PFL Dubai: Omar El Dafrawy joins star-studded card at Coca-Cola Arena

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has confirmed a 15-fight card for PFL Dubai at Coca-Cola Arena on 14 November, with Egyptian fighter Omar El Dafrawy among the leading names.

The event, staged in partnership with Dubai Sports Council and Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, will feature five main-card contests and 10 preliminary bouts. It is the PFL’s fourth event in Dubai and its first in the emirate since merging with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).

The headline fight will be for the PFL world heavyweight title at 265lb, with defending champion Vadim Nemkov facing fellow Russian Sergei Bilostenniy.

Nemkov has a professional record of 20 wins and two defeats, while Bilostenniy, ranked third in the PFL, has won 15 of his 19 fights. The bout carries added significance because both fighters have trained together in the team of Russian great Fedor Emelianenko.

Nemkov goes into the contest on a run of 15 consecutive appearances without defeat.

The co-main event will be contested at welterweight, at 170lb, between fourth-ranked Belgian Patrick Habirora and Egypt’s Omar El Dafrawy, who is ranked fifth.

Habirora is unbeaten with nine victories, while El Dafrawy has 16 wins and six losses. The Egyptian is also the winner of the inaugural PFL Middle East and North Africa tournament.

The fight will mark Habirora’s first professional appearance outside Europe. His most recent victory came against former UFC champion Benson Henderson, whom he stopped by knockout after 20 seconds in Brussels.

The main card also includes a heavyweight bout between Dubai representative Buya Rahmani, who has six wins without defeat, and top-ranked Oleg Popov, who has a record of 23 wins and two losses.

Abubakar Nurmagomedov, with 17 wins, four losses and one draw, will meet Australia’s David Martinez, who has 17 wins and six defeats, in a welterweight contest.

Former Bellator champion Sergio Pettis, the fourth-ranked fighter, will face Japan’s Joji Goto at bantamweight, 135lb.

Preliminary card

The 10 preliminary fights include a heavyweight meeting between second-ranked Denis Goltsov and sixth-ranked Maxwell Djantou Nana.

In the featherweight division, 10th-ranked Khasan Magomedsharipov will fight seventh-ranked Adam Borics, while eighth-ranked Asael Adjoudj takes on Movlid Khaybulaev.

Alexey Pergande, ranked ninth at lightweight, faces Akhmed Magomedov. The remaining bouts are Shamil Rock against Connor Hughes at lightweight; Luis McGrillen versus Nurs Abzakh at bantamweight; Ernesto Rodriguez against Rhys McKee at welterweight; Khabib Nabiev versus Steve Ngnou at light heavyweight; and Khamzat Abaev against Leon Hill at welterweight.

The women’s strawweight contest will feature Aleksandra Savicheva against Jacinta Austin.

Nakisa Bidarian, chief executive of Most Valuable Promotions, said Dubai was a key stop for the PFL and described this as the organisation’s biggest event in the emirate in terms of both the number of fights and the calibre of competitors.

He also praised the partnership with Dubai Sports Council and Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, saying the Coca-Cola Arena event would strengthen Dubai’s standing on the global MMA map.

The preliminary bouts begin at 18:00 UAE time, with the main card starting at 22:00. The event will be broadcast on STARZPLAY across 25 Middle East and North Africa markets and on the ESPN app in the United States.