Latest news with #PFLMENA2
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Finishes galore: Check out all of the wild stoppages from PFL MENA and 2025 PFL Europe 2
PFL hosted a pair of events this past weekend filled with sensational knockouts and submissions, including a Knockout of the Year candidate. Friday, 2025 PFL MENA 2 took place at The Green Halls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 11-fight event saw seven stoppages, consisting of five KO/TKOs and two submissions. Perhaps the most impressive among the bunch was a flying knee knockout from Islam Youssef. Saturday, 2025 PFL Europe 2 took place at ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium. The 16-fight event saw a total of 10 stoppages, splitting evenly between KO/TKOs and submissions. The highlight of the night, and perhaps the year, was a spinning back elbow knockout from Gustavo Oliveira, but there was also a Von Flue choke and an Ezekiel choke that wowed the crowd, too. The main event fights of both cards produced spectacular finishes as well, with Omar El Dafrawy submitting Daniele Miceli at PFL MENA and Patrick Habirora knocking out Danny Roberts at PFL Brussels. If you missed the events, you can check out each finish from both cards below. PFL MENA: Abdalrahman Alhyasat submits Anthony Zeidan Abdalrahman Alhyasat def. Anthony Zeidan via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:50 PFL MENA: Islam Youssef knocks out Benyamin Ghahreman Islam Youssef def. Benyamin Ghahreman via knockout (flying knee) – Round 2, 3:55 PFL MENA: Nawras Abzakh knocks out Ali Yazbeck Nawras Abzakh def. Ali Yazbeck via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:50 PFL MENA: Amir Fazli knocks out Rostem Akman Amir Fazli def. Rostem Akman via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:34 PFL MENA: Moktar Benkaci stops Marcel Adur Moktar Benkaci def. Marcel Adur via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:57 PFL MENA: Hattan Alsaif TKOs Nour Al Fliti Hattan Alsaif def. Nour Al Fliti via TKO (injury) – Round 2, 2:24 PFL MENA main event: Omar El Dafrawy submits Daniele Miceli Omar El Dafrawy def. Daniele Miceli via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:15 PFL Brussels: Salvo Giudice submits Brice Belghazi Salvo Giudice def. Brice Belghazi via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:14 PFL Brussels: Levi Batchelor submits Fahdi Khaled Levi Batchelor def. Fahdi Khaled via submission (Ezekiel choke) – Round 3, 4:34 PFL Brussels: Adam Meskini finishes Tiziano Ferranti Adam Meskini def. Tiziano Ferranti via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:56 PFL Brussels: Paulina Wisniewska taps Jessica Cunha Paulina Wisniewska def. Jessica Cunha via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:12 PFL Brussels: Jan Cieplowski knocks out Julien Pierre Lopez Jan Cieplowski def. Julien Pierre Lopez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:43 PFL Brussels: Gustavo Oliveira's Knockout of the Year contendter of Anas Azizoun Gustavo Oliveira def. Anas Azizoun via knockout (spinning back elbow) – Round 1, 3:25 PFL Brussels: Movsar Ibragimov taps Gerardo Fanny Movsar Ibragimov def. Gerardo Fanny via submission (Von Flue choke) – Round 2, 1:42 PFL Brussels: Boris Mbarga Atangana stops Bruno Santos Boris Mbarga Atangana def. Bruno Santos via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:56 PFL Brussels: Gaetano Pirrello submits Salvatore Liga Gaetano Pirrello def. Salvatore Liga via submission (D'arce choke) – Round 1, 3:22 PFL Brussels main event: Patrick Habirora knocks out Danny Roberts Patrick Habirora def. Danny Roberts via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:32
Qatar Tribune
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Focused AlHyasat ready to renew title hopes as PFL MENA 2 begins
Ayeni Olusegun DOHA Jordan's Abdelrahman 'Cobra' AlHyasat is determined to redeem himself after a dramatic and disappointing end to his 2024 MMA campaign. The featherweight star is set to return to the cage as the Professional Fighters League (PFL) returns to the Middle East for PFL MENA 2 on May 9 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Alhyasat who was on course for a marquee clash against Saudi own Abdullah Al Qahtani for the inaugural PFL MENA Featherweight belt in November last year, but he was forced to pull out after he failed to make weight and suffered a serious health scare. In an interview with Qatar Tribune, the charismatic Alhyasat said despite warnings from his coach and team, the outcome of his weigh-in failure solely lies with him. 'During weight cut, everything was going according to plan,' he said. 'But I made a terrible decision. Everyone, including my coach, warned me not to. He even said he'd leave the room if I went through with it. But I was completely exhausted and struggling to breathe, so I drank a 100ml Red Bull.' Unfortunately for the Jordanian, that mistake nearly cost him more than just the fight. 'As soon as I got into the hot tub, my heart started racing. I thought I was going to die. Thankfully, my team reacted quickly and called an ambulance. At the hospital, I was treated with saline water, IV and oxygen. The doctor told me I wasn't fit to fight,' AlHyasat recalled. Al Qahtani went on to win the featherweight title after defeating Alhyasat's replacement Morocco's Marouane Bellagouit in the first round. For Alhyasat, many questioned if he was truly injured, a misconception the combative 5-0 featherweight said hurt him not only physically. 'Many fans don't understand what goes on outside the cage. They don't realise this game is dangerous,' he said. 'They said things about me like how much money I was paid and why I pulled out of the fight. I wanted to go crazy.' Following the backlash, Alhyasat took an extended vacation which he called 'refreshing.' Now, with a renewed sense of focus and a point to prove, Cobra is ready to reignite his championship ambitions in Jeddah as he opens his season against Taha Bendaoud. 'Last year broke my heart. All my plans, goals disappeared in one moment. All from my mistake. I need to be the first one to care about my dreams and goals. People around you can help push you to the top, but you need to have the desires inside to be there. 'This is 2025 now, I don't care about other fighters. I have my opponent now (Bendaoud), and I'm going to smash him. Anyone who faces me inside the cage will be my next prey and I will make them cry. I'm going to be happy and celebrate with my team. That's the only thing I know,' Alhyasat added. Personal ambitions aside, Alhyasat praised the PFL's presence in the MENA region, calling the promotion's presence a game changer and a spark. 'PFL MENA came to the Arab world and moved MMA in the region to the top. Right now, everybody in Jordan and in the Middle East know about the PFL and MMA. 'They watch the fights, they know the fighters, and they have realised what sport truly means.'
