On a night that saw French star Cedric Doumbe call on a host of young French prospects to stand and strike their way to a PFL contract, England’s Lewis McGrillen showed just what sort of action the kickboxing superstar was talking about with a blistering display to capture the PFL Europe bantamweight championship.
The PFL Europe season finale took place in Lyon, France, where a passionate crowd of fight fans cheered to the rafters as the fighters in the four season finals battled it out for championship gold and $100,000 in individual prize money.
The event saw four new champions crowned, with McGrillen producing the outstanding performance of the night in a thrilling back-and-forth battle with German submission specialist Alexander Luster.
Poland’s Jakub Kaszuba became a back-to-back PFL Europe champion by capturing the lightweight crown for a second successive season, thanks to a typically gritty performance in the final against Connor Hughes.
Hughes started well and was winning the stand-up exchanges through the opening five minutes. But Once Kaszuba started to find success with his wrestling, the momentum swung firmly in the Pole’s favour, and he eventually forced the stoppage with relentless ground and pound in the fourth round.
It was a much more straightforward win for Kaszuba’s compatriot Paulina Wisniewska, who needed just 20 seconds to drop, then stop two-time finalist Valentina Scatizzi in the women’s flyweight finale.
Scatizzi lost out to Dakota Ditcheva in last year’s finale, and had high hopes that she could turn things around in her second successive final. But Wisniewska hurt the Italian early to score a quickfire win and claim the 125-pound crown.
The night’s other championship winner came in the welterweight division, as Florim Zendeli showcased his finishing ability with an impressive first-round stoppage of Daniele Micele to capture the 170-pound title.
The top of the fight card featured the return of French MMA star “The Lazy King” Abdoul Abdouraguimov, who claimed a unanimous decision victory over Argentina’s Laureano Staropoli, while Belgian hot prospect Patrick Habirora claimed a show-stealing third-round knockout of Catalin Safta in the co-main event.
The night also saw a trio of “Doumbe Decides” fights that saw six prospects battle it out over three matchups in a bid to impress French combat sports superstar Cedric Doumbe and earn a PFL contract.
In the end, Doumbe awarded contracts to all three winners, with Salvo Giudice, Mahio Campanella and Mathys Duragrin each getting the chance to showcase their skills in PFL Europe in 2025.
He also then called on the French fans to help him choose his next opponent, with “The Best” ending things with a call to fight the man he controversially lost to as a result of a shard of glass being stuck in his foot, Baysangur Chamsoudinov.
PFL Europe Championship: Official results
- Abdoul Abdouraguimov def. Laureano Staropoli via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
- Patrick Habirora def. Catalin Safta via knockout – Round 3, 2:16
- Mickael Groguhe def. Lamine Sene via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Lewis McGrillen def. Alexander Luster via TKO – Round 2, 3:52 – for PFL Europe bantamweight championship
- Jakub Kaszuba def. Connor Hughes via TKO – Round 4, 4:07 – for PFL Europe lightweight championship
- Mathys Duragrin def. Yassin Chtatou via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 20-25) – Doumbe Decides bout
- Mahio Campanella def. Ezzoubair Bouarsa via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:45 – Doumbe Decides bout
- Salvo Giudice def. Atilla Kobas via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-25) – Doumbe Decides bout
- Florim Zendeli def. Daniele Miceli via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:24 – for PFL Europe welterweight championship
- Paulina Wisniewska def. Valentina Scatizzi via TKO – Round 1, 0:20 – for PFL Europe women’s flyweight championship
- Eoin Sheridan def. Brice Belghazi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Claudio Pacella def. Oscar Ownsworth via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)