MMA: Professional Fighters League to start European series in 2023 with qualifying fights this August
- Published
The Professional Fighters League run a $1m tournament in the United States
The Professional Fighters League will launch a European league in 2023.
The American MMA promoters hold their first fight nights in the UK with an August double-header in Cardiff and London.
New signing Dakota Ditcheva will be one of several European fighters competing for a spot in the new league.
Also in contention for places are Ireland's Will Fleury and Nathan Kelly, Scotland's Louie Sutherland and Francesco Nuzzi of Italy.
Fleury, 33, and Nuzzi, 25, will both appear in Cardiff on 13 August.
Fleury - with 10 wins and three losses on his record - will fight at light-heavyweight, facing Norway's Kenneth Bergh.
Bantamweight Nuzzi is on an eight-fight winning streak with just one loss on his record and will fight domestic rival Moktar Benkaci.
Undefeated heavyweight Sutherland will take on fellow Brit Abraham Bably in London on 20 August with Ditcheva already confirmed for that card.
All of the PFL Europe fights will take place in Europe, with the new league tipped to be the first of several international leagues launched by the American PFL.
PFL Europe qualifier fights - Cardiff, August 13
Will Fleury (Ireland) v Kenneth Bergh (Norway) - light-heavyweight
Nathan Kelly (Ireland) v TBA - featherweight
Vojto Barborik (Slovakia) v Radu Maxim (Italy) - lightweight
Mokhtar Benkaci (France) v Francesco Nuzzi (Italy) - bantamweight
PFL Europe qualifier fights - London, August 20
Dakota Ditcheva (UK) v Hassna Jaber (Morocco) - flyweight
Louie Sutherland (UK) v Abraham Bably (UK) - heavyweight
Tayo Odunjo (UK) v Magnus Iversen (Norway) - welterweight
Ali Taleb (Sweden) v Kenji Bortoluzzi (Switzerland) - bantamweight