MMA: Bellator champions to fight PFL champions on 24 February in Saudi Arabia

The Professional Fighters League has announced the first champion versus champion card against Bellator since acquiring their rival MMA promotion.

Saudi Arabia will host the card in Riyadh on 24 February.

A heavyweight fight between Bellator champion Ryan Bader and PFL champion Renan Ferreira headlines.

The card also features three more champion versus champion fights at middleweight, featherweight and welterweight.

Bellator's middleweight champion Johnny Eblen faces PFL champion Impa Kasanganay in an all-American contest.

At welterweight, Bellator's Jason Jackson will fight Russian PFL champion Magomed Magomedkerimov, and at featherweight, Bellator's Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire will face Jesus Pinedo.

The PFL purchased Bellator in November and said Bellator would continue as one-off events, as well as on champion versus champion fight cards.

The event in Saudi Arabia will also see a string of the two promotions' best contenders go toe-to-toe.

Former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee will fight PFL contender Clay Collard in a lightweight contest.

McKee, 28, has only ever fought under the Bellator banner having made his professional debut with the company.

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Two-weight undisputed boxing champion Claressa Shields will also feature in her third pro MMA fight against Kelsey DeSantis.

Shields, 28, has one win and one loss in her MMA career and competes at lightweight against fellow American DeSantis, who has one win and two losses on her record.

Bellator fighters Vadim Nemkov, Yoel Romero and Aaron Pico will also appear on the card.

The event represents a crucial moment for MMA after the two biggest promotions outside the UFC joined forces last year.

It also sees MMA join boxing in staging massive fights during Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Season - one of the world's largest winter entertainment events.

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury's undisputed heavyweight fight will take place on 17 February in the Gulf kingdom, before Anthony Joshua faces former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in a boxing match on 9 March.

Saudi Arabia has ploughed millions of dollars into staging huge sporting events, with critics saying the unprecedented spending is being used to enhance the oil-producing kingdom's international reputation and deflect from its human rights record and environmental impact.

However, in a recent interview with the BBC, Saudi Arabia's sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said claims of 'sportswashing' were "very shallow", insisting the investment is boosting the country's economy, opening it up to tourism and inspiring people to be more active.

PFL v Bellator fight card

Heavyweight: Renan Ferreira (PFL champion) v Ryan Bader (Bellator champion)

Middleweight: Impa Kasanganay (PFL champion) v Johnny Eblen (Bellator champion)

Welterweight: Magomed Magomedkerimov (PFL champion) v Jason Jackson (Bellator champion)

Featherweight: Jesus Pinedo (PFL champion) v Patricio Pitbull (Bellator champion)

Heavyweight bout: Bruno Cappelozza (PFL) v Vadim Nemkov (Bellator)

Light-heavyweight bout: Thiago Santos (PFL) v Yoel Romero (Bellator)

Lightweight bout: Clay Collard (PFL) v AJ McKee (Bellator)

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