11-05-2025
Bendaoud, Reda set up PFL MENA clash; Seifi, Tairi through to 2nd round
Ayeni Olusegun
Jeddah
Impressive knockout wins by Morocco's Taha Bendaoud and Egypt's Islam Reda have set up a potentially exciting second-round clash as the Professional Fighters League Middle East and North Africa (PFL MENA) Season 2 kicked off in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Bendaoud needed just over two minutes to defeat Algeria's Boualem Drissi by submission. The Moroccan, who was originally scheduled to face Jordan's Abdelrahman Alhyasat, who withdrew due to weight issues, controlled the fight before finishing with a perfectly applied triangle choke.
'I didn't envision it at all for this fight (to end quickly),' Bendaoud told Qatar Tribune. 'I went in there without thinking, did my game exactly how I do in sparring.
'When he took me down, I chose what I wanted to do. I saw so many submissions and remembered my triangle, So, I thought, why not get another one?'
His next opponent, Islam Reda, also impressed with a third-round ground-and-pound win over Algeria's Akram Nasri. Reda, who was in contention for last year's championship before pulling out due to injury, controlled the fight from the start.
'After all the effort and preparation, I am happy with this fight. Last season was upsetting because of the injury but that's how it was meant to be,' Reda said.
'I was preparing for Abdullah fight. Then, of course, Abdullah got injured suddenly but Akram fights differently to Abdullah,' Reda said.
The Egyptian was initially scheduled to fight Saudi Arabia's 2024 PFL Featherweight Champion, Abdullah Al Qahtani, who pulled out late due to injury.
'Abdullah is a striker, but Akram is more of jiu-jitsu things. He combines several elements but thank God the fight went my way in the third round,' Reda added.
On the main card, 2024 PFL Lightweight Champion Mohsen Mohammadseifi of Iran began his title defense with a dominant performance, defeating Egypt's Ahmed El Sisy by unanimous decision. Mohammadseifi showed strong grappling and striking skills and looked sharp throughout, signaling his intent for another title run.
Souhil Tairi of Algeria also advanced to the Lightweight semifinals with a second-round TKO win over Kuwait's Abdullah Saleem. A knee to the body followed by heavy ground strikes secured the win for Tairi, who was coming off back-to-back losses last year.
'I'm ready and prepare myself to finish every fight. I'm not looking for a win over decision I want to finish every fight, and I hope my opponents are ready for that,' Tairi said.
'Coming back from two losses is tough, because I was close to finishing in every fight. This has motivated me to keep training. I made a huge adjustment in my preparations and understanding my environment. I'm trying daily to adjust. I'm not the perfect fighter, but I'm learning, and I hope to deliver the best of myself in the next fight,' Tairi added.
In other fights, Malik Basahel of Saudi Arabia made a statement in his professional debut, scoring a second-round TKO win over Algeria's Mountasser Boutouta in a Showcase Flyweight bout.
Egypt's Assem Ghanem a spot in the Featherweight Semifinals, as he defeated Hussein Salem of Iraq over three rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory.
Kuwait's Eman Almudhaf remained undefeated in her MMA career as she edged Brazil's Shamara Braga of Brazil in a Showcase Women's Featherweight bout via split decision.
Mohammad Fahmi of Iraq also secured a spot in the Lightweight Semifinals with a dominant performance, submitting Georges Eid of Lebanon via Anaconda Choke in the first round.
