MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines just might have their next MMA hero!
The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, has released the full Road to Dubai Champions Series undercard, featuring top athletes from the United Arab Emirates and around the world.
The marquee preliminary bout of the night will see Tarek Suleiman (13-8) square off against Ahmed “Lee” Samy (11-4). But Filipino fight fans will be most interested in the bout between Dubai's Hadi Omar Al Hussaini (5-1-1) — who will be looking to get back to winning ways after losing his undefeated record in his PFL debut last July — and former RSF champion, Pinoy Ruel “Bagsik” Pañales (5-2).
Dubai-based fighter Yakub Sulimanov (7-0) will put his unblemished record on the line against Jordan’s experienced Jarrah “Jordanian Lion” Al-Selawe (20-7). Meanwhile, Dubai’s 971 Academy product John Mitchell (9-2), a five-time Irish MMA champion, will enter the SmartCage against PFL MENA’s Algerian competitor Souhil Tairi (7-5-1).
In addition, Emirati fighter, Youssef Al Housani (4-1), will face off against Egypt’s undefeated Assem Ghanem (4-0). Saudi Arabia’s Mostafa Nada (9-3), riding a five-fight win streak, will face the British-Pakistani PFL debutant Haider “Darth” Khan (8-1), who has won his last four bouts.
The undercard will also feature Dubai-based Uzbek and undefeated fighter Mirafzal “Mirko” Akhtamov (7-0-1), who has an impressive six finishes in his career. He will take on England’s knockout specialist Mike “Lefty” Thompson (7-2), whose five of seven victories came by way of knockout.
The Road to Dubai Champions Series is the inaugural “Road to Dubai” event following the signing of a groundbreaking multi-year partnership between the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai Sports Council and PFL.
The event will take place on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at Coca-Cola Arena, located in Dubai’s City Walk, and is headlined by the returning “Pride of Dagestan”, undefeated Bellator lightweight world champion Usman Nurmagomedov (18-0). He will look to defend his title against Ireland’s Paul “Big News” Hughes (13-1), who is coming off the biggest victory of his MMA career at PFL “Battle of the Giants” after defeating AJ McKee.
The first-of-its-kind partnership will see MMA world champions and the sport’s biggest stars from the PFL compete in title fights as Dubai becomes a marquee destination for the best of MMA. All other Champions Series events will now be co-branded as “Road to Dubai”, as each show culminates to the finale set in the new fight capital. As part of the PFL’s commitment to developing the sport of MMA in Dubai, rising Emirati star fighters will now have a pathway to become future PFL champions.
PFL is the only organization in MMA with a sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs and championship each year. The PFL roster boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight class, the same percentage as Ultimate Fighting Championship. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the US and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.