Latest news with #ProfessionalFightersLeague
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Latest news, features, comments and video
Nkosi Ndebele is embracing a fresh chapter in his MMA journey as he prepares to headline the Professional Fighters League's inaugural African event in Cape Town on Saturday. The former BRAVE CF Bantamweight champion has no regrets about leaving the belt behind and is eager to reconnect with his African fanbase through one of the world's leading MMA promotions.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
PFL World Tournament 8 Fight Card: Welterweight & Featherweight Finals
ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 03: Thad Jean celebrates after defeating Mukhamed Berkhamov during the first ... More round of the PFL 2025 World Tournament at Universal Studios on April 3, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by) The 2025 edition of the PFL World Tournament is wrapping up. During August, the fight promotion plans to stage three events, with each fight card headlined by the tournament finals of two weight divisions. This week, on Friday, August 1, the Professional Fighters League visits Atlantic City, New Jersey, for an event that will crown the tournament winners in the welterweight and featherweight weight classes. The PFL World Tournament 8 fight card takes place at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The fight card streams on ESPN+ at 6:00 p.m. ET. PFL World Tournament 8 Fight Card Thad Jean vs. Logan Storley – welterweight tournament championship Jesus Pinedo vs. Movlid Khaybulaev – featherweight tournament championship Asael Adjoudj vs. Yves Landu Jordan Newman vs. Eslam Abdulbaset Jakub Kaszuba vs. Sergio Cossio Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Kyle Driscoll Nathan Kelly vs. Frederik Dupras Sarek Shields vs. Nick Meck Damion Nelson vs. Isaiah Diggs Matt Turnbull vs. Tom Pagliarulo Thad Jean vs. Logan Storley - PFL 2025 Welterweight Tournament Final Thad Jean (10-0) began his PFL career in 2023, fighting on the Challenger Series. He joined the 2025 PFL tournament with a 8-0 record. In the first round of this year's tournament, Jean scored a first-round knockout win over Mukhamed Berkhamov. He followed that with a June split decision victory over former Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson. Logan Storley (18-3) is the more seasoned and recognizable fighter in this matchup. A longtime member of the Bellator roster, he was with that organization from 2017 through 2023, Storley won the interim Bellator welterweight title in 2022 with a decision over Michael 'Venom' Page. Before turning to MMA, Storley was a four-time All-American wrestler with Minnesota. Storley earned his spot in the 2025 PFL World Tournament finals with decision wins over Joseph Luciano and Masayuki Kikuiri. Jesus Pinedo vs. Movlid Khaybulaev - PFL 2025 Featherweight Tournament Final NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 12: Jesus Pinedo looks on before fighting Gabriel Braga during the semifinals ... More of the PFL 2025 World Tournament at Nashville Municipal Auditorium on June 12, 2025 in Nashville, Florida. (Photo by) Jesus Pinedo (25-6-1) is in search of his second PFL World Tournament win. The 29-year-old conquered the 2023 tournament. Pinedo did not compete in 2024, missing one bout because of injury and another due to a bad weight miss. Pinedo returned for the 2025 PFL featherweight tournament winning his first two fights by first-round knockout. In April he knocked out former Bellator title challenger Adam Borics, then in June he stopped Gabriel Braga in a trilogy fight. Braga won the first of those bouts in 2023 via split decision. Pinedo took the second contest with a knockout in 2023 World Tournament final. NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 12: Movlid Khaybulaev celebrates after defeating Tae Kyun Kim during the ... More semifinals of the PFL 2025 World Tournament at Nashville Municipal Auditorium on June 12, 2025 in Nashville, Florida. (Photo by) Movlid Khaybulaev (23-0-1) is also a returning PFL tournament winner. Khaybulaev won the 2021 edition of the featherweight tourney. He then competed for the promotion twice in 2023 before sitting idle until this year's event. Khaybulaev has decision wins over Jeremy Kennedy and Kim Tae-kyun in this year's competition. The bantamweight, lightweight and women's flyweight PFL World Tournament Finals are on August 15 in Charlotte, North Carolina, while the middleweights, light heavyweights, and heavyweights compete on August 21 in Hollywood, Florida. Stay tuned for more on the PFL World Tournament fight card, including live results, reactions, highlights and more on fight night from the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Professional Fighters League aims to make MMA ‘the second sport of Africa' as fandom surges
South Africa has just hosted its biggest mixed martial arts event to date, and more are on the horizon thanks to the Professional Fighters League. South Africa hosted the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) event the country has seen at the GrandWest Grand Arena in Cape Town on Saturday, 19 July. The Professional Fighters League (PFL) had an explosive first night in Africa with both the launch of the inaugural PFL Africa event and then the PFL Champions Series following, with 13 fights during the evening. It was a historical occasion for MMA in the country. An international fighting organisation not only hosted the biggest fighters in the world – outside the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – but also established a local foothold to display South Africa's best to the world. South Africa has its own local MMA organisation, Elite Fighting Championship (EFC) Worldwide, founded and run by the Howarth brothers. It provides a stepping stone for regional athletes to bigger organisations. UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis is an example of a star. But unlike the PFL, the EFC does not have the financial power to compete and retain talent against the UFC. One of the most distinguished women stars in MMA, England's Dakota Ditcheva – who has an undefeated 15-0 record – competes and recently signed again for the PFL despite interest from Dana White's UFC. Ditcheva featured in the co-main event on Saturday in Cape Town and completely overpowered Hawaii's Sumiko Inaba in their flyweight bout, eventually winning by judges' decision. 'That's the best walkout I've ever had,' an appreciative Ditcheva said after her win. She walked out to Freed from Desire by Gala, to which the boisterous local crowd sang and danced along. Same but different The reason for her commitment to the PFL – and that of the rest of the ever-expanding roster – is the work of its founder, chairperson and co-owner, Donn Davis. 'Most of my life I've built new companies, either as an entrepreneur or an investor, and I saw a big opportunity to build, essentially, in an underserved market,' Davis said in an exclusive interview with Daily Maverick. He explained that his ambition was to provide more 'premium' content to spectators than the UFC could offer. For a long time the UFC held the monopoly over prime MMA fights – until the establishment of the PFL in 2017. 'When I looked at the fans of MMA and the fighters of MMA and the commercial partners of MMA, I thought they're all underserved on the premium global level,' Davis said. 'There are 650 million MMA fans, but the UFC just gave them 50 premium fights a year. 'Those fans on a premium level would want more. I looked at the fighters and there were hundreds of great fighters that were all scattered around the globe at regional leagues, but they didn't have a premium global platform. And the commercial partners – a lot of them were either locked out or priced out. 'This is not a single winner-takes-all market. There'll be one more, maybe two more big companies.' The PFL is not a replica of the UFC, however – it has its own unique format. In the UFC, White almost exclusively decides who receives title shots and who faces whom across fight cards. The PFL, in contrast, uses a bracket system akin to college basketball in the US – or knockout formats in global sport – to determine which challenger will fight which opponent. 'I thought the product that would be very exciting would be a product that was a meritocracy,' Davis explained. 'Where fighters control their destiny. Single elimination. And as a fan, I thought that would be awesome too.' African foothold Saturday was the first round of the heavyweight and bantamweight classes of PFL Africa. The winners will be moving on to semifinals and then eventually the final, where each weight category's winner receives a $100,000 prize. 'One of those fighters [at the inaugural PFL Africa] is going to start on their way to be PFL African champ,' Davis said. 'They're going to win three times this year and they're going to hold up a belt and win $100,000. 'And then they're going to go up to PFL Global, the world tournament. And then they're going to win three times and they're going to hold up a belt and they're going to win $500,000. And in two years, somebody who nobody knows today, everyone will know two years from now.' But why Africa? The UFC has existed since 1993 but not hosted an event on the continent. White has flirted with the idea, but no concrete plans have materialised. The reasons for this include not having an indoor venue large enough to host the showpiece event, and the ticket prices, which, when converted, are close to R1-million. The PFL, in contrast, has now not only hosted a premium, sold-out event in South Africa, but also launched a subsidiary that looks to grow the local MMA talent. 'We're willing to invest in Africa, and they're not,' Davis said. 'They talk about it, we do it.' But that doesn't mean immediate financial gain for the PFL from the investment. 'We will occasionally get criticised,' Davis said. 'When you take a step back, we are investing and growing in the sport. We will not be profitable in Africa until our fifth year. That's if we do well. 'Until then, we're investing. We're putting money into Africa. We believe that, over time, we'll hopefully be successful. But as a builder of companies, you have to invest time, resources and money.' The 'people's league' Davis is an entrepreneur first, so he's not blindly throwing money at an investment. He's seen an untapped market in Africa that can grow into something extraordinary in the next few years. 