The PFL vs. Bellator champions versus champions event set for February in Saudi Arabia may be new, but it’s not just a one-off.
PFL CEO Peter Murray helped kick off the build-up to PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs, subtitled “Seize the Throne,” during a set-piece press conference event at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, where he set the stage for a stacked event, which will take place on February 24 in Riyadh.
Murray was joined on stage by a host of his newly-strengthened roster’s biggest names, who faced off in front of the cameras to make their respective matchups official.
“There’s a lot of hardware up here,” Murray said.
“We have PFL champs versus Bellator champs. This is really an unprecedented event in MMA.
“Many fans have been talking about this for years. Other promotions have been talking about this, as well. I am so proud that on the heels of the Bellator acquisition we can now present the very best in MMA.”
Murray then explained how the battle between the best talent from the two brands will form the curtain-raiser for the new PFL season each year, with the head-to-head event set to become an annual tradition.
“At the end of each year, we will kick off the next season for both PFL and Bellator, a major tentpole event which will be PFL champions vs. Bellator champions,” he stated.
“Think of it as MMA’s All-Star Game. This will be long term.”
PFL
The event will feature matchups pitting eight of PFL’s top stars against eight of their equivalent rivals from Bellator.
Headlining the card is a battle between the two brands’ respective heavyweight champions, as PFL’s 2023 heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira faces off against Bellator’s long-reigning heavyweight king Ryan Bader, while the co-main event will see the PFL’s 2023 light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay drop to 185 pounds to face undefeated Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen.
Featherweight champions will collide, as PFL’s Jesus Pinedo faces Bellator’s Patricio Pitbull, and former PFL heavyweight champ Bruno Cappelozza welcomes former Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov to the heavyweight division.
Former UFC title challengers Thiago Santos and Yoel Romero will face off, representingfinal PFL and Bellator, respectively, will do battle at 205 pounds, while 2023 PFL lightweight finalist Clay Collard faces off against former Bellator featherweight champ AJ McKee.
The final two PFL versus Bellator bouts will see former welterweight champion Ray Cooper III step in to replace the injured current champion Magomed Magomedkerimov against newly-crowned Bellator 170-pound champ Jason Jackson in a 182-pound catchweight clash, while PFL featherweight finalist Gabriel Braga lines up opposite Bellator’s top featherweight contender, Aaron Pico.
The remainder of the card features multi-weight women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields, plus the professional MMA debut of amateur standout, and grandson of the legendary Muhammad Ali, Biaggio Ali Walsh.
PFL
PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs: Official fight card
MAIN CARD
- Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
- Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
- Jesus Pinedo vs. Patricio Pitbull
- Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
- Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
- Clay Collard vs. AJ McKee
- Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico
- Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis
- Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao
- Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio
- Malik Basahel vs. Vinicius Pereira
