Tag: pfl

VIDEO: Costello van Steenis Opens PFL World Championship Card With Head-Kick KO In 48 Seconds

This year’s PFL World Championship began in violent fashion, with longtime Bellator contender Costello van Steenis landing a brutal knockout in the first round. 10 title fights are set to go down today inside the King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where both this year’s PFL Global and PFL MENA champions will be determined. […]

This year’s PFL World Championship began in violent fashion, with longtime Bellator contender Costello van Steenis landing a brutal knockout in the first round.

10 title fights are set to go down today inside the King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where both this year’s PFL Global and PFL MENA champions will be determined.

Before gold is dished out, a series of showcase bouts are opening proceedings. And while the cancellation of Jesus Pinedo’s return dealt a blow to the lineup, a number of notable names are still featuring.

That included van Steenis, who has figured in Bellator middleweight title contention ever since getting the better of Fabian Edwards back in 2020.

He advanced his ambitions in a big way at the PFL World Championship, face-planting opponent Joao Dantas in just 48 seconds with a perfectly timed head kick.

During his celebrations, “The Spaniard” called for a shot at PFL middleweight gold and also pitched a clash with the current Bellator 185-pound kingpin, Johnny Eblen.

Van Steenis originally appeared in line for a shot at gold following a victory earlier this year. After having his charge toward the top stalled by Douglas Lima in 2023, the Dutch-born 32-year-old bounced back by submitting Gregory Babane in a clash branded a title eliminator this past May.

For whatever reason, that classification was forgotten about and van Steenis was further made to earn a potential opportunity this week in the Middle East.

Suffice to say, he did just that.

Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija Added to Champions Series Dubai – Bellator vs. PFL

Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija Added to Champions Series Dubai - Bellator vs. PFLHeavyweights Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija has just been announced as a PFL vs. Bellator showdown. The PFL is…

Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija Added to Champions Series Dubai - Bellator vs. PFL

Heavyweights Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija has just been announced as a PFL vs. Bellator showdown. The PFL is hosting a major MMA event, Champions Series Dubai, on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. This event marks the start of a new partnership to establish Dubai as a key destination for MMA. The show will feature two marquee fights: a lightweight title bout and a heavyweight clash.

Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija

In the main event, undefeated lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov (18-0) from Dagestan will defend his title against Ireland’s rising star Paul Hughes (13-1). Hughes is coming off the biggest win of his career after defeating AJ McKee at the PFL’s Battle of the Giants.

Meanwhile, the co-main event pits former Bellator champion Vadim Nemkov (18-2) from Russia against Ante Delija (24-6) from Croatia. Nemkov, riding a 13-fight unbeaten streak, is a dominant finisher with victories over Yoel Romero and Corey Anderson. He is a protege of all-time great Fedor Emelianenko. Delija, a former PFL champion, is known for his knockout power and submission skills, carrying on Croatia’s heavyweight MMA legacy alongside names like Mirko Cro Cop and Stipe Miocic.

This event is part of the “Road to Dubai” series, an initiative developed through a partnership between the PFL, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, and the Dubai Sports Council. The partnership between PFL and Dubai authorities also creates opportunities for local Emirati fighters to rise through the ranks. This event kicks off a multi-year push to make Dubai a global MMA hotspot while showcasing the sport’s top athletes and promoting new talent.

Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija Added to Champions Series Dubai Bellator vs. PFL 2

Dakota Ditcheva’s Rise to Stardom Has Sparked ‘A Little Bit of Jealousy’ Among PFL Fighters

Dakota Ditcheva's Rise to Stardom Has Sparked 'A Little Bit of Jealousy' Among PFL FightersManchester native Dakota Ditcheva is quickly becoming one of MMA’s biggest stars. After taking the world by storm under…

Dakota Ditcheva's Rise to Stardom Has Sparked 'A Little Bit of Jealousy' Among PFL Fighters

Manchester native Dakota Ditcheva is quickly becoming one of MMA’s biggest stars.

After taking the world by storm under the PFL Europe banner in 2023, ‘Dangerous’ has seen her star rise as part of the inaugural PFL flyweight women’s tournament, earning a trio of first-round knockouts against Lisa Mauldin, Chelsea Hackett, and Jena Bishop. Those wins have led her to the PFL Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where she’ll face Taila Santos in the $1 million final on November 29.

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As is the case with any fighter on the fast track to fame and fortune, Ditcheva has seen her fair share of detractors come out of the woodwork — many of them accusing the PFL of feeding her favorable matchups to ensure her entry into the flyweight finale at The Mayadeen.

Dakota Ditcheva encourages fighters to stop making excuses and start getting noticed

Speaking with MMA Fighting ahead of her return to the Smart Cage, Ditcheva chalked up the negativity to a few jealous fighters who haven’t put in the same work she has to get noticed.

“There is definitely a little bit of jealousy I think and a bit of frustration from a few fighters,” Ditcheva said. “I get it…it’s a business. We have to be able to sell these fights in order to get paid. If you want to get paid, do something. Make your fights exciting or get on social media and make an effort. You have to.

“The people that were mad at these fighters, certain fighters making money, but if you look at the ones making money, it’s the personalities in the sport. Or the fighters that are doing something different,” Ditcheva continued. “I don’t know why anybody is getting frustrated just with me. Because I’m just like, getting what I can out of my years in this sport and I feel like that would be the clever thing to do” (h/t MMA News).

Overall, Ditcheva is a perfect 13-0 with 11 of her wins coming by way of knockout and one submission.

Including her work in PFL Europe, ‘Dangerous’ has a 100% finish rate inside the Smart Cage — a stat she’ll look to keep intact against another well-known finisher in the world of women’s MMA.

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2024 PFL World Championship Results & Highlights: Khizriev Dominates Loughnane, Ditcheva Stops Santos

The 2024 PFL World Championship took place on Friday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action! This week saw the Professional Fighters League back in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to crown its title winners for this year — both PFL Global and PFL MENA — following the conclusion of the regular season and […]

The 2024 PFL World Championship took place on Friday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action!

This week saw the Professional Fighters League back in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to crown its title winners for this year — both PFL Global and PFL MENA — following the conclusion of the regular season and semifinals.

After a set of showcase bouts featuring the likes of Costello van Steenis, Slim Trabelsi, and Mansour Barnaoui, four inaugural kings were crowned as part of the promotion’s Middle East and North Africa expansion.

The main card followed, with six fighters on the global roster walking away with championship gold and $1 million in prize money.

Brendan Loughnane and Impa Kasanganay both failed in their bid to experience that for the second time, with the featherweight suffering a lopsided five-round loss to Timur Khizriev in the main event and the light heavyweight standout falling victim to Dovletzhan Yagshimuradov’s power in under a minute.

Perhaps the most intriguing clash on the lineup came in the co-headliner, meanwhile, as the undefeated Dakota Ditcheva faced the toughest test of her blossoming career thus far. She ultimately followed her PFL Europe success last year with global glory, getting the better of former UFC title challenger Taila Santos in shockingly dominant fashion.

With that said, see below for the full results, followed by all the best highlights.

2024 PFL World Championship Results

PFL World Championship Card:

  • Featherweight Championship: Timur Khizriev def. Brendan Loughnane via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46)
  • Women’s Flyweight Championship: Dakota Ditcheva def. Taila Santos via TKO (body punches): R2, 4:41
  • Light Heavyweight Championship: Dovletzhan Yagshimuradov def. Impa Kasanganay via TKO (punches): R1, 0:58
  • Welterweight Championship: Shamil Musaev def. Magomed Umalatov via TKO (punches): R3, 1:44
  • Lightweight Championship: Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Brent Primus via KO (punches): R3, 2:31
  • Heavyweight Championship: Denis Goltsov def. Oleg Popov via submission (triangle choke): R1, 2:51

PFL MENA Championship Card:

  • MENA Featherweight Championship: Abdullah Al-Qahtani def. Maraoune Bellagouit via TKO: R1
  • MENA Welterweight Championship: Omar El Dafrawy def. Mohammad Alaqraa via KO (hammerfists): R2, 0:57
  • Amateur Women’s Atomweight: Hattan Alsaif def. Lilia Osmani via TKO (knees): R2, 1:37
  • MENA Bantamweight Championship: Ali Taleb def. Rachid El Hazoume via KO (punches): R1, 1:25
  • MENA Lightweight Championship: Mohsen Mohammadseifi def. Georges Eid via unanimous decision

Showcase Fight Card:

  • Lightweight: Mansour Barnaoui def. Alfie Davis via submission (rear-naked choke): R3, 3:41
  • Heavyweight: Slim Trabelsi def. Abraham Bably via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Featherweight: Gabriel Braga def. Jeremy Kennedy via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Featherweight: Asael Adjoudj def. Jose Perez via submission (guillotine choke): R3, 1:10
  • Middleweight: Costello van Steenis def. Joao Dantas via KO (head kick): R1, 0:48

Costello van Steenis Def. Joao Dantas

Asael Adjoudj Def. Jose Perez

Gabriel Braga Def. Jeremy Kennedy

Slim Trabelsi Def. Abraham Bably

Mansour Barnaoui Def. Alfie Davis

Mohsen Mohammadseifi Def. Georges Eid

Ali Taleb Def. Rachid El Hazoume

Hattan Alsaif Def. Lilia Osmani

Omar El Dafrawy Def. Mohammad Alaqraa

Abdullah Al-Qahtani Def. Maraoune Bellagouit

Denis Goltsov Def. Oleg Popov

Gadzhi Rabadanov Def. Brent Primus

Shamil Musaev Def. Magomed Umalatov

Dovletzhan Yagshimuradov Def. Impa Kasanganay

Dakota Ditcheva Def. Taila Santos

Timur Khizriev Def. Brendan Loughnane

Randy Couture to Jon Jones: If You’re the GOAT ‘Step Up and Fight’ Francis Ngannou or Tom Aspinall

Randy Couture to Jon Jones: If You’re the GOAT 'Step Up and Fight' Francis Ngannou or Tom AspinallMMA legend and multi-time UFC champion Randy Couture says that it’s time that Jon Jones stepped up to the…

Randy Couture to Jon Jones: If You’re the GOAT 'Step Up and Fight' Francis Ngannou or Tom Aspinall

MMA legend and multi-time UFC champion Randy Couture says that it’s time that Jon Jones stepped up to the real challenges of the heavyweight division. Francis Ngannou and Tom Aspinall were both ducked by the current heavyweight champion.

