The Professional Fighters League have revealed a number of Irish names set to feature on their European Championship Final event, which takes place on Friday 8th December in Dublin’s 3Arena.
Most notably, a showdown between SBG Charlestown’s Andreeas Binder (8-2)and SBG Ireland’s Daniele Scatizzi (12-7) is slated to take place on the card. Binder most recently captured the Levels Fight League lightweight title with an impressive 4th-round KO of UK veteran Aiden Lee. Meanwhile, Scatizzi will be hoping to return to winning ways after suffering a decision loss to Dmytrii Hrytsenko under the Bellator banner in February.
With John Mitchell and Frans Mlambo already set to compete for €100k each in the lightweight and bantamweight finals, PFL have added a number of other Irish fighters to the highly anticipated card.
SBG Ireland featherweight prospect Nathan Kelly (8-2) is set to make his 4th walk under the PFL banner in Dublin. The Finglas fighter is undefeated since joining the promotion last year, and is currently riding an 8-fight win streak dating back to 2018.
Dylan “The Nuke” Tuke will once again return to the PFL cage. Hailing from Dublin’s north inner city but now living and training in Bathgate, Scotland, Tuke is set to fight on Irish soil for the first time since 2017. His last appearance in 3Arena saw Tuke score a highlight-reel finish over David Khalsa in front of a hometown crowd.
“How would you have a show in Dublin without me?! I am D1!”, Tuke commented to SevereMMA.com.
Joining fellow Galwegian Andreeas Binder, longtime Irish pro Ben Davis (8-6) is also listed as one of the names to feature in 3Arena. The Shaolin MMA fighter will be looking to return to winning ways after suffering a 1st-round loss last October.
Rounding out the Irish inclusions on the card to date, 19-year-old SBG Ireland fighter Nate “The Great” Kelly will feature in an amateur bout on the night.
The full press release, which Severe MMA obtained a copy of, can be read below:
PFL ANNOUNCES IRISH TAKEOVER OF 2023 PFL EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIP FROM THE 3ARENA ON FRIDAY DECEMBER 8 2023 PFL Europe Championship will be the biggest night in European MMA with four title fights in one night
Headlined by Ireland’s John Mitchell and Frans Mlambo both competing to become PFL Europe Champion and secure the $100,000 prize
Rising Irish stars Nate Kelly, Dylan Tuke, Andreeas Binder and Ben Davis have all been added to PFL’s debut show in Dublin
Dublin’s own wonderkid Nate ‘The Great’ Kelly to make PFL Europe debut in amateur bout
2023 PFL Europe Championship, Friday, December 8 at the 3Arena in Dublin, live on DAZN Tickets now available at Ticketmaster.ie
DUBLIN (October 24) – The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, has announced that seven Irish athletes will compete at the 2023 PFL Europe Championship on Friday December 8th from the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.
Following a grueling PFL Europe Season, John Mitchell from Cork will face Jakub Kaszuba from Poland for the Lightweight Championship. Dublin’s own Frans Mlambo will also enter the PFL Smartcage to take on Khurshed Kakhorov from Germany for the Bantamweight crown.
The stakes could not be higher with both Mitchell and Mlambo competing on Irish soil to become the first Irishmen to win a PFL Europe Championship and the $100,000 prize.
The 2023 PFL Europe Championship will also see two other PFL Europe title fights including rising English star Simeon Powell taking on the hard-hitting Jakob Nedoh (Slovenia) for the Light-heavyweight title. The exceptional Dakota Ditcheva (England) will look to go 10-0 against Dublin-native Valentina Scatizzi (Italy) for the Women’s Flyweight title.
Beyond the four PFL Europe title fights, the PFL announced today the addition of several exceptional Irish athletes to what is one of the most stacked cards to take place in Ireland. Irish stars added to the card include Nate Kelly, Dylan Tuke, Andreeas Binder and Ben Davis, who will all compete in showcase bouts.
Nate Kelly is on an incredible eight-fight win streak and Dylan Tuke is looking for a quick bounce back from a close decision loss in the PFL Europe Playoffs in Paris last month.
Also added to the December 8th card is the PFL debut of Galway’s Andreeas Binder, taking on Daniele Scatizzi. Daniele is the brother of Valentina Scatizzi and this will be the first time a brother and sister have competed in the PFL Smartcage.
The hugely experienced stalwart of the Irish MMA scene, Ben Davis, will also make his debut as he looks to join the PFL roster for 2024.
Finally, one of Ireland’s most highly rated prospects, Nate ‘The Great’ Kelly, will make his PFL debut in his home city. The 19 year old teenage sensation is a 2 x Amateur World Champion and 11 x National Kickboxing Champion. Nate is widely regarded as the future of the sport in Ireland.
Dan Hardy, Head of Fighter Operations for PFL Europe: “Supporting the two Irish representatives in the championship bouts, we have a stacked undercard of Irish stars ready to put on a show for the Dublin fans. From high level amateurs to the next generation of European and World champions, PFL Europe in Dublin will showcase the best of Irish talent that the Emerald Isle has to offer.”
PFL Europe Championship match-ups: ● Lightweight – John Mitchell (Ireland) vs Jakub Kaszuba (Poland) ● Bantamweight – Frans Mlambo (Ireland) vs Khurshed Kakhorov (Germany) ● Women’s Flyweight – Dakota Ditcheva (England) vs Valentina Scatizzi (Italy) ● Light Heavyweight – Simeon Powell (England) vs Jakob Nedoh (Slovenia)
PFL Europe is the PFL’s first international league and showcases the very best MMA athletes across Europe, which began in Newcastle on March 25. The ground-breaking league features 32 of Europe’s top fighters from 14 countries competing across four weight divisions. After four events, four PFL Europe Champions will be crowned, with each Champion taking home $100,000. Champions also have a chance to earn a spot on the PFL Global Roster and the $1 million global season prize.
Andy is a multimedia reporter, interviewer, writer, with a strong focus on Irish MMA. Co-host of The Auld Triangle podcast. Follow Andy on Twitter (@andyste123) and Instagram (@andystevensonMMA).
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