The PFL just locked in a major distribution win in the Middle East and North Africa.
Through a new multi-year media rights partnership with STARZPLAY, the Professional Fighters League will stream its full lineup of franchises — including PFL World Tournament, Champions Series, PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and PFL Africa — across 20 countries in the MENA region. This includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Pakistan, with PFL content available across STARZPLAY’s mobile and TV apps.
PFL programming officially kicks off on April 3 with the 2025 PFL World Tournament. The regional push intensifies on May 9 in Jeddah with the PFL MENA Season 2 quarterfinals, headlined by a marquee featherweight matchup between Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al-Qahtani (10-2) and Egypt’s Islam Reda (12-1). STARZPLAY will offer PFL MENA content for free throughout 2025 — a move likely designed to build a loyal base of MMA fans in the region.
This deal is as much about timing as it is about content. MMA is already booming in Saudi Arabia, with over 35 international medals earned by Saudi fighters since the PFL’s 2018 launch. And PFL isn’t just entering the region — it’s investing in it. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), through its SRJ Sports Investments arm, holds equity in the league, creating a strategic alignment between rights holder and distribution platform.
For STARZPLAY, the partnership is a clear play to deepen its sports portfolio, which already includes UFC, Serie A, and various cricket and boxing events. But PFL brings something different: exclusive regional talent, a season-based MMA format, and the potential to scale original content around one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide.
It’s also a reminder that while rights deals in the U.S. grab headlines, the streaming battle for international sports fans — particularly the young, digital-first audiences MMA attracts — is just getting started. The MENA market, with its swelling demand for regional sports heroes and global franchises, is becoming a high-stakes battleground.
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