Top Reasons to Catch PFL Europe 2

The Professional Fighters League will soon spread its wings further into The Old Continent.

As the company leans into another international season, PFL Europe 2 on Saturday features quarterfinal showdowns in the welterweight, bantamweight and women’s flyweight divisions at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England. Tournament winners in each division earn a $100,000 prize, a championship belt and a chance to earn a spot on the Professional Fighters League’s domestic roster, along with the accompanying prestige.

Here are three reasons to catch PFL Europe 2:

Killer Crossover

Reigning undisputed super-middleweight boxing champion Savannah Marshall makes her highly anticipated mixed martial arts debut in the main event, where she squares off with Mirela Vargas at 160 pounds. Marshall, 33, owns a 13-1 record with 10 knockouts as a pro boxer, having suffered her only setback in a 10-round unanimous decision defeat to Claressa Shields in 2022. The Hartlepool, England, native captured the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring super-middleweight titles on July 1, when she was awarded a majority decision over Franchon Crews-Dezurn. Now, Marshall dips her toes in a different pool. Vargas provides her first test, as the 26-year-old Brazilian steps into the spotlight on the heels of back-to-back losses to Daiane Silva. She last fought under the Iron Man MMA banner on Nov. 17, when Silva stopped her with unanswered punches from full mount in the first round of their rematch.

Britain’s Got Talent

One of the sport’s more promising prospects gets another chance to move ever closer to a higher competitive tax bracket when the unbeaten Shanelle Dyer meets Mariam Torchinava in a women’s flyweight quarterfinal. The winner advances to face either Lizzy Gevers or Sammy Jo Luxton in the next round. Dyer, 23, has finished three of her first four opponents, two of them inside one round. She operates out of Great Britain Top Team, where she hones her skills under respected Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Brad Pickett. Torchinava, meanwhile, has rattled off five consecutive victories. She last competed on Dec. 15, when she outpointed Makhliyo Khabibullaeva to a unanimous decision at a Georgian Fighting Championship show. Torchinava has delivered six of her eight wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Upward Trajectory

Ibragim Ibragimov looks like a potential star in the making. The promising Manchester Top Team product attempts to build upon a pristine 6-0 record in his promotional debut opposite Josh Reed at 145 pounds. Ibragimov, 20, enjoyed a steady rise on the European regional scene, dispatching five of his first six opponents inside the distance. “The Mauler” last suited up in September, when he buried Joaquim Polonia with a third-round head kick and follow-up punches to claim the Caged Steel MMA lightweight title. On the other side of the equation, Reed has spent the majority of his career in the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship organization. The 32-year-old Welshman last competed under the Samurai Fighting Championship flag on Nov. 25, when he needed just 79 seconds to put away Corrin Eaton with a guillotine choke.