Saudi Arabia U19s set for ICC Cricket World Cup qualifying action in Bangkok

RIYADH: Renan Ferreira defeated Ryan Bader in the main fight of the evening as the Professional Fighters League staged the first-ever MMA event in Saudi Arabia,  PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.

The 11-fight card featured four bouts for the newly minted Super Belt, with additional action from the biggest names in combat sports taking place inside the PFL SmartCage.

In the highly anticipated main event, 2023 PFL heavyweight Ferreira seized the throne, scoring a TKO of Bellator heavyweight Champion Bader 21 seconds into round one. Ferreira hoisted his Super Belt flanked by boxing icon Mike Tyson, and is now set to face combat sports superstar Francis “The Predator” Ngannou, who will make his PFL debut when they meet.

In the co-main event of the evening, 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Champion Impa Kasanganay challenged undefeated Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen. The back-and-forth affair went the three-round distance, with Eblen taking the victory via narrow split decision and a Super Belt.

“Tonight the Professional Fighters League and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were at the center of the MMA world,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray.

“PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions was the first-ever PFL PPV Super Fight global event and delivered electrifying action from the best fighters in MMA. The PFL remains committed to delivering premium MMA experiences to our fans around the globe.”

In the fourth fight of the PPV main card, two-time PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper III defeated current Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson via a second-round TKO to claim the Super Belt while improving his career record to 18-4.

The 2021 PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza and former Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov went toe-to-toe in a heavyweight bout, with the former coming out on top to take his first Super Belt in the process.

Also on the main card, Yoel Romero defeated Thiago Santos in a light heavyweight matchup via a unanimous decision victory.

The main PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions action began with a lightweight affair which saw former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee defeat PFL lightweight runner-up Clay Collard after one minute of action.

Henry Corrales and Aaron Pico went toe-to-toe in a lightweight rematch which closed out the early card. Corrales was no match for the offensive onslaught of Pico, who came out with a flurry of elbow strikes. Pico won his third consecutive bout with an opening round TKO.

In lightweight action, Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, stepped into the PFL SmartCage for the first time as a professional against Argentina’s Emmanuel Palacio and proceeded to dominate his opponent with his grappling to claim a unanimous decision win.

Further action on the early card featured the return of two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields, who weathered the early submission attempts from the powerful Kelsey De Santis to win a closely contested split decision.

Abdullah Al-Qahtani, the first fighter to represent Saudi Arabia in the PFL, stepped back into the PFL SmartCage to face Edukondal Rao in a featherweight contest. Al-Qahtani stopped Rao by TKO in the third round of a fight that featured exciting stand-up exchanges.

Kicking off the action in the early card, Saudi Arabia’s Malik Basahel defeated Brazil’s Vinicius Pereira via unanimous decision in an amateur flyweight showcase bout. Basahel’s victory improves his amateur record to 18-2-1.

Main card results:

Renan Ferreira (13-3) def. Ryan Bader (31-8) via 1st round TKO (:21)

Johnny Eblen (15-0) def. Impa Kasanganay (15-4) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Jason Jackson (18-4) def. Ray Cooper III (25-10-1) via 2nd round TKO (:23)

Vadim Nemkov (18-2) def. Bruno Cappelozza (15-7) via 2nd round submission (2:13)

Yoel Romero (16-7) def. Thiago Santos (22-11) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

AJ McKee (22-1) def. Clay Collard (24-12) via 1st round submission (1:10)

Early Card Results:

Aaron Pico (13-4) def. Henry Corrales (21-8) via 1st round TKO (4:53)

Biaggio Ali Walsh (1-0) def. Emmanuel Palacio (1-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Claressa Shields (2-1) def. Kelsey De Santis (1-3) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Abdullah Al-Qahtani (8-1) def. Edukondal Rao (4-2) via 3rd round TKO (0:23)

Malik Basahel (18-2-1 AM.) def. Vinicius Pereira (5-1 AM.) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)