As the PFL Europe tournament enters its semi-final round, we look at the top prospects you need to look out for in Nantes on September 26.
The semi-finals of the PFL tournament descended upon France as the top 4 fighters in each division battled for a place in the competition final.
We’ve collated three of the top fighters you need to watch out for at PFL Europe 3, including the #1 Pound-for-Pound competitor in all of Europe.
Connor Hughes is looking to make the final after falling at the final hurdle in 2024
28-year-old Connor Hughes could have a massive future ahead of him, and should be the favorite to overcome Gino van Steenis in his PFL Europe Lightweight tournament semi-final fight.
Hughes is 11-2 in the octagon in his career, a record that has only been sullied by losses at previous PFL events.
He was beaten by Dylan Tuke at PFL Europe 2 in 2023 by unanimous decision, before making it all the way to the tournament final in 2024, before a heartbreaking TKO loss to Jakub Kaszuba ended his chance of glory.
A year later and Hughes has his eyes set on victory. A second-round knockout thanks to a vicious right hook on Sebastien Di Franco in the first round means business, and van Steenis should be worried as they head to Nantes for their semi-final clash.
Amin Ayoub should impress against the #7 Welterweight in Western Europe at PFL Europe 3
The main event of the night pits Amin Ayoub against Donovan Desmae, which will go a long way to determining who is the best fighter in Europe today.
Ayoub is a real talent coming out of France. He is already the #1 Pound-for-Pound fighter in Europe and it is a wonder why the UFC has not tried to poach him from the PFL yet.
He is a fantastic fighter who likes to win his fights by knocking his opponents to the canvas and forcing the referee to make a decision by hitting them with the ground-and-pound technique that ends so many of his fights.
Desmae is no slouch himself, earning the rank of #3 Pound-for-Pound fighter in Spain, but he will struggle against a man with the talent of Ayoub at PFL Europe 3.
Darragh Kelly could be the next big Irish prospect in MMA
Representing his home nation of Ireland, 27-year-old Darragh Kelly is aiming to win the PFL Lightweight tournament this year and continue his unbeaten streak in the octagon.
The Irishman has previously competed in PFL and Bellator, going undefeated with a 7-0 record just three years into his professional career.
Kelly made his debut for PFL in June this year, beating Mike Hamel in three rounds with a face cranked submission win, and hopes to build some momentum as he prepares to take on Bakhtiyar Abdulaev in a Lightweight tournament fight.
He was seen training with Conor McGregor back in 2022 and hopes to emulate the Notorious fighter’s success when he steps into the octagon again at PFL Europe 3.
PFL Europe 3 card
Main card
Lightweight: Amin Ayoub vs. Donovan Desmae
Middleweight: Boris Mbarga Atangana vs. Jhony Gregory
Bantamweight: Baris Adiguzel vs. Gustavo Oliveira
Lightweight: Connor Hughes vs. Gino van Steenis
Bantamweight: Dean Garnett vs. Jan Ciepłowski
Lightweight: Claudio Pacella vs. Aleksandr Chizov
Prelims
Lightweight: Darragh Kelly vs. Jason Ponet
Middleweight: Haider Khan vs. Sofiane Aïssaoui
Women’s Strawweight: Jade Jorand vs. Sