Youcef Ouabbas has what every prizefighter wants: the ability to control his own destiny.
An undefeated Frenchman of Algerian descent, the 26-year-old will draw his most difficult assignment to date when he makes his Professional Fighters League debut opposite Mohammad Alaqraa in a PFL MENA 2 welterweight quarterfinal this Friday at The Green Halls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The eventual tournament winner—Jarrah Al-Silawi, Rayan Atmani, Badreddine Diani, Amir Fazli, Omar El Dafrawy and Anthony Zeidan comprise the rest of the eight-man Middle East and North Africa field at 170 pounds—earns a $100,000 end-of-season prize, a championship belt and a chance to earn a spot on the PFL’s domestic roster.