DUBAI: The full card has been announced for PFL Dubai, set to take place on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Coca-Cola Arena.
The event marks PFL’s fourth card in Dubai and its first in the city since the merger with Most Valuable Promotions, staged in cooperation with the Dubai Sports Council and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.
The 15-fight card will be headlined by a heavyweight (265 lbs.) world title bout between reigning champion Vadim Nemkov (20-2) and No.3-ranked Sergei Bilostenniy (15-4).
Nemkov, a protege of Mixed Martial Arts legend Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko, has not lost in more than a decade, going unbeaten in his last 15 appearances.
Bilostenniy, who became the first fighter to stop Karl Williams and recently finished former PFL Champion Renan Ferreira, also represents Team Fedor and has shared training camps with Nemkov.
Nemkov said: “I always try to finish fights with a submission or a choke. Like Fedor says, fights should end early. But fighting is unpredictable, things don’t always go according to plan, so you have to be ready to adjust during the fight.”
Bilostenniy said: “I’m in the middle of my training in Moscow, there’s not long left now until a real, action-packed fight. A true test for myself. I want to treat the fans to a great, exciting bout between two big Russian guys! My mindset is excellent, I’m ready for battle. See you all soon!”
The co-main event is a coming-out party for Namur’s undefeated No.4-ranked Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora (9-0), who steps outside Europe for the first time in his professional career after a 20-second knockout of former UFC champion Benson Henderson in Brussels.
Across the cage is Egypt’s No.5-ranked Omar “GodFirst” El-Dafrawy (16-6), the inaugural PFL MENA welterweight (170 lbs.) champion, who will fight in his home territory in an attempt to take the Belgian’s hype for himself in a highly anticipated battle.
Habirora said: “This is the biggest fight of my career, against a highly experienced opponent, and I’ve put in one of the toughest training camps I’ve ever done. With one month to go, I feel ready and focused. Fans can expect me to bring the flashball and give everything I’ve got on fight night. I can’t wait.”
El-Dafrawy said: “Closing up to the fight I feel very confident coming into this one. Patrick is a great upcoming fighter and he has an explosive style just like I do, he likes to finish fights the same way I do, I think all his previous opponents haven’t presented the threats I do. It’s going to be very interesting to see how much he’s willing to dig deep as I’m willing to take this to very deep waters. Nov. 14, expect nothing less than fireworks.”
Also on the main card, Dubai’s own undefeated heavyweight Pouya Rahmani (6-0) meets No.1-ranked Oleg Popov (23-2) in front of his home crowd. Former Bellator world champion, No.4-ranked Sergio “The Phenom” Pettis (25-8), welcomes Joji Goto (21-9-1) to the cage in a bantamweight (135 lbs.) match-up, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov (17-4-1), cousin of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, returns from a three-year hiatus to face Australia’s David “The Smiling Assassin” Martinez (17-6) in another welterweight (170 lbs.) bout.
“Dubai has been central to the PFL story, and this is the biggest card we’ve ever brought to the city,” said MVP CEO Nakisa Bidarian.
“From a world heavyweight title fight featuring two fighters connected by the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, to a co-main event pitting a European star against our MENA champion, this card showcases the elite talent and rising stars shaping the future of MMA. Together with our partners at the Dubai Sports Council and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, we’re proud to bring a world-class night of MMA to Coca-Cola Arena on Nov. 14.”