Randy Couture

The Natural’ Randy Couture is a five-time UFC champion having collected titles in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He is best known for his rivalries against fighters such as Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Tim Sylvia.

Despite the Olympic wrestler being a trailblazer in the sport, he is on the UFC’s naughty list as he was constantly clashing with the brass on his rights and contractual disputes. In the 2000s, he walked away from the UFC to pursue a fight against the all-time great heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko as the UFC refused to co-promote with the organizations that had the contract of Fedor.

Randy Couture reveals gnarly aftermath of fight with UFC rival Pedro Rizzo I couldn't walk for 6 weeks

Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou or Tom Aspinall

‘Bones’ Jon Jones vacated his light heavyweight title after having an all-time great career running through the division. He then moved to heavyweight and captured the throne and later defended it against the aged Stipe Miocic while avoiding the interim champion Tom Aspinall. Additionally, while Francis Ngannou was the UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones refused to step up the heavyweight at that time instead he chose to wait until the Cameroonian fighter had left the organization.

Francis Ngannou PFL
Photo by Tim Wheaton

Enough is enough according to Randy Couture. According to him, Jon Jones must face Aspinall or Ngannou for the sake of his legacy even if it requires co-promotion. In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Couture said:

“That was certainly the fight I pursued for a long time—to fight Fedor. It never happened. I think that that conversation, obviously, we’re still having it right now. And Jon Jones—as much as he doesn’t wanna fight Francis—is gonna have trouble avoiding that. Now he says he didn’t wanna fight Tom. I mean, why? You’re supposedly the GOAT. Step up and fight whoever they want you to fight.

“I’m not in Jon’s head, so I couldn’t tell you. I think, you know, he needs to step up and fight the guys they want him to fight. You can’t shy away from guys, anybody, honestly. So, I mean, that’s a challenge. But certainly, Tom has earned—earned a crack and deserves that. Whether Francis—and they do a co-promotion or cross-promotion—that, you know, that’s something that… our sport is still very anti-competitive.

“There’s no transparency in the sport. There’s no way to do those types of cross-promotions.The restrictive nature of the contracts in the promotions themselves prevents that. That’s why the Fedor fight never happened. One wanted to do a co-promotion with the UFC, and the UFC wasn’t willing to do that. I don’t think their attitude on co-promotion has changed. So that will be a big challenge—to see Francis get in there with Jon or Tom, if Tom beats Jon.”

Francis Ngannou currently holds the lineal UFC titles as he left the organization without losing the crown. He then competed in blockbuster boxing matches and picked up the PFL heavyweight title.

Couture is currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia part of the broadcast team for PFL 10 2024 on November 29 which features the tournament final bouts.

Dan Hardy: Dakota Ditcheva Can Prove Herself To Be The Best Flyweight In The World vs. Taila Santos

At the 2024 PFL Championships this Friday in Riyadh, Dakota Ditcheva faces her toughest test to date as the undefeated striker takes on Taila Santos. For all of the hype surrounding the British striker, there has been a lot of doubts as well with some saying that she hasn’t been tested at the top level […]

At the 2024 PFL Championships this Friday in Riyadh, Dakota Ditcheva faces her toughest test to date as the undefeated striker takes on Taila Santos. For all of the hype surrounding the British striker, there has been a lot of doubts as well with some saying that she hasn’t been tested at the top level yet.

With every step-up in the quality of her opponents, the former PFL Europe champion has blasted through them also, winning all three of her fights this season via a knockout in the first round. Santos, however, is an opponent that fight fans know is a legitimate threat to her.

The former UFC fighter competed in one of the most controversial bouts in recent years when at UFC 275 she fought to a split decision against Valentina Shevchenko with many believing that she did enough to secure the victory. PFL commentator Dan Hardy believes that with a strong showing against Santos, Ditcheva can prove that she isn’t just the best flyweight in the PFL, she’s the best in the world.

In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Hardy said that Santos is a tough test for Ditcheva but she’s also a measuring stick for the undefeated star to use.

“I mean I certainly think so and the fact that Santos has been the distance with Shevchenko is going to make it easier for the fans to see the difference in Dakota’s skills compared to Shevchenko.”

After comparing the point fighting style of Shevchenko to the lethal striking of Ditcheva, Hardy said if she’s able to beat Santos and look impressive whilst doing it, there can be no more doubting her.

“If Dakota’s got enough skills in her game to stuff takedowns or to get back to her feet or to defend any submissions that she finds herself in in this fight coming up, if she proves that she’s got enough grappling for people to go, ‘You know what, I think that would work against Shevchenko as well’, then I don’t really think there’s much of a question around Dakota’s striking compared to Shevchenko.”