Professional Fighters League founder Donn Davis has predicted a “historic” night ahead of the first Mixed Martial Arts event to take place in Saudi Arabia.
PFL’s title holders go up against belt holders from Bellator in a never-seen-before night of champions in Riyadh on Saturday.
This comes after the PFL acquired Bellator in November 2023.
Davis is relishing the opportunity of becoming the first MMA promotion to tie a deal with the sovereign state in a sold out event.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Davis said: “It’s historic. It’s the first-ever MMA event to take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and we get to be a part of something historic in sport.
“I think Saudi Arabia is the future of combat sports.
“We’re a company of yes and there is another company out there who is the company of no and they can do what they want. We try to do things different and put the fans first.
“It’s a big deal, this is our first primetime event and media deal on ESPN. Acquiring Bellator has also been a big deal and now this is a big step in us becoming a co-leader in MMA and we’re excited for Saturday.
“This is a collaboration between our partners in Saudi Arabia and us at the PFL.”
The inaugural event will feature the likes of PFL’s Ray Cooper III, Thiago Santos and Clay Collard as well as Bellator’s Patricio Pitbull, Yoel Romero, Ryan Bader and Johnny Eblen.
Davis compared the format to an NBA All-Star game, insisting PFL’s putting the fans first mindset helped create the idea.
“We wanted to do the first event in Saudi but only if it was a great big event,” Davis added.
“We came up with an idea which has never been done before in combat sports. Champions against champions. PFL v Bellator.
“It’s like an All-Stars game which has real stakes where the players and athletes really care.
“We have big prize money with an extra belt where there’s a ring inside the belt. This is a big card with 12 current or former champions, six ultra champion bouts, this has never been done before.
“People are asking what if all the Bellator fighters win? Then they all win. We try and do things the fans want to see.”
PFL have worked alongside Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh, who has helped put on major boxing events including the likes of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
When asked about his experience of working with leading figures in Saudi, Davis said: “Everybody here. Turki, the minister of sport (Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal), the PIF team, they all want to win and excel and that is the shared value. It’s been a pleasure.”
Australia 0-0 Saudi Arabia: Visitors denied last-gasp winner on Renard's return
Saudi Arabia had a stoppage-time goal ruled out as Herve Renard's first game since returning as Saudi Arabia head coach ended in a 0-0 draw against Australia in World Cup qualifying.
Sultan Al-Ghannam fired through a sea of bodies in the 94th minute of Thursday's Group C contest at AAMI Park, but the celebrations were cut short due to an offside infringement.
Referee Ali Saeed Al Naqbi had earlier irked the home side by awarding a 12th-minute penalty for an Ahmed Al-Kassar challenge on Mitch Duke, which was then overturned.
Replays showed the incident happened just outside the box, but Australia felt the Saudi keeper should have been sent off and not issued just a yellow card.
Joe Gauci pulled off a fine double save later in the first half, albeit the offside flag later went up, but it was Australia who did more to win the game prior to the late drama.
Brandon Borrello was played clean through on goal and opted to square to Riley McGree, who was unable to help the ball past covering defender Saud Abdulhamid in front of goal.
Data Debrief: Another blank for both sides
Australia entered this game without a goal against Saudi Arabia in 2,716 days - a run that will extend for a little while longer after this latest blank.
The Socceroos have failed to score in three of their five third-round qualifying games, while Saudi Arabia have gone three in a row without netting.
Tony Popovic's side will justifiably argue they did more to win the game, though, finishing with an expected goals value (xG) of 1.31 to Saudi Arabia's 0.05, but the teams remain locked on points in Group C.
“They’ll bear witness to a slaughter”- Blake promises dominant display in RFL Ocho main event on Saturday
Rough Fight League (RFL) Amateur Lightweight Champion Shiaeine ‘Da Great’ Blake says fans can expect him to make quick work of opponent Daron ‘Avatar’ Weir when the two lock horns in the main event of RFL Ocho at Funland in Hope Gardens in Kingston on Saturday.
‘Da Great,’ who has held the number one spot across three weight classes in the Caribbean, will be making his professional debut against Weir, an accomplished boxer, who is now stepping into the professional MMA scene after taking this fight on short notice.
“I envision him laying on the canvas within eight minutes looking up at me and wondering what went wrong,” Blake told Sportsmax.tv on Tuesday.
“Fans are coming out expecting a fight but they’ll bear witness to a slaughter,” added Blake.
Knowing that Weir is coming from a strictly boxing background and this being an MMA fight, one would think that the obvious play for Blake is to lean into a wrestling-heavy style on Saturday.
The 29-year-old has other ideas, however, noting that his ego has got the best of him ahead of their bout.
“Knowing that Daron’s style is boxing heavy, I’ve allowed my ego to get a hold of me and challenged myself to beat him primarily with boxing,” Blake said.
“I’ve prepared to beat him where he’s best at. Boxing is his hope, but there cannot be despair without hope so I’ll beat him where he’s best and watch him crumble,” he added.
Blake last fought at the IMMAF Pan American Championships in Monterrey in September, losing via kneebar submission to Mexico’s Diego Rangel in round two of their three-round fight.
That fight is in the past and Blake says he’s going into Saturday’s fight with a clear mind.
“The loss hasn’t really affected me mentally of physically. You win and you lose in sports. That’s given, analyze it, learn from it and move onward,” he said.
Mancini leaves Saudi Arabia job
Roberto Mancini has left his role as head coach of the Saudi Arabia national team, the country's football federation has confirmed.
Mancini reached a surprise agreement with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) in 2023, just a few weeks after resigning as Italy coach.
However, the former Inter and Manchester City boss struggled to make an impact in the role, only winning seven of his 18 matches at the helm.
He also oversaw an underwhelming Asian Cup campaign in January, as Saudi Arabia were beaten in a last-16 penalty shoot-out by South Korea in Qatar.
A statement issued by the SAFF read: "The Board of Directors of the Saudi Football Federation and the coach of the national team, Roberto Mancini, reached a joint agreement today, which includes the end of the contractual relationship."
Mancini's position had reportedly been under consideration following a goalless draw with Bahrain earlier this month, a result that leaves them outside the automatic spots in their 2026 World Cup qualification group.
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