Saudi victories in the Professional Fighters League “PFL MENA” and anticipation for the semi-finals of “Gulf 27”

The Saudi Mustafa Nada settled his fiery confrontation with the Egyptian Osama Al-Saeedi by submission, while his compatriot Fatima Al-Amari snatched a victory by knockout against the Algerian Aya Lounis, on a night that witnessed the determination of a number of finalists for the finals of the Professional Fighters League for the Middle East and North Africa region “PFL MENA” during the 11th edition competitions that were held on Friday evening at the “Global” Theater in Boulevard City in Riyadh.

The fights brought a third Saudi victory through Al-Rida Al-Nimr, who surpassed Bahraini Ali Al-Shuwaikh by decision of the referees, while Moroccan Badr Al-Din Diagne, Algerians Abdelkarim Zouad and Elias Giron, Tunisian Mehdi Saadi and Iraqi Mohamed Fahmi reserved their seats in the finals scheduled for the city of Al-Khobar on December 11th.

In a confrontation whose story extends for about 10 years, Mustafa Neda entered his fight against Al-Saeedi in search of a tie in the record of their meetings, after each of them achieved a victory over the other.

The Saudi fighter was able to end the confrontation with submission at the second minute and 33 seconds of the second round, deciding the third fight with a preference of two victories to one.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Nada expressed his pride in participating and winning, saying: “I am happy to represent the country in a strong event like this,” stressing that his ambitions go beyond the results of his fights to leave an impact on emerging talents. He added: “My plans in the future are to be a good role model for the champions of the next generation.”

Fatima Al-Ammari gave the Saudi audience another moment to celebrate, after she ended her fight against Algerian Aya Lounis with a knockout at the first minute and five seconds of the second round, in her first participation in the heavyweight category.

Al-Ammari told Asharq Al-Awsat that what preceded the confrontation increased her insistence on responding inside the cage, adding: “You tried to provoke me in the confrontation yesterday, but I preferred to respond inside the ring, and responding was not easy. “It cost her the final blow.” She responded to questions about her nationality by saying: “I am truly Saudi.”

Al-Amari's victory was praised by Gustavo Firmino, Vice President of Fighters Affairs and Director of Fights at the Professional Fighters League, who confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that "the level of the Saudis is very strong," recalling the beginning of the Saudi fighter's desire to join the tournament.

Firmino said: “Fatima Al-Amari spoke to me two years ago, when she was 16 years old, and she was excited and wanted to participate in the tournament, but that was not legally permissible. “I promised her we would sign her when she turned 18, and it’s great to see her win today by knockout.”

Al-Rida Al-Nimr opened the series of Saudi victories by defeating Bahraini Ali Al-Shuwaikh, after entering the fight card as a substitute late. Al-Nimr decided the confrontation with a score of 30-27 on the referees’ cards, translating his last-minute participation into a victory.

In the welterweight semi-finals, Moroccan Badr Eddine Diani ended his confrontation with Jordanian Hazem Kayali by submission at the third minute and five seconds of the second round, using the triangle arm choke technique, to reserve his place in the final fight for the title for the second time.

Diagne confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that his qualification increased his confidence in his ability to win the title, saying: “Qualifying to the final for the second time puts me only one step away from the belt, and I will snatch the title soon.”

Diagne set up a match with Algerian Abdelkarim Zawad, who beat Jordanian Omar Hussein by unanimous vote of the judges, after the cards came with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27, so that the final of the welterweight contest was decided between two fighters who crossed the semi-finals in two different ways. Diani by subjugation and Zawad by the decision of the rulers.

In the light weight category, Algerian Elias Giron did not need more than one round to resolve his confrontation with Egyptian Assem Ghanem, as he snatched the victory by technical knockout at the third minute and five seconds of the first round, ensuring qualification to the final.

Jiron told Asharq Al-Awsat that his confidence in victory did not prevent him from being surprised by the speed of the confrontation’s resolution, explaining: “I expected victory, but I did not expect it so quickly, and I am always prepared for everything.”

Giron will face the Iraqi Mohamed Fahmi, who in turn reserved the pass by consensus of the referees, with cards amounting to 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27, completing the final confrontation between the Algerian and Iraqi fighters in Al-Khobar.

As for the featherweight semi-finals, Tunisian Mehdi Saadi overcame Syrian Shadi Kabbani by the referees’ decision, after a confrontation that extended to the end, to join the list of those qualified for the final stage.

Saadi admitted that it was difficult to start against his opponent, and he told Asharq Al-Awsat: “I was amazed by the level of my opponent in the first round and the way he played, but I was able to win and qualify for the final,” referring to the challenge he faced before getting the pass.

As the competitions moved to Al-Khobar, the Saudi fighter Ahmed Al-Ibrahim revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat about his expected participation in the next event, saying: “I will play in the city of Al-Khobar next December 11, and I am very excited to fight this fight.”

Attention is turning to Al-Khobar to complete the title fight, most notably the confrontation between Diagne and Zawad for the welterweight belt, and the fight between Giron and Fahmy for the lightweight title, after the Riyadh night shaped the finals and witnessed Saudi victories by submission, knockout, and referees’ decision.

On Saturday evening, the attention of football fans turns towards the city of Jeddah, where the anticipated confrontations will be held at the “Gulf 27” semi-final station, as the Saudi national team collides with its Qatari counterpart at Al-Enmaa Stadium, in King Abdullah Sports City, while the Emirati and Omani national teams meet at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.

The four teams enter the semi-final battle carrying a long legacy in the history of the tournament, where the language of numbers dominates the scene before the starting whistle, putting historical superiority on one hand, and the ambitions of decisiveness on the other hand.

The confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar opens the history book in the Gulf tournaments with 22 previous matches, during which “Al-Akhdar” has the advantage by achieving 10 victories, compared to only 3 victories for “Al-Anabi”, while there were draws in 9 previous confrontations.

The attacking strength of the Saudi side was embodied in scoring 34 goals, compared to 14 goals for the Qatari team.

The Saudi team enters the match with a technical and moral advantage, after enhancing its record in this edition with 3 consecutive victories and a complete clean sheet during the group stage, to collide with the Qatari team, who qualified as runner-up in the second group, in a rematch of the “Gulf 24” semi-final in Doha, which “Al-Akhdar” won with a clean goal.

In the second meeting, the “White” and “Red” derby will be renewed in an Emirati-Omani confrontation bearing the number 23 in the history of the Gulf Cup tournaments, and the language of numbers favors the UAE team with 12 victories, compared to 3 victories for the Omani team, while 7 matches ended in a draw.

The Emirati attack scored 26 goals compared to 13 goals for the Oman national team, and this confrontation bears a special character that brings to mind two historic finals between the two parties. The first was in “Gulf 18” in 2007, when Al-Abyad won the title, and the second was in “Gulf 23” in 2018, when Oman’s Red won the title on penalties, which adds complex tactical and psychological dimensions to the qualification struggle.

Despite the digital evidence that favors the Saudi “green” and the Emirati “white,” throughout the extended history of the regional championship, the reality of the knockout rounds imposes different tactical provisions that go beyond the legacy of the past. Technical readiness and the ability to deal with public pressures inside the green rectangle and exploit small details is the real deciding factor in such major dates.

Between the desire of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates to confirm field advantage and reach the coronation scene, and the efforts of Qatar and Oman to break historical records and formulate a new reality on the field, the final cards remain pending until the final moments of the ninety minutes, and perhaps beyond that until extra times and penalty kicks.