Professional Fighters League launches MMA division in Australia and New Zealand
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has launched a new international division in Australia and New Zealand to showcase mixed martial arts competitors in the Oceania region.
The PFL Pacific was launched in Sydney on Tuesday, expanding the league's reach into the southern hemisphere.
'It has been a priority of ours to bring the Professional Fighters League to Australia and the Pacific region,' PFL chief executive Peter Murray said in a statement. 'With the launch of PFL Pacific, we're also building a foundation for long-term growth and aiming to crown more Aussie champions than any other league over the next three years.'
The PLF is partnering with the streaming service Stan and Australia's Nine Network in a broadcasting deal that covers subscription, pay-per-view and free-to-air TV.
The first PFL Pacific tournament will take place next year across four live events featuring regional fighters in single-elimination brackets and using the league's 'win and advance' format.
The PFL Pacific launch was days after it emerged that former France and Manchester United player Patrice Evra's PFL Europe debut, scheduled for May 23 had been postponed.
The 43-year-old Evra, who retired from soccer in 2019, has been training in combat alongside MMA star Cedric Doumbe.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
The RCB success story: All method and a dose of luck
Ahmedabad: T20 cricket and endurance may sound paradoxical, but no IPL title is won without being ready for a long haul. More so when you throw in numerous complexities, from player availability, form and fitness with many of them punishing their bodies with all-format workloads. Add the unexpected momentum-breaker due to the week-long suspension this year, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) should be truly proud of their winning campaign. If 2024 was their turnaround season where they conjured up magic with a string of late wins to make the playoffs, this year was one of absolute dominance. Salt-Kohli partnership The signs were there in the very first game against Kolkata Knight Riders when Phil Salt's aggression (SR 180) allowed Virat Kohli (SR 163) to ease into his innings. Show intent but play strokes where he could hold his shape. It's a template the two openers maintained for the rest of the tournament, except for a brief spell when Salt was unwell and young English batter Jacob Bethell replaced him. The secret to Kohli's T20 longevity has revolved around the maverick players who have batted around him. It was Chris Gayle and AB de Villers in the past. To his credit, Salt's 403 runs (SR 176) to Kohli's 657 runs (SR 145) was just the ideal mix RCB sought from their openers. Josh Hazlewood At ₹12.5 crore, Josh Hazlewood was their most expensive auction pick. The Australia pacer set an early marker that the onus was on him to make the high impact performances. Not just in the big final where he troubled Punjab Kings openers in the Powerplay, throughout the tournament Hazlewood would bang it short of good length, extracting seam movement to become the middle overs enforcer. On days when the pitch was flat, he would be the first to spread the word in the bowling group that it was a day to use more mix-ups. Towards the end of the league phase when Hazlewood wasn't available, twice in a row RCB were taken for 200-plus totals – Ishan Kishan (94 - 48b) did the damage for SRH and Rishabh Pant (118 - 61b) for LSG. It showed how central the tall Aussie was to their bowling efforts in the season. Jitesh Sharma But what defined RCB's spirited season was how they always found someone to stand up to reverse the tide. In reply to Pant's explosive innings, Jitesh Sharma (85 - 33b) played the innings of his life. The wicket-keeper bat would play immense shots under pressure, unlocking a gear even he didn't know he possessed. His filling the big boots of Dinesh Karthik the finisher with a little help from Karthik the coach was one of the storylines of RCB's campaign. Rajat Patidar The RCB captain would have liked to be more consistent, but in many matches, he was the spin-hitter with his usual sparkle. Take the early match against KKR's quality spin attack and how his cameo eased the pressure in the middle overs. Most importantly, Patidar the batter at no stage was weighed down by the high-profile job of leading RCB. 'You can't underestimate the calmness he showed in leading some really big players, a really big franchise, making good decisions out there in the middle under the pressure that RCB players play under,' head coach Andy Flower said. 'Injury replacement to IPL-winning captain, bloody hell, that's a turnaround,' as Kohli said in a RCB video. Krunal Pandya Few would have predicted that Krunal Pandya, the left-arm spinner with a penchant for the surprise bouncer and round-arm deliveries, would become RCB's second highest wicket-taker – 17 to Hazlewood's 22. Be it the four-for against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede or the miserly 2/17 in the final at Ahmedabad, Krunal this year was willing to give the ball air every time conditions allowed. Although it wasn't his best season with the bat, when everyone else failed against DC, he held his own with 73*. Experience is not bought in the supermarket, goes the saying, but if you think of the auction as a marketplace, RCB did the smart bidding. Destiny Sporting conquests are incomplete without a bit of luck. If not for the forced break due to the India-Pakistan conflict, Hazlewood wouldn't have got the time to recover from a niggle. Also Patidar, who had a hand injury. Jitesh led in Patidar's absence. How can any RCB fan not believe in providence? Not after 17 failed attempts. The RCB story was a lot of method, and a dose of luck too.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
9 Finals, 9 wins: Josh Hazlewood's unbeaten streak lives on
Josh Hazlewood of Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrates with teammate Virat Kohli(Photo by) When Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted their maiden IPL trophy on a historic Tuesday night in Ahmedabad, one man silently extended a personal legacy—Josh Hazlewood, cricket's ultimate 'final boss. ' With the 2025 IPL Final win, Hazlewood maintained his perfect record in major finals, winning 9 out of 9 – a feat unmatched in modern cricket. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The calm and clinical Aussie pacer is no stranger to the biggest stages. From the U19 World Cup in 2010, where he was Player of the Final, to the 2025 IPL Final, Hazlewood has played a defining role in nearly every championship clash he's entered: 2010 U19 World Cup Final – Player of the Match with 4/30 vs Pakistan 2012 CLT20 Final – Part of Sydney Sixers' 10-wicket demolition of Highveld Lions 2015 ODI World Cup Final – Took 2 wickets as Australia beat New Zealand 2020 BBL Final – Won the title with Sydney Sixers IPL 2025 Final | Rishi Sunak Interview: 'I am a big Virat Kohli fan... RCB is my team' 2021 IPL Final (CSK) – Played a key role in Chennai's triumph 2021 T20 World Cup Final – 3/16 vs New Zealand in a clinical win 2023 ODI World Cup Final – Helped Australia sink India in Ahmedabad 2023 WTC Final – Part of the side that defeated India at The Oval 2025 IPL Final (RCB) – Bowled a tight final over to seal a 6-run win Quiz: Who's that IPL player? In the 2025 final, Hazlewood's experience shone through as he gave RCB their first breakthrough and bowled the nerve-wracking final over, defending 29 runs. His second dot ball of the last over effectively ended Punjab Kings' hopes, despite a late onslaught by Shashank Singh (61* off 30). RCB's total of 190/9, anchored by Kohli's gritty 43, proved just enough on a night driven by relentless bowling, sharp fielding, and raw emotion. Hazlewood, often unassuming in his celebrations, quietly stamped yet another page in cricketing folklore. Nine finals, nine wins – no defeats, no errors. In an era of pressure and unpredictability, he remains the cool-headed constant.
First Post
21 hours ago
- First Post
PBKS V MI: Shreyas Counters Aussie Critic Over "Ego" Taunt First Sports With Rupha Ramani
PBKS V MI: Shreyas Counters Aussie Critic Over "Ego" Taunt | First Sports With Rupha Ramani | N18G PBKS V MI: Shreyas Counters Aussie Critic Over "Ego" Taunt | First Sports With Rupha Ramani | N18G Shreyas Iyer is scripting one of the greatest comeback stories in IPL history. From being dropped from the BCCI central contract to taking a legacy-less Punjab franchise to their first IPL final in over a decade, Iyer has done it all with silence, resilience, and unmatched leadership. This video explores how Iyer answered critics not with words but with runs, how he carried a team written off by many, and how he dismantled Mumbai — the most dangerous side in the tournament. Rupha Ramani looks at how Shreyas kept his "ego" aside with calm ruthlessness in a do-or-die clash. As Punjab prepares to face Bengaluru in the grand finale, one thing is clear: Shreyas Iyer isn't just fighting for a title — he's building a legacy of his own. See More
