main event of the PFL MENA card, Egypt’s Omar El Dafrawy continued his remarkable resurgence with a sensational second-round TKO of Kuwaiti Mohammad Alaqraa to claim the PFL MENA Welterweight title.
Following four straight defeats, the 29-year-old has rebuilt his MMA career in stunning style and his win on Friday night was his seventh in a row to take his record to 13-6. El Dafrawy had to weather a storm in the first round but came out firing in the second. He caught a body kick from Alaqraa and rained down punches and hammer fists for an incredible knockout victory.
On his stunning career turnaround, El Dafrawy said: “It’s these details …
