Headlining the inaugural PFL MENA card on Friday, May 10, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is Abdullah Al-Qahtani, perhaps the biggest prospect currently fighting out of the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia in particular.
When Cageside Press spoke with featherweight Al-Qahtani last week, he was preparing for a fight with Taha Bendaoud. That changed Thursday, with a main event shuffle that sees Yazeed Hasanain step in to replace Bendaoud, who reportedly had weight struggles. Either way, what is clear is that regardless of opponent, Al-Qahtani is elated to headline the first event for PFL MENA.
“This is PFL MENA now in Riyadh, in my hometown. I’m ready for it, I’m so excited to represent my country, to represent all my team,” Al-Qahtani (8-1) told us. “You know, it’s something big and also it’s the main event. I’m going to do something great in this fight. I’m going to win, Inshallah. Yeah. I’m ready for that.”
What can fight fans expect from the featherweight known as “The Reaper?”
“I’m going to be the showman, you know? Every fight I do a crazy fight,” said Al-Qahtani, who added that when he fights, “the crowd is focused on me. The fight is very good, a lot of blood, a lot of damage, a lot of things they like. I was thinking I was going to be the main event.”
“I’m going to do something in this fight, I’m going to let all the people know who I am, and want to watch me again and again.”
Asked if there were any extra nerves from headlining a card at home in Saudi Arabia (Al-Qahtani was born in Morocco but has been in the Kingdom consistently now since his teens), Al-Qahtani explained that “it’s okay. Before I was fighting- every fight I’m going to be nervous. I’m going to be a little bit not comfortable. But every fight, when I go inside the cage, I feel this is my place, this is my cage. It’s my home. I want to be there. This is why I’m ready for it. This is what I want, I’m ready for it.”
Al-Qahtani added that yes, he’s “a little nervous,” but reiterated that every fight is like that.
Watch our full interview with PFL MENA 1’s Abdullah Al-Qahtani above.
