Pouya Rahmani proud to represent UAE in upcoming PFL World Tournament

Pouya says he will be representing UAE proudly when he steps inside the PFL SmartCage. (@_pouyarahmani_ via Instagram)
Short Url
Updated 19 February 2025
Follow

Pouya Rahmani proud to represent UAE in upcoming PFL World Tournament

  • The 32-year-old fighter is undefeated in his MMA career with a record of 4 wins

DUBAI: Pouya Rahmani will have the biggest opportunity of his young mixed martial arts career when he joins the heavyweight division of the 2025 PFL World Tournament later this year.

The jiu-jitsu fighter is 4-0 in MMA, and will be looking to extend his winning streak in 2025.

“After my last fight, my manager asked me what I wanted. He offered to give me an opportunity to fight for the second-biggest MMA organization in the world, and I’m happy to fight in the tournament,” Pouya, 32, said.

“They have the best fighters in the world, and they’re all fighting for the title. This title, for me, is very important, and when I get that title, I’m going to have a much bigger goal.

“I’m going to challenge people from there, but until that happens, I just want to push myself to become PFL champion.”

Pouya says he will be representing UAE proudly when he steps inside the PFL SmartCage.

“I’m going to represent where I live now, the UAE. For four years I’ve lived here, and I’m so happy because everything I have achieved in MMA, I started in the UAE, and I’m going to represent that in the PFL,” the Iran-born fighter explained.

“It’s going to be my honor to represent this beautiful country. They’re open for everyone, and they give us the opportunity to train hard, push ourselves to the limit, and train with the best so that we have the opportunity to fight in the best organizations. I’m happy to be competing for them.”

A decorated amateur grappler with titles at the World Beach Games and the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro circuit in Gi and No-Gi tournaments, it is clear that Rahmani will be looking to take his opponents down.

“I’m the best grappler in the whole MMA community,” said Pouya. “No MMA fighter can do what I can do in grappling. I became world champion in grappling.

“No one can do the same thing as me. So it’s not just about getting the takedown, but also about how to control the guy. You can see a lot of people can take people down, (but) their opponents stand back up, you know.”

All of Rahmani’s wins have come by way of stoppage. Most recently, he won by first-round submission under the Absolute Championship Akhmat banner.

“In my last four fights, when I take someone down, it’s over. No one can move under me. It’s not because of magic or because of power, it’s because I train a lot for that,” Pouya said.

“I spend a lot of my time every day, learning to be the best grappler in the world. It’s not just about wrestling, it’s about learning jiu jitsu, learning control, so I can be dangerous in any position,” he added.

There is no doubt the 1.87-meter Iranian fighter will be a handful for the rest of the heavyweight field at the inaugural PFL World Tournament.

The 2025 PFL World Tournament will feature 64 fighters competing in eight weight divisions, with $500,000 at stake.

The tournament begins in April, with the first four events of the first round at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, US. The semifinal round is in June, and the finals in August.


Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao agree to a rematch in September in Las Vegas

Updated 10 sec ago
Follow

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao agree to a rematch in September in Las Vegas

  • The rematch is the latest bout to land on Netflix as the platform continues to scoop up top fights for its live sports programming

LOS ANGELES: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have agreed to a rematch of their landmark 2015 bout.

Their second fight will be held Sept. 19 in Las Vegas, the boxing icons announced Monday. The rematch, which will be streamed on Netflix, will be the first boxing event to be held at Sphere, the immersive event venue east of the Strip.

Mayweather, who turns 49 years old on Tuesday, announced his intention last week to end his nine-year retirement from competitive boxing. The 47-year-old Pacquiao ended his own four-year retirement last year, and he is scheduled to meet Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18 in the second bout of his comeback.

Mayweather and Pacquiao didn’t announce a weight class or length for their second bout.

The two most prominent boxers of their generation will meet again 11 years after Mayweather beat Pacquiao by decision in a fight that didn’t live up to the decade of hype preceding it. The bout’s promoters claimed it was still the most profitable fight in history, setting pay-per-view records and attracting worldwide attention.

“I already fought and beat Manny once,” Mayweather said in a statement. “This time will be the same result.”

Pacquiao later revealed he fought with a shoulder injury because he didn’t want to postpone such an important event. He was unable to apply his usual offensive pressure to Mayweather, who employed his usual defense-first strategy while easing to victory.

“The fans have waited long enough — they deserve this rematch,” Pacquiao said. “I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him.”

The fighters’ first meeting happened more than a half-decade after fans first began to clamor for an obvious matchup between two similarly sized greats. Both sides blamed the other for the delay at times, but Mayweather always asserted he would fight whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted — leading many fans to believe Mayweather waited to accept the bout until he felt age had taken a bit of sting out of Pacquiao’s famously vicious punches.

Both fighters are now much more than a decade removed from their primes, but Mayweather and Pacquiao remain two of the biggest names in boxing.

After Mayweather beat Conor McGregor in 2017 and retired with a 50-0 record, he spent much of his 40s competing in lucrative boxing “exhibitions” against YouTubers and fringe competitors while largely maintaining his lavish lifestyle outside the ring. He is currently in legal disputes with multiple alleged creditors over issues ranging from unpaid rent on a Manhattan apartment to outstanding jewelry bills.

Mayweather has announced another exhibition against 59-year-old Mike Tyson this spring, although the bout still doesn’t have a location or date.

Pacquiao ran unsuccessfully for the presidency of his native Philippines and then lost in the Philippine Senate election last May. He returned to the ring two months after that political setback, fighting WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a majority draw while trying to become the oldest 147-pound champion.

The rematch is the latest bout to land on Netflix as the platform continues to scoop up top fights for its live sports programming. The streamer showcased Terence Crawford’s victory over Canelo Álvarez last year, and it will present heavyweight champ Tyson Fury’s comeback bout in April.

The Sphere venue, which opened in 2023, hosted a UFC show in 2024. UFC President Dana White said the promotion had to pay roughly $20 million to produce that show — about 10 times more than a normal UFC pay-per-view event — because of the venue’s unusual capabilities and requirements.