2024 PFL Europe Season will begin with the return of undefeated Cedric ‘The Best’ Doumbe, who will face Baissangour “Baki” Chamsoudinov on March 7 at the Accor Arena in Paris
The 2024 ‘Path to Greatness’ will also get underway in Paris, as 32 fighters from across the continent start their journey to being crowned PFL Europe Champion
PFL Europe will also be heading to Newcastle and Glasgow in 2024
All PFL Europe events will now be streamed live in France on DAZN
Tickets on-sale from 11am CET Jan 18 from AccorArena.com
PARIS, Jan. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today 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 on Thursday March 7 live 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 on March 7.
In addition to the return of Doumbe, the Accor Arena on March 7 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.
Starting in Paris on March 7, PFL Europe will also be returning to where it all started in Newcastle, England on June 8 at Utilita Arena before moving on to new territory in Glasgow, Scotland at OVO Hydro for a huge night of Playoff action on September 28. As per 2023 the season will conclude with an epic Championship event at a venue to be revealed later this year.
Dan Hardy, Head of Fighter Operations for PFL Europe: “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 catalogue 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.
Pete Oliver, CEO DAZN Growth Markets: “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.
PFL Europe Paris – March 7 at Accor Arena – Live on DAZN
Welterweight Main Event: Cedric Doumbe (5-0) vs. Baissangour “Baki” Chamsoudinov (8-0)
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.
ABOUT DAZN GROUP
DAZN is a leading sports streaming service in Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Portugal, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, the US and UK. Its wide range of content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LALIGA, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC. DAZN is the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match outside North America.
DAZN is building the ultimate sports entertainment business where fans from across the globe can watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app.
For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit dazngroup.com.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/professional-fighters-league-announces-the-2024-season-of-pfl-europe-302038692.html
SOURCE Professional Fighters League (PFL)
