The European subsidiary of the Professional Fighters’ League (PFL) is back with another explosive card featuring some of Europe’s best up-and-coming talent.
On the heels of a successful debut show for the promotion, PFL Europe Director of Fighter Operations Dan Hardy has curated another excellent card that will provide fans of the promotion a little bit of everything before UFC 290 gets underway later in the afternoon.
Fight fans can catch PFL Europe 2 streaming live on DAZN and other major international broadcast networks beginning at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT.
Sean O’Connell and Stefan Struve will have the call with Hardy providing additional analysis throughout the night.
Main Event — Nuzzi vs. Nezhad
While English superstars Simeon Powell and Dakota Ditcheva, the co-headliners on the inaugural PFL Europe card stand out as notable omissions, the fans in Berlin, Germany will nevertheless be treated to a fun main event between Italy’s Francesco Nuzzi and Germany’s Farbod Nezhad. Nuzzi is a big-time prospect for the PFL with nine wins in his pocket and a promotional debut already under his belt. Unfortunately, his fight against Moktar Benkaci during the PFL Playoffs last year ended prematurely thanks to an accidental eye poke, so fight fans will hope to see more of him this time around. Nuzzi has displayed a sound killer instinct on the ground in his young career, as three of his last four wins have come by way of finish. When he’s not mixing things up in the cage, Nuzzi has been active on the grappling circuit having earned a pair of submission victories in 2022.
🚨 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 #PFLBERLIN 𝗙𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗗 🚨
🇩🇪 5 Germans
🇮🇪 3 Irish
🇪🇸 3 Spaniards
🇫🇷 2 French
🏴 2 Englishmen
🇮🇹 2 Italians
🌍 and 7 more Nations representedFollow @PFLEurope to know all about the journey of Europe’s Elite MMA talent!
[ 👀 LIVE on https://t.co/PPTLC9x6IC… pic.twitter.com/bxM8M9uML0
— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) July 6, 2023
When previewing this weekend’s main event, Hardy made it a point to caution Nuzzi against underestimating his opponent, Nezhad, who is absolutely no slouch himself. Germany’s Nezhad will be fighting in front of a partisan crowd in his favor, though he doesn’t quite carry the same degree of fight finishing upside as his opponent. He enters Saturday’s main event riding high on a three-fight winning streak with all three victories coming by way of unanimous decision. There is plenty like about Nezhad. While he lacks any one standout trait, he also has few weaknesses and is comfortable wherever the fight ends up. He also trains locally at Spitfire Gym Berlin where he coaches wrestling. If he can win the scrambles and use his wrestling to sustain top control, he will have a chance to wear on Nuzzi and potentially earn himself a late finish or close decision.
Most sportsbooks currently see Nuzzi as a -260 favorite, while the comeback on Nezhad is set at around a +220 price tag.
Rest of the Card
There are plenty of names on Saturday’s PFL Europe 2 card fight fans will want to keep an eye on. The co-main event will see French veteran Benkaci, Nuzzi’s most recent opponent, try to turn back rising German Khurshed Kakhorov at 135 pounds. No contest aside, Benkaci is riding a six-fight winning streak and has won nine of his last 10 fights. However, he missed weight by half a pound and his strength of schedule has been a mixed bag at best, leaving room for Kakhorov to potentially pick up the biggest win of his career with the German fans at his back. Kakhorov’s only defeat came at the hands of Welsh standout Brett Johns during a brief stint in Bellator.
Lorena Cubero, 18, is another German looking to make a mark in front of her home fans on Saturday. While she is unbeaten with three decisions, her three opponents hold a combined record of a meager 1-5. Her opponent, Belgium’s Griet Eeckhout, holds a middling 6-4-1 record but has won three of her last four, including her most recent fight in the bantamweight division. She will be moving down in weight and could be a tough out for Cubero, who while talented is yet to deal with any significant adversity inside the cage.
Another fight fans should be paying attention to is Frans Mlambo vs. Rachid Haz. Mlambo was originally scheduled to take on former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Dom Wooding, but the 30-year-old Haz should be a willing opponent looking to put his 12-2 record to the test. Given Mlambo’s tendency to talk to his opponents in the cage, much like Kevin Holland, this will be a fight fans of the promotion should look to earmark. Speaking of mid-fight banter, talented Englishman Lewis McGrillen-Evans is set to return against Amrali Saydoshurov. McGrillen has all the striking talent you could ask for out of a 22-year-old prospect, and boasts a style similar to that of Conor McGregor. He had little issue petrifying Salih Kulucan before putting him out cold with a straight left hand at the inaugural PFL Europe card, and could do turn in a repeat performance on Saturday.
Liverpool has a new rising star 🌟
You can check @CHughesMMA out and all the other fights this Saturday at @PFLEurope live on @DAZNMMA 👊 #adhttps://t.co/2G7ex1ySqC
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) July 7, 2023
Another name to monitor this weekend will surely be Ali Taleb. Taleb, who has no relation to Nordine Taleb, is a talented unbeaten who has absolutely bullied his opponents to seven finishes in eight wins, and he will look to do it again when he faces Switzerland’s Kenji Bortoluzzi at 135 pounds. Latvia’s Aleksandr Chizov is also scheduled for action, as is another big time English prospect in Liverpool’s Connor Hughes. Hughes may not be as outspoken his countryman McGrillen, but he is every bit as talented, particularly on the ground as four of his seven wins have come by way of rear naked choke. Meanwhile, Maxim Radu and Jakub Kaszuba, a fight between Italian and Polish prospects, is currently a pick-em on the odds and rising Irish fighter John Mitchell will look to make it three-in-a-row when he battles Geysim Derouiche out of France.
With fights subject to change as always, be sure to stay locked in to MMA Sucka for up-to-the-minute news and updates.
PFL Europe 2 Results
Francesco Nuzzi def. Farbod Iran Nezhad via Knockout (Head Kick) at 1:52 of Round 1
Khurshed Kakhorov def. Moktar Benkaci via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)***
Griet Eeckhout def. Lorena Cubero via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)
Frans Mlambo def. Rachid Haz via Majority Decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)**
Ali Taleb def. Kenji Bortoluzzi via TKO (punches) at 3:29 of Round 1
John Mitchell def. Geisym Derouiche via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Aleksandr Chizov vs. Acoidan Duque Ends in a Unanimous Draw*
Lewis McGrillen-Evans def. Amrali Saydoshurov via Knockout (Left Hook) at :12 of Round 2
Dylan Tuke def. Connor Hughes via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jakub Kaszuba def. Radu Maxim via Submission (RNC) at 3:19 of Round 1
Anatolij Baal def. Sebas Santana Guedes via TKO (strikes) at 4:16 of Round 2
Christina Breuer def. Ruby Mesu via TKO (strikes) at 3:12 of Round 2
*-Duque was deducted a point for missing weight, per PFL Europe rules. Chizov advances on the tiebreaker
**-Haz was deducted a point for missing weight, per PFL Europe rules.
***-Benkaci was deducted a point for missing weight, per PFL Europe rules.
