PFL International Qualifier Series to Debut with Lightweight Tourney in Russia on Feb. 22

The Professional Fighters League “preseason” will begin in earnest later this month.

The promotion announced Wednesday that the debut of the PFL International Qualifier Series will take place at RCC Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia on Feb. 22. The event will feature a one-night, four-man lightweight tournament in which the winner will receive a spot on the PFL’s roster for the upcoming 2020 season.

Timur Nagibin will square off against Muratbek Kasimbay in one semifinal, while Mikhail Odintsov will lock horns with Vladimir Kanunnikov on the other half of the bracket.

As far as broadcast plans for the event, the PFL announced the following in a release: “The PFL International Qualifier Series live tournaments will be staged and distributed by the PFL’s co-promotion partners in their respective markets. The PFL will distribute the fights outside of those markets with its official broadcast partners in addition to streaming across the PFL Live App and the league’s digital channels on YouTube, Facebook and Twitch.”

The PFL International Qualifier Series will take place over the course of February and March with fighters from five markets, including Russia and the United Arab Emirates. Future tournaments will be announced in the coming weeks.