HOLLYWOOD, FLA. – Today the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest-growing and most innovative sports league, held the PFL Champions vs BELLATOR Champions press conference featuring athletes and CEO Peter Murray at the Hard Rock Live in Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood. Today’s press conference comes ahead of the mega-event on Saturday, February 24, from the state-of-the-art Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The PFL Champions vs BELLATOR Champions main event will see reigning PFL Heavyweight Champion Renan Ferreira (12-3) square off against BELLATOR Heavyweight Champion and former BELLATOR Light Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader (31-7). Newly crowned PFL Light Heavyweight Champion Impa Kasanganay (15-3) returns to the middleweight division where he will meet BELLATOR Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen (14-0).
Two-time PFL Welterweight Champion Ray Cooper III (25-9), who replaced Magomed Magomedkerimov, will collide with Jamaica’s fighting pride, BELLATOR Welterweight Champion Jason Jackson (17-4). PFL Featherweight Champion Jesus Pinedo (23-6-1), the first Peruvian MMA world champion returns to action against reigning BELLATOR Featherweight Champion and former BELLATOR Lightweight Champion Patricio Pitbull (35-7).
Additionally, the Pay-Per-View will feature former PFL Heavyweight Champion Bruno Cappelozza (15-6) and former BELLATOR Light Heavyweight Champion Vadim Nemkov (17-2). Two of the sport’s most iconic names will meet in the PFL SmartCage as former title challengers Thiago Santos (22-11) and Yoel Romero (15-7) clash. 2023 PFL Lightweight Championship finalist Clay Collard (24-11) is set to face former BELLATOR Featherweight Champion AJ McKee (21-1).
PFL Champions vs BELLATOR Press Conference:
Peter Murray: PFL CEO
“There’s a lot of hardware up here. We have PFL Champs versus BELLATOR Champs. This is really an unprecedented event in MMA. Many fans have been talking about this for years. Other promotions have been talking about this as well. I am so proud that on the heels of the BELLATOR acquisition we can now present the very best in MMA. At the end of each year, we will kick off the next season for both PFL and BELLATOR, a major tentpole event which will be PFL Champions vs. BELLATOR Champions. Think of it as MMA’s All-Star Game. This will be long term.”
“We’re certainly paving the way for the next generation of great athletes and champions.”
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Renan Ferraira: PFL Heavyweight Champion
“It’s a special moment for the fans and a special moment for the sport. I feel honored to be in the position as the main event to fight against a guy with the credentials that Ryan Bader has. Just excited to get there. You guys know my fighting style, always pressing the action and moving forward. So just excited to put on a great show.
Ryan Bader: BELLATOR Heavyweight Champion
“It’s a huge deal. This doesn’t happen in MMA. Fans want these types of super fights. A lot of organizations don’t want to risk putting their champions out there and have another organization come out and sweep them. I love that we are doing this in Saudi Arabia. The whole card, if you look at it, is stacked. I am ready to claim another belt too. I love it and I’m ready for this huge opportunity.”
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Impa Kasanganay: PFL Light Heavyweight Champion
“I respect Johnny and he’s a good fighter and he’s done great work. But for me if you want to be the best you got to fight the best wherever they are at. He’s been the king of the BELLATOR Middleweight division and for me my focus is to be multi-class champion and this is my opportunity to do that. To me, when you see a great fighter across the ring, that’s what gets me going and gets me excited. It’s great opportunity and honor. Fighters fight and that’s what I do.”
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Thiago Santos: Former PFL Light Heavyweight Contender
“Yoel is a legend of this sport and he’s a guy who I’ve always watched. We trained together a long, long time ago when I was beginning, and he was a superstar. So we are kind of friends and there is no bad blood between us. I’m just very happy for the opportunity.”
Yoel Romero: Former BELLATOR Light Heavyweight Contender
“It was a great fight between Santos and Jon Jones. I thought Santos looked great in the fight and that’s what I am expecting come next month.”
“My performances in the cage have been good. I know they are not the results I am looking for but I feel good when I compete and so does my body. While I get older, I am gathering more experience that I can use.”
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Claressa Shields: PFL Women’s Lightweight
“There’s a lot of great talent in the PFL. I just want to do my due diligence and train and just win my fights and hopefully I’ll be as great as these guys up here and be able to fight for the PFL Championship and fight for the million dollars. Right now it’s one fight at a time and I want to get back on a winning streak as I lost my last fight by split decision. I just want to keep moving forward. Being able to be a woman and fighting in the first pro MMA bout in Saudi Arabia is a big deal for me and my career. I just want to come back and show that boxers can do MMA and that I have the potential to be a PFL World Champion one day.”
“I wanted to fight Amanda Nunes in a boxing match and when they asked her if she would fight me she said, ‘Tell Claressa Shields to come to my world and I’ll choke the s— out of her,’ When I heard her say that it really lit a fire in me. You know what, none of these girls are going to come over from MMA and fight me because they know I’d win, hands down. But it would be a super challenge for me to go over to MMA so I just wanted to challenge myself and show that I’m not just badass in boxing, I’m badass fighter, period. So why not come over to MMA and just prove myself? So that’s why I’m here even though a lot of people thought I would just run back to boxing but, hey, here I am. I’m just here to get better and believe in a year or two I will be fighting for a world title.”
PPV Card – ESPN+ PPV and DAZN – 3 pm ET
Heavyweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Renan Ferreira (PFL World Champ) vs. Ryan Bader (Bellator Champ)
Middleweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Impa Kasanganay (PFL Light Heavyweight World Champ) vs. Johnny Eblen (Bellator Champ)
Featherweight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Jesus Pinedo (PFL World Champ) vs.
Patricio Pitbull (Bellator Champ)
182- Pound Contract Weight Champion vs. Champion Bout: Ray Cooper III (Former PFL World Champ) vs. Jason Jackson (Bellator Champ)
Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Bruno Cappelozza (former PFL World Champ) vs. Vadim Nemkov (former Bellator Champ)
Light Heavyweight Showcase Bout: Thiago Santos (PFL title contender) vs. Yoel Romero (Bellator title contender)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Clay Collard (PFL title contender) vs. AJ McKee (former Bellator Champ)
Early Card – ESPNEWS and ESPN+ (US) – 12 pm ET
Featherweight Showcase Bout: Gabriel Braga (PFL title contender) vs. Aaron Pico (Bellator title contender)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Biaggio Ali Walsh (Pro Debut) vs. Emmanuel Palacio (Pro Debut)
Lightweight Showcase Bout: Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis
Featherweight Showcase Bout: Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondal Rao
Amateur Flyweight Bout: Malik Basahel vs. Vinicius Pereira
ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sports business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.