'When you look at the two things that really matter, fans and fighters, boy, both are great,' he said. 'I think MMA can be the second sport of Africa. 'I think we could have 100 million MMA fans in Africa. And PFL Africa is going to be the people's league. Everything we're doing is to make it the people's league.' Tickets to the inaugural event sold for about R400. And although the PFL was broadcast on SuperSport, it could also be streamed online for free. '[We want] access in terms of viewership, access in terms of low ticket price, best African fighters,' Davis said. 'We want this to be the people's league. There are enough fans and the market is ready for that.' South African fans will have another opportunity to see some of the best MMA fighters in the world at the second PFL Africa event in Johannesburg on 9 August. There are also plans for two more events later this year, but the venues for those are yet to be confirmed. DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
IOL News
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
PFL Africa delivers the most spectacular night of fighting in Africa, ever
Victorious Costello van Steenis celebrates his PFL Middleweight title win against Johnny Eblen at Grand West Casino and Entertainment World last night. Photo: PFL Image: PFL It's official! South Africa is Mixed Martial Arts crazy! And the Professional Fighters League helped prove that last night as history was made in the Grand Arena down in Goodwood, Cape Town! Almost 5,000 people entered the entertainment venue last night and lent their voices to an action-packed night of fights as the PFL Africa and Champions Series: Road to Dubai served as a feast for starved Cape Town MMA fans. One of the many highlights of the night was when former UFC Lightweight champion and global superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped inside the Grand Arena to corner his two Russian Athletes. The Dagestani's presence was met with an incredible roar as fans shouted 'Khabib!, Khabib!, Khabib!' continuously as PFL President Donn Davis took videos and content of the crowd, a good sign for the future of African MMA. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. 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 ✕ 'PFL Africa is here to stay,' said Davis, who looks to build this franchise and help bolster African MMA by shaping global superstars through the 'win and advance' format, which is the future and only sustainable template. While the UFC continues to deliver lip service and tease the African MMA community with this major 'UFC Africa' show, the PFL put its shoulder to the wheel and made things happen, appeasing millions of fans, but more importantly, creating invaluable opportunities for African athletes. PFL Africa rolled out its first leg of the 2025 Bantamweight and Heavyweight tournament as South Africa's Nkosi Ndebele, Zimbabwe's Simbarashe Hokonya, Algeria's Karim Henniene, and Angola's Boule Godogo advanced to the semi-final of the 135-pound tournament. In the Heavyweight division, Maxwell Djantou Nana and Abraham Bably delivered some incredible striking, power, and skill to earn wins via decision and KO, respectively, moving one step closer to the PFL Africa Heavyweight title. While it was not ideal for fans who were baying for more Heavyweight action, South Africa's Justin Clarke and Joffie Houlton both confirmed their slots in the big-boy division after early Doctor stoppages against Jashell Ticha Awa and Abdoulaye Kane, respectively. Clarke moved to 3-0 after doctors advised against Awa coming back out of his corner due to a serious nose injury, which led to a TKO result. Kane was disqualified following an illegal knee to the grounded Houlton not long before the second round. In the main event, Costello Van Steenis pulled off one of the biggest comeback wins in MMA history, submitting previously undefeated Johnny Eblen with just seconds left in the fifth and final round to become the new PFL Middleweight World Champion. Eblen, who had stuck to his bread and butter by rolling out his strong wrestling and grappling game, was seemingly on his way to a unanimous decision win after controlling the fight for the majority of the time. Eblen, known for being a strong starter, dominated the first two rounds and seemed to have tired his opponent who looked to lose some snap in his shots, however, Van Steenis found his second breath in the third and landed some damaging shots opening up the champion who understood that he should avoid striking with Van Steenis - who represents that trademark Dutch Kickboxing culture. In between the last three rounds, Eblen's team and doctors did their best to patch up the damage inflicted, especially a nasty gash on the back of his head. Eblen's every shot for the takedown was met with disdain from the crowd, who responded with boos as they wanted to see some striking exchanges. Every time Van Steenis broke free, the Grand Arena reverberated with celebrations, as a hungry