NEW YORK – The Professional Fighters League today announced the full roster for the inaugural PFL Europe season.
PFL Europe is the PFL’s first international league and will showcase the very best MMA athletes across Europe. PFL Europe will hold quarterly events throughout 2023 beginning in Newcastle on March 25. The ground-breaking league will feature 32 of Europe’s top fighters from 14 countries competing across four weight divisions. After four Regular Season events, four PFL Europe Champions will be crowned with each champion taking home $100,000. Champions also have a chance to earn a spot on the PFL global roster and the $1 million global season prize.
PFL Europe regular season events will take place from the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, England on March 25 and the Verti Music Hall in Berlin, Germany on July 8. The winners of each regular season event will advance to the 2023 PFL Europe playoff at the Zenith in Paris, France on September 30, and finally four PFL Europe champions will be crowned at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on December 8.
PFL Europe 1 will feature the men’s light heavyweights and women’s flyweights. Headlined by rising stars Simeon Powell (7-0) and Dakota Ditcheva (7-0), also competing are hard-hitting Norwegian Kenneth Bergh (9-1), seven-fight win streak Francesco Nuzzi (9-1) and rising star from Holland Lizzy Gevers (2-0).
“We are excited to kick off PFL Europe’s inaugural season with the best European roster of fighters,” said PFL president of fighter operations Ray Sefo. “PFL Europe will see the best in MMA action in a true season format, where fighters must win to advance.”
PFL Europe 2 will see lightweight and bantamweight divisions shake out in Berlin. The bantamweight division features the unbeaten Ali Taleb (8-0) from Sweden and Frans “Black Mamba” Mlambo (13-5), who fights out of SBG Ireland under John Kavanagh. Former Cage Warriors Champion Dominique “Black Panther” Wooding (9-5) will compete alongside Germany’s Farbod Iran Nezhad (11-2-1), currently on a three-fight winning streak, striking specialist Khurshed Kakhorov (8-1) and Italian Nuzzi, who has won his last eight fights.
In the lightweight division, Ireland’s, John Mitchell (5-1) and Dylan “The Nuke” Tuke (5-3) will form part of a division that also includes France’s Geysim Derouiche (6-2) who is unbeaten in over five-years, and Liverpool sensation, the undefeated Connor Hughes (6-0).
Men’s light heavyweight division:
- Simeon Powell (U.K.)
- Mohamed Amine (Holland)
- Kenneth Bergh (Norway)
- Jakob Nedoh (Slovenia)
- Anthony Salamone (France)
- Daniel Ladero (Spain)
- Damien Remy (France)
Women’s flyweight division:
- Dakota Ditcheva (U.K.)
- Clara Riciguolo (France)
- Griet Eechkout (Belgium)
- Mafalda Carmona (Portugal)
- Cornelia Holm (Sweden)
- Marta Waliczek (Poland)
- Lizzy Gevers (Holland)
- Valentina Scatizzi (Italy)
Men’s bantamweight division:
- Ali Taleb (Sweden)
- Dominique Wooding (U.K.)
- Francesco Nuzzi (Italy)
- Frans Mlambo (Ireland)
- Farbod Iran Nezhad (Germany)
- Kenji Bortoluzzi (Switzerland)
- Khurshed Kakhorov (Germany)
- Mokthar Benkaci (France)
Men’s lightweight division:
- Acoidan Duque (Spain)
- Aleksandr Chizov (Latvia)
- Connor Hughes (U.K.)
- Dylan Tuke (Ireland)
- Geysim Derouiche (France)
- John Mitchell (Ireland)
- Rodu Maxim (Italy)
- Jakub Kaszuba (Poland)
PFL Europe 2023 schedule:
- Saturday, March 25: Newcastle, England – Vertu Motors Arena (regular season)
- Saturday, July 8: Berlin, Germany – Verti Music Hall (regular season)
- Saturday, September 30: Paris, France – Zenith Paris La Villette (playoffs)
- Friday, December 8: Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena (final)
