The Professional Fighters League planted its flag in Middle Eastern soil for the first time in 2024, creating new opportunities in a new market. It has proven to be a worthwhile endeavor thus far. The company on Saturday will break ground on its 2025 campaign with PFL Champions Series 1 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where Usman Nurmagomedov defends his Bellator MMA lightweight championship opposite Paul Hughes in the five-round headliner.
Ahead of the PFL’s latest stop in the Middle East, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define the brief but eventful relationship between the organization and the region: