Professional Fighters League will be expanding globally in 2023, when PFL Europe will become the home to top MMA fighters from Europe as they compete in the PFL Season format with all events hosted live in European countries, broadcast and streamed primetime in Europe, and featuring top emerging European MMA fighters. PFL Europe will provide a direct avenue for European fighters to make it to the PFL global talent roster. PFL Europe leverages the proven sports-season format, world-class team, expert infrastructure, and trusted brand of PFL.
“I am pleased to announce the PFL will launch PFL Europe in 2023 to further advance the sport of MMA and fuel PFL’s next phase of global expansion starting in Europe, the number one international MMA growth region,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “Europe is rich with top fighters who are ready to compete in the PFL’s season format on a major stage and passionate MMA fans throughout the region will now have access to premium events staged in Europe.”
PFL Europe is the first of multiple international leagues which will be launched to provide fighter talent worldwide the opportunity to compete and prove themselves on a global stage.
2022 PFL Playoff
2022 PFL Playoff events in Cardiff at Motorpoint Arena on August 13 and London at Copperbox Arena on August 20 will host PFL Europe qualifier fights, with the winners receiving PFL Europe contracts. UK star Dakota Ditcheva and Ireland’s Will Fleury will headline the new talent that is set to compete at PFL Playoff qualifier events
Dakota Ditcheva is a Muay Thai specialist who at age 23-years of age, has already captured three world championships and been named the Daily Mirror’s Young Sportsperson of the Year. She has a perfect professional record of 5-0 with four of those wins coming by knockout. Ditcheva will look to continue her ascent to the top of the women’s flyweight division when she takes on Morocco’s Hassna Jaber in London on August 20.
Will Fleury is the UAE Warriors middleweight champion, and he will make the move up to light heavyweight for his PFL debut on August 13 in Cardiff. The John Kavanagh disciple trains out of SBG Ireland, the home of former UFC featherweight and lightweight double-champion Conor McGregor, and Fleury enters the bout on a three-fight winning streak. He’ll face top Norwegian light heavyweight Kenneth Bergh who brings an impressive 9-1 record, including eight stoppage wins, into his PFL debut.
“It has been an extremely rewarding experience putting together PFL Europe qualifier fights alongside our partners at Live Nation,” said Ray Sefo, PFL President of Fighter Operations. “PFL is about opportunity, and we are proud of the opportunity we are providing fighters across Europe. I can’t wait to get to work on the first season of PFL Europe.”
The cards will be as follows:
PFL Europe Qualifier Fights – Cardiff (August 13)
Ireland: Will Fleury ( UAE Warriors middleweight champion) vs. Norway: Kenneth Bergh
Ireland: Nathan Kelly vs. TBA
Slovakia: Vojto Barborik vs. Italy: Radu Maxim
France: Moktar Benkaci vs. Italy: Francesco Nuzzi
PFL Europe Qualifier Fights – London (August 20)
UK: Dakota Ditcheva (3-time world champion in Muay Thai) vs. Morocco: Hassna Jaber
UK: Louie Sutherland vs. UK: Abraham Bably
UK: Tayo Odunjo vs. Norway: Magnus Iversen
Sweden: Ali Taleb vs. Switzerland: Kenji Bortoluzzi
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is one of the best-known MMA organizations in the world today, with 25% percent of its fighters independently ranked in the top-25 of the world. PFL is watched live in 160 countries by 600 million MMA fans, via ESPN, ESPN+, and streaming, with partners including Channel 4, DirecTV, RMC Sport, Eurosport, Sky Sports, and more.
PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE
As mentioned earlier, a unique aspect of PFL is that it is the first and only MMA league with a season format. Fighters from around the world compete in a regular season, and then four competitors in each division (Featherweight, Heavyweight 265, Light Heavyweight 205, Lightweight 155, Welterweight 170, and Women’s Lightweight 155) who earn the most points in the regular season advance to the win-or-go-home playoffs. After that is the PFL World Championship, where each winner goes home with a prize of one million dollars and a championship belt.
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