‘PFL MENA eyes regional expansion, committed to Arab MMA'
Ayeni Olusegun
Doha
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is unwavering on its mission to discover and empower mixed martial arts talent across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), while also expanding into new markets to further cement the sport's growth in the region, according to Jerome Mazet, General Manager of PFL MENA.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune ahead of the PFL MENA Season 2 opener in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 9, Mazet reflected on the league's journey and fan response since its regional debut last year. While the promotion anticipated a strong launch, Mazet admitted the level of fan engagement exceeded expectations.
'We hoped for it to be big,' Mazet said of PFL MENA's rapid growth. 'I'm not sure we expected it to be this big. I think we had a few surprises last year like Hattan Alsaif. We did not expect her to become such a phenomenon so fast, connecting with the fans and performing well. We also had a few fighters like Abdelrahman Alhyasat and Omar El Dafrawy. Those are some of the fighters that you can't explain. People love them, they have a certain style, they connect and have a lot of fans.'
With strong regional talent emerging and a deepening fan base, PFL's footprint in MENA continues to grow, positioning them as a driving force for the sport's future in the Arab world.
'The mission of PFL MENA is to find the best fighters in the region, the best Arab fighters. That means not just of today, like Omar or Abdelrahman, but also of tomorrow. This is what we are doing with Hattan and ZamZam in the UAE.
'We want to develop them, give them the chance to grow and the platform to express themselves in a safe and professional environment with the PFL, at a regional and global level. We have broadcasters in 140 territories for PFL MENA, so, it's really giving them that platform,' he added.
Building on the success of Season 1, Mazet revealed that PFL MENA is now eyeing expansion into more regional markets. Earlier this year in January, the PFL hosted the Road to Dubai series in Dubai. Mazet disclosed that PFL will be in Dubai before the end of the year with other places in the Gulf also of interest.
With countries such as Qatar, Kuwait already touted as potential hosts of the promotion, the Maghreb have now been added on the radar as potential hosts for future events. He noted that Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria in particular boast strong television audiences, making them prime candidates for some of the league's biggest fights.
'When we look at the TV audiences, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria etc., are 100% behind the large numbers. Egypt is our number one market in TV audience, so there's a huge potential over there, and we see it across the region,' Mazet said.
'It surprised us a bit, and it really validated the concept of PFL MENA, which is the League of the future, and this region has so much potential. We just need to give the fighters a chance to have the proper platform to grow, develop, and express themselves. That's our mission.'
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