Professional Fighters League (PFL) and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) will host an unprecedented pay- per-view mega event – PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions – from the state-of the-art Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, February 24. This unprecedented Champions vs Champions fight card features four co-main fights of current PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions. In addition, the card features two compelling match-ups of previous PFL title challenges vs previous Bellator title challengers.
PFL Super Event
The first-ever PFL PPV Super Fight event will feature seven matchups between current and former champions, as well as title challengers from PFL and Bellator, and will be available on ESPN+ PPV and DAZN beginning at 3 pm ET. In addition, three major showcase bouts will take place during the preliminary card airing in the U.S. on ESPNEWS and ESPN+ in the U.S. beginning at 12 pm ET.
In today’s landscape of fight games, fans want to see the best fights potted against the best. With PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, fight fans are going to receive that on February 24 when two MMA giants descend on Saudi Arabia to see who comes out on top. Newly designed Super Fight Championship belts and the future of PFL and Bellator highlight this spectacle of three-round super fights where elbows are legal and the winner-takes-all.
Breakdown
In the main event, heavyweights collide when PFL’s Renan Ferreira (12-3), fresh off his emphatic second round TKO victory during the 2023 PFL Championship meets the first athlete in Bellator history to become champion in two weight divisions simultaneously, Ryan Bader (31-7).
Newly crowned PFL Light Heavyweight kingpin Impa Kasanganay (15-3) returns to 185- pounds for the first time since joining PFL when he challenges the man many fans consider to be the best middleweight on the planet, undefeated Johnny Eblen (14-0).
Two-time PFL champion Magomed Magomedkerimov (34-6), who is currently in the midst of a six-fight unbeaten streak puts his current run of success on the line against Bellator welterweight titlist Jason Jackson (17-4), the proud Jamaican recently put an end to the longest winning streak in MMA (27) when he won the title from Yaroslav Amosov.
At featherweight, the pride of Peru, Jesus Pinedo (23-6-1) returns to action fresh off his 2023 PFL Championship victory to take on one of Bellator’s most successful fighter of all- time, Brazil’s Patricio Pitbull (35-7), the current Bellator Featherweight Champion and former Lightweight Champion.
Undercard
In addition to the four bouts featuring current PFL and Bellator champions, former heavyweight champ Bruno Cappelozza (15-6) welcomes former Bellator Light Heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov (17-2) to the 265-pound limit when they clash on February 24. A pair of heavy-handed former No. 1 contenders are also set to square off at 205-pounds when Brazil’s Thiago Santos (22-11) goes up against former Olympian Yoel Romero (15-7).
Rounding out the PPV portion of the spectacle will see the always exciting Clay Collard (24- 11) challenge former Bellator Featherweight Champion AJ McKee (21-1) in a special lightweight showdown of striking specialists.
During the Champions vs. Champions preliminary card, top featherweight contender from PFL Gabriel Braga (12-1) and top featherweight contender from Bellator Aaron Pico (12-4) will square off, while Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of the iconic boxer Muhammad Ali, makes his pro debut at 155-pounds. Champions vs. Champions also will mark the return to the PFL SmartCage for Claressa Shields, the world’s greatest women’s boxer, rounding out a great collection of talent in MMA and combat sports.
PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions
PPV Card – ESPN+ PPV and DAZN – 3 pm ET
Heavyweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Renan Ferreira (PFL World Champ) vs. Ryan Bader (Bellator Champ)
Middleweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Impa Kasanganay (PFL Light Heavyweight World Champ) vs. Johnny Eblen (Bellator Champ)
Welterweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Magomed Magomedkerimov (PFL World Champ) vs. Jason Jackson (Bellator Champ)
Featherweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Jesus Pinedo (PFL World Champ) vs.
Patricio Pitbull (Bellator Champ)
Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Bruno Cappelozza (former PFL World Champ) vs. Vadim Nemkov (former Bellator Champ)
Light Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Thiago Santos (PFL title contender) vs. Yoel Romero
(Bellator title contender)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Clay Collard (PFL title contender) vs. AJ McKee (former Bellator Champ)
Early Card – ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (US) – 12 pm ET
Featherweight Showcase Bout: Gabriel Braga (PFL title contender) vs. Aaron Pico
(Bellator title contender)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Biaggio Ali Walsh (Pro Debut) vs. Chris Morris (Pro Debut)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis
Featherweight Showcase Bout: Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondal Rao
Amateur Flyweight Bout: Malik Basahel vs. Vinicius Pereira
Image Credit PFL