MMA nation found a new gladiator to adopt as their own. In the dying seconds of the fifth round, Van Steenis managed to take Eblen's back and sink in the rear-naked choke, put the former champion to sleep, and shock the MMA world. In the co-main event, 2024 PFL Women's Flyweight Champion Dakota Ditcheva of the United Kingdom put on a striking masterclass as she demolished Sumiko Inaba of the United States to earn a unanimous decision victory. Ditcheva's elite Muay Thai was on full display as she punished Inaba with an arsenal of punches, kicks, knees, elbows, and devastating clinch work. The ultra-tough Inaba was as game as they come, continuing to push forward all fight long. In the end, however, Ditcheva was just too much for the Hawaiian as she cruised to a dominant win. Former Bellator Featherweight Champion AJ McKee of the United States was successful in his return to 145 pounds as he earned a unanimous decision victory over Russia's Akhmed Magomedov. Out to prove that he's still 'the baddest man' in the Featherweight division, McKee turned in a well-rounded performance as he out-struck and out-grappled Magomedov for all three rounds to get the impressive win. The First Round of the inaugural 2025 PFL Africa Tournament continues on Saturday, August 9th, from the Big Top Arena, Carnival City, Johannesburg, South Africa, with fighters in the Featherweight and Welterweight Divisions competing for a shot at glory. The action takes place live via the PFL App in the US. PFL Champions Series Road to Dubai: Cape Town Results: Costello van Steenis (17-3) def. Johnny Eblen (16-1) via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:51 of round five Dakota Ditcheva (15-0) def. Sumiko Inaba (8-2) via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 30-24) AJ McKee (23-2) def. Akhmed Magomedov (11-2) via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) Artur Zaynukov (16-4) def. Takeshi Izumi (6-4) via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) Corey Anderson (19-6, 1 NC) def. Denis Goltsov (36-9) via TKO (strikes) at 3:28 of round two 2025 PFL Africa Cape Town First Round Results: Nkosi Ndebele (9-3) def. Mahmoud Atef (5-3) via TKO (strikes) at 4:50 of round one Maxwell Djantou Nana (7-1) def. Mickael Groguhe (6-3) via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 30-25) Boule Godogo (4-0) def. Shannon van Tonder (7-3) via split decision (30-26, 29-27, 28-29) Justin Clarke (3-0) def. Jashell Ticha Awa (3-2) via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of round one Karim Henniene (5-0) def. Asiashu Tshitamba (6-5) via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) Joffie Houlton (8-4) def. Abdoulaye Kane (3-1) via DQ (Illegal Knee) at 0:40 of round one Simbarashe Hokonya (6-0) def. Frans Mlambo (15-7) via unanimous decision (30-26 x2, 30-25) Abraham Bably (6-2) def. Paul-Emmanuel Gnaze (8-6) via KO (punch) at 4:59 of round one Juliet Ukah (7-0) def. Ceileigh Niedermayr (3-3) via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) IOL Sport Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
The Irish Sun
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Terrifying CCTV captures moment MMA world champion Timur Khizriev is shot five times before he's rushed to hospital
MMA world champion Timur Khizriev was shot five times before being rushed to hospital with terrifying CCTV footage capturing the incident. Khizriev, who hails from the Russian republic of Dagestan, was ambushed by two gunmen in his homeland while unpacking a car. 5 MMA champ Timur Khizriev was shot five times by gunmen in Dagestan Credit: 5 He wrestled with one attacker and was later taken to hospital Credit: 5 The gunmen fled the scene of the crime Credit: Crazy video shows the moment one man charges up to Khizriev, 29, who has his back turned, before blasting point-blank shots into his body. A second gunman then approaches as Khizriev, an unbeaten featherweight MMA champion in the Professional Fighters League, astonishingly manages to grapple with his first assailant. A wild fight then ensues, with the second shooter firing off more bullets as Khizriev rolls around on the floor with the first aggressor. The video ends with both gunmen fleeing the scene, leaving Khizriev in agony on the ground. READ MORE IN MMA He was immediately rushed to hospital after being shot five times. And Khizriev is now under strict medical care, although his life is not in danger. Fans reacted with distress on social media as they flocked online. One said: 'How tf did he survive that?' Most read in MMA Another declared: 'Dude, he still got the takedown after getting shot.' One noted: 'Most impressive takedown of the year.' Conor McGregor's brutal KO named as UFC star's favourite moment 5 Khizriev is a featherweight champ in the Professional Fighters League Credit: Getty 5 He has won all 18 of his bouts in MMA Credit: Getty Another added: 'May he have a speedy recovery.' It remains to be seen if Khizriev competes in MMA again after his gunshot horror. The ace boasts an amazing professional record of 18 wins from 18 fights. His most recent victory came in November when he defeated Brendan Loughnane in Saudi Arabia.
