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| (Image Source: Professional Fighters League) |
The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, recently announced that the 2024 Season of PFL Europe will be kicked off by unbeaten global superstar Cedric "The Best" Doumbe (5-0) headlining against the undefeated Baissangour "Baki" Chamsoudinov (8-0) at the Accor Arena in Paris, France on March 7, 2024 live exclusively on DAZN. Fresh off the PFL’s first-ever event in Paris last year that was voted the No.1 MMA crowd of 2023 and saw Doumbe achieve a viral nine-second knockout, the challenge of the undefeated hugely rated prospect Baki represents without question the toughest opponent of The Best’s career to-date with the two Paris natives set to leave it all in the SmartCage.
In addition to the return of Doumbe, the Accor Arena will also witness the start of the PFL Europe Season which will see a host of new elite talent from across Europe make their PFL debuts along with some returning faces, all looking to begin their ‘Path to Greatness’ for the coveted PFL Europe Championship belt and $100,000 in prize money. Set to be packed with storylines and drama, the stakes are even higher in 2024 as 32 athletes compete across four weight categories including a new European Men’s Welterweight category, 2023 Champion Jakub Kaszuba and other returning faces from the 2023 Season. Aside from Paris, PFL Europe will also be returning to where it all started in Newcastle, England on June 8th at Utilita Arena before moving on to new territory in Glasgow, Scotland at OVO Hydro for a huge night of Playoff action on September 28th. As per 2023, the season will conclude with an epic Championship event at a venue to be revealed later this year.
PFL Europe's Head of Fighter Operations Dan Hardy said, “We’re incredibly excited to bring the biggest French MMA Superstar, to the biggest Arena in Paris, in front of the crowd that was voted the best MMA crowd in the world in 2023. Cedric Doumbe’s presence at the top of the card will cap off what is set to be a huge night of showcase fights featuring local French and European talent, as well as the kick off of another exciting season of the PFL Europe League format." The events will be broadcast live on DAZN, the global sports streaming platform and new Home of PFL in France. DAZN launched a dedicated product in France in the summer of 2023 and has since been building a catalog of premium sports content for the market. As PFL’s broadcast partner in France, DAZN will broadcast all four PFL Europe events scheduled for 2024. DAZN Group's Chief Executive Officer for Growth Markets Pete Oliver said, “Since DAZN secured the top two Ligue 1 Uber Eats weekly picks through our partnership with Canal+ in August 2023, we have been looking at opportunities to build a strong portfolio of live sports for the French market. MMA is hugely popular in France, and the upcoming PFL schedule of events is unparalleled. And so, we are delighted to extend our relationship with PFL and deliver an action-packed program for French fans, and those around the world.”
PFL Europe is the PFL’s first international league and showcases the very best MMA athletes across Europe, which began in Newcastle on March 2023 before moving on to Berlin, Paris and finally landing in Dublin for the end-of-season Championship event. The ground-breaking league features 32 of Europe’s top fighters competing across four weight divisions. After four events, Dakota Ditcheva of England, Jakub Kaszuba of Poland, Jakob Nedoh of Slovenia and Khurshed Khakorov of Germany were crowned the first PFL Europe Champions in Dublin, with each Champion taking home $100,000.
