PFL has announced the full roster for the inaugural European league which includes a former sparring partner of UFC legend Conor McGregor.
McGregor's teammate Frans Mlambo, who is unbeaten in five fights, has signed with the PFL and will compete at their July event in Berlin. Mlambo was one of the main sparring partners for McGregor's 2017 fight with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and he also helped the Irishman prepare for his UFC world title wins against Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez.
The European league will debut on March 25 in Newcastle as British fighters Dakota Ditcheva and Simeon Powell will headline the event which takes place at the Vertu Motors Arena. PFL Senior Vice-president James Frewin insisted the promotion wanted to put together a roster of talented European fighters for their debut season.
"It's about making sure the roster of 32 athletes is exceptional, hitting four bits of criteria. One is a fighter that's unbeaten or on a significant winning streak. Two is generational talent, we've stayed away from journeymen. It also needs to be truly European, we've got 14 countries represented. This isn't a UK or western Europe heavy roster. We also wanted to make sure it was hyper competitive," Frewin told Mirror Fighting .
"Our vision for Europe and the other International leagues is for them to eventually become the same as the season in the US. We've got two regular season events for Europe, the winners of those two events go to the playoffs in Paris and the winners of that go to the finals in Dublin. It's more of a tournament-based format compared to the regular season."
PFL Europe will operate the same way as the promotion's regular league season format does, in which fighters across six weight classes compete for the chance to win $1million. Fighters across four weight classes will look to earn a spot on the main roster by competing in PFL Europe and the winner of each division will also take home $100,000.
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"We are here to create a true sports system that exists in football, basketball but not in MMA. If you win three fights in PFL Europe you not only win $100,000 but critically, as a fighter it gives you the pathway to the $1million season and becoming a world champion. In two years, the PFL Europe champion could become a world champion," Frewin added.
"That pathway doesn't exist anywhere in the world and that has given us the ability to attract the best talent. The fighters now have the opportunity to compete and win on a regular basis, being rewarded accordingly. Fans also have the opportunity to follow along the course of the season and the beauty of our format is that the stakes are high for every fight."
The other fighters from the UK and Ireland competing in the inaugural PFL Europe season are; John Mitchell, Dominique Wooding, Connor Hughes and Dylan Tuke. 22-year-old knockout artist Lewis McGrillen will also make his PFL debut on March 25 in a showcase bout but is not part of the European season.
