Latest news with #PFLChampionsSeries
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
PFL Africa launches in Cape Town with Inaugural MMA tournament this July
Former UFC Heavyweight king and current PFL Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is the acting PFL chairman and will play an integral role in building the PFL Africa brand and building its talent Image: BRAVE CF South Africa's Mixed Martial Arts scene will receive a significant boost this year as the Professional Fighters League (PFL) launches the historic and much-anticipated PFL Africa tournament in Cape Town this July. The PFL is one of the biggest MMA brands alongside the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and it will now be the first major organisation to break ground on the continent. The PFL has confirmed that July 26 will mark the official opening of the 2025 PFL Africa Tournament. The show will run in conjunction with the PFL Champions Series in a joint event, which will be rolled out at the GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World's Grand Arena. The PFL Africa 2025 tournament will comprise four events across Africa, featuring 24 top fighters from 14 African countries. The Cape Town leg of the PFL Africa Tournament will showcase athletes in the Heavyweight and Bantamweight divisions. Former BRAVE CF Bantamweight champion Nkosi Ndebele has signed with the Professional Fighters League and will debut at PFL Africa on July 26 at the Grand Arena in Cape Town. Photo: PFL Image: PFL Each division will feature an eight-man bracket, with fighters progressing through semi-finals and finals. Among the fighters on the day will be South Africa's former BRAVE CF Bantamweight champion, Nkosi Ndebele, who will take on Egypt's Mahmoud Atef. Another fan favourite and EFC star, Zimbabwe's unbeaten Simbarashe Hokonya, will battle Morocco's Abderrahman Errachidy in the same division. In the Heavyweight category, South Africa's Justin Clark will face Cameroon's Jashell Ticha Awa, while Senegal's Abdoullah Kane meets Morocco's Mohammad Ben Yahia. Ndebele recently bid farewell to BRAVE CF after becoming the promotion's first 'homegrown' champion. Many were up in arms wondering where he would go next, and it seemed inevitable that he would join one of the major brands. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The debut night of the PFL Africa Tournament will include five major international bouts as part of the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai. The PFL Champions Series features MMA world champions and top PFL stars competing in title fights, with each event culminating in a showdown in Dubai. In the world title main event at the Grand Arena, undefeated middleweight world champion Johnny Eblen will face Spain's Costello van Steenis. The co-main event will see the formidable Dakota Ditcheva go head-to-head with Hawaii's Sumiko Inaba in a world-class Women's Flyweight clash. In July 2024, the PFL announced its third international league — PFL Africa — after PFL Europe and PFL MENA, aiming to showcase African talent on the world stage. Former UFC Heavyweight and current global combat sports superstar, Cameroon's Francis Ngannou, is the acting chairman of the league and will also play a pivotal ambassadorial role in growing the Professional Fighters League on the Mother Continent, as well as in discovering and developing the next generation of African champions. Francis Ngannou. Photo: AFP Image: AFP 'Kicking off the PFL Champions Series in Cape Town alongside the launch of PFL Africa reflects our commitment to grow the sport of MMA throughout the continent, as well as provide pathways for African fighters to compete on a global stage and become champions,' says Peter Murray, CEO of the Professional Fighters League. 'With PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and now PFL Africa launching, PFL's international growth strategy and footprint are unmatched in the sport. This is all made possible by building a great team. I'm proud to partner with Francis Ngannou and Helios Sports & Entertainment Group, and excited to welcome Elias Schulze as GM of PFL Africa.' The full tournament schedule, including future host cities and dates, will be revealed soon. Ticket and broadcast details will also be announced in due course.
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Exclusive: Peter Murray Reveals New International Expansion of PFL Africa
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The PFL has been expanding year after year, and with the fight organization in the middle of their new single-elimination tournament format, there is another big expansion on the way. PFL Africa is launching this year, and CEO Peter Murray sat down to discuss the new global launch with Newsweek Sports. "We are going to kick off PFL Africa, the third international league, and we are going to kick that tournament off in Cape Town on July 26 in South Africa at the Grand West Arena. Super excited about it. "Not only are we launching our third international league behind PFL Europe, which is in its third year, and PFL MENA in the Middle East in its second year, but we now launch PFL Africa. And we are actually going to bring the PFL's global stars as a launching pad for PFL Africa," Murray stated. "The PFL Champions Series this year will also kick off in Cape Town, as part of the festivities." PFL CEO Peter Murray and Tope Lawani. PFL CEO Peter Murray and Tope Lawani. PFL Not only is the PFL launching the new PFL Africa, but the popular PFL Champions Series will be part of this new global launch in July, and feature five Champions Series fights on the main card. Two of those fights have been announced, with undefeated middleweight champion Johnny Eblen (16-0) facing off against Costello van Steenis (16-3), and the return of global superstar Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) taking on Sumiko Inaba (8-1) The addition of Eblen and van Steenis, and Ditcheva and Inaba are going to be two world-class bouts, which are set to headline the entire combined PFL Africa and Champions Series event. "We are excited. The PFL Champions Series is a signature franchise for us. It's where the best compete ... we are continuing that momentum and staging PFL Champion Series in world-class destinations." One of the most exciting aspects of this new PFL Africa international league is that longtime and beloved MMA superstar Francis Ngannou is the chairman for this new expansion. Murray also discussed what it's like to partner with Helios as well as add the steep leadership with Ngannou as chairman. "PFL Africa is led by Francis Ngannou, he is our chairman in partnership with Helios ... our strategic partner Helios is a lead investor in NBA Africa." "We also bring leadership with Francis. It's an amazing opportunity. PFL and Francis, he gets to go home to Africa to develop the next generation of great fighters and future champions. You do not have to leave the continent to be supported as a professional athlete and compete." The PFL is also planning on making this launch one of the most visible, with Canal+ ensuring broad coverage across the region. He also revealed that the U.S. will be able to stream the fights, but that announcement will come later. The fight card for PFL Africa so far is as follows: Updated PFL Africa Card: Heavyweight First Round Bout: Maxwell Djantou Nana (6-1) vs. Mickael Groguhe (6-2) Bantamweight First Round Bout: Nkosi Ndebele (8-3) vs. Mahmoud Atef (5-2) Heavyweight First Round Bout: Abdoullah Kane (3-0) vs. Mohammad Ben Yahia (9-4) Bantamweight First Round Bout: Simbarashe Hokonya (5-0) vs. Abderrahman Errachidy (4-1) Updated PFL Champions Series Card: Middleweight World Title Main Event: Johnny Eblen (16-0) vs. Costello van Steenis (16-3) Women's Flyweight Co-Main Event: Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) vs. Sumiko Inaba (8-1) For more MMA, head to Newsweek Sports.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
PFL Schedule For April 2025 Includes Three World Tournament Cards
HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA - AUGUST 16: Impa Kasanganay gestures after his light heavyweight fight against ... More Josh Silveira during the PFL 2024 Playoffs at Hard Rock Live in Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on August 16, 2024 in Hollywood, Florida. (Photo by) The Professional Fighters League has not held an event since January of this year when the promotion presented a PFL Champions Series fight card that was headlined by a spectacular title fight between Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes. The promotion is back with a strong slate of events for April 2025. This month, the PFL is scheduled to hold three 2025 World Tournament fight cards featuring first-round matchups in the following weight divisions: welterweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women's flyweight, middleweight, and lightweight. Below, we look at the full PFL schedule for April 2025. The 2025 PFL tournament is different from past events. The previous iterations awarded the winner of each weight division with $1 million. This year, the tournament winners will earn $500,000. Another difference in 2025 is that the tournament is structured as a single-elimination bracketed event. In the past, fighters earned points in two regular-season bouts, with the highest point earners moving onto the playoffs. This year, eight fighters (and two alternates) have been seeded in a tournament bracket, with the winners moving on to the next round. Another change is that eight weight divisions are competing rather than six: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight bantamweight, and women's flyweight. One of the more substantial changes is that all fights will now allow elbows. The first-round fights and semifinal fights will be three five-minute rounds, while the finals are five five-minute rounds. PFL World Championship 2024 Fight Card Results - Winners And Losers The first round matchups for the welterweight and featherweight divisions take place on Thursday, April 3 from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+ Welterweight First Round Bout: Jason Jackson (18-5) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (28-5) Featherweight First Round Bout: Jesus Pinedo (23-6) vs. Adam Borics (19-2) Welterweight First Round Bout: Magomed Umalatov (17-1)vs. Logan Storley (16-3) Featherweight First Round Bout: Jeremy Kennedy (19-4)vs. Movlid Khaybulaev (21-0-1) Welterweight First Round Bout: Mukhamed Berkhamov (17-2)vs. Florim Zendeli (10-1-1) Featherweight First Round Bout: Gabriel Braga (15-2)vs. Yves Landu (21-9) Welterweight First Round Bout: Giannis Bachar (9-2)vs. Masayuki Kikuiri (10-2-1) Featherweight First Round Bout: Nathan Kelly (11-3) vs. Taekyun Kim (10-1) Welterweight Alternate Bout: Joseph Luciano (10-2) vs. Thad Jean (8-0) Featherweight Alternate Bout: Fred Dupras (8-1) vs. Nathan Ghareeb (10-3) The first round matchups for the bantamweight and women's flyweight divisions take place on Friday, April 11 from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+ Bantamweight First Round Bout: Magomed Magomedov (20-3)vs. Leandro Higo (23-6) Women's Flyweight First Round Bout: Taila Santos (24-4)vs. Juliana Velasquez (13-3) Bantamweight First Round Bout: Savarjon Khamidov (16-0)vs. Jake Hadley (11-4) Bantamweight First Round Bout: Ciaran Clarke (10-0)vs. Kasum Kasumov (16-1) Women's Flyweight First Round Bout: Liz Carmouche (22-8)vs. Ilara Joanna (12-9) Bantamweight First Round Bout: Ali Taleb (11-1)vs. Zebenzui Ruiz (12-3) Women's Flyweight First Round Bout: Kana Watanabe (13-3-1)vs. Jena Bishop (7-2) Women's Flyweight First Round Bout: Elora Dana (7-0) vs. Diana Avsaragova (6-1) Bantamweight AlternateBout: Francesco Nuzzi (10-1) vs. Matheus Mattos (14-3-1) Women's Flyweight Alternate Bout: Ekaterina Shakalova (8-2) vs. Saray Orozco (8-6) The first round matchups for the middleweight and lightweight divisions take place on Friday, April 18 from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The prelims begin at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+ Middleweight First Round Bout: Impa Kasanganay (18-5) vs. Fabian Edwards (13-4) Lightweight First Round Bout: Alexander Shabliy (24-4) vs. Brent Primus (15-4-0, 1 NC) Lightweight First Round Bout: Gadzhi Rabadanov (24-4-2) vs. Marc Diakiese (18-7) Lightweight First Round Bout: Mads Burnell (20-6) vs. Jay-Jay Wilson (10-1) Middleweight First Round Bout: Sadibou Sy (17-8-2, 1 NC ) vs. Dalton Rosta (9-1) Middleweight First Round Bout: Josh Silveira (13-4) vs. Mike Shipman (17-4) Lightweight First Round Bout: Clay Collard (25-14) vs. Alfie Davis (17-4-1) Middleweight First Round Bout: Aaron Jeffery (15-5) vs. Murad Ramazanov (12-2) Middleweight Alternate Bout: Khalid Murtazaliev (17-3) vs. Jordan Newman (7-0) Lightweight Alternate Bout: Sergio Cossio (27-10-1) vs. Robert Watley (15-3) *Cards are subject to change PFL 2025 World Tournament Full Schedule We will have full coverage of the PFL schedule for April 2025 as well as all PFL 2025 World Tournament fight cards including event odds before the fights and live results and reactions on fight night.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Edwards among 4 Britons in PFL tournament
Fabian Edwards will fight in the Professional Fighters League's middleweight tournament which will see the eventual champion win £395,000 ($500,000) of prize money. The Briton is one of eight contenders, with fellow Englishman Mike Shipman also included. In the lightweight tournament, England's Alfie Davis and Marc Diakiese will compete. The first fight night will happen on 18 April and contrary to previous years, the tournament will be knockout from the start. The new-look 2025 tournaments were part of sweeping changes the PFL made to its format this year, with the likes of 2025 PFL champion Dakota Ditcheva not part of the new setup and instead competing on the PFL's new 'PFL Champions Series'. Opponents are yet to be announced, but the middleweight tournament will also include former PFL champions Impa Kasanganay (light-heavyweight) and Sadibou Sy (welterweight). Edwards, 32, was one of a limited number of Bellator's biggest stars to fight regularly in 2025 and competed for the now defunct Bellator middleweight title last October. Johnny Eblen beat Edwards in that bout and the Birmingham fighter will now face a new list of contenders. Edwards will be among the favourites to win the tournament having already beaten Shipman and Canadian Aaron Jeffery. Americans Josh Silveira and Dalton Rosa and Russia's Murad Ramazanov will also fight in the middleweight tournament. Davis and Diakiese join 2024 PFL champion Gadzhi Rabadanov, Russian Alexander Shabliy, New Zealand's Jay-Jay-Wilson, Americans Brent Primus and Clay Collard Clay Collard and Danish fighter Mads Burnell in the lightweight tournament. MMA schedule and results 2025 Watch every Born to Brawl episode Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport
BBC News
26-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
GB's Edwards & Shipman to fight in PFL tournament
Fabian Edwards will fight in the Professional Fighters League's middleweight tournament which will see the eventual champion win £395,000 ($500,000) of prize Briton is one of eight contenders, with fellow Englishman Mike Shipman also first fight night will happen on 18 April and contrary to previous years, the tournament will be knockout from the and Shipman's opponents are yet to be announced, but the tournament will also include former PFL champions Impa Kasanganay (light-heavyweight) and Sadibou Sy (welterweight).The new-look 2025 tournaments were part of sweeping changes the PFL made to its format this year, with the likes of 2025 PFL champion Dakota Ditcheva not part of the new setup and instead competing on the PFL's new 'PFL Champions Series'.Edwards, 32, was one of a limited number of Bellator's biggest stars to fight regularly in 2025 and competed for the now defunct Bellator middleweight title last Eblen beat Edwards in that bout and the Birmingham fighter will now face a new list of will be among the favourites to win the tournament having already beaten Shipman and Canadian Aaron Josh Silveira and Dalton Rosa and Russia's Murad Ramazanov will also fight in the middleweight tournament.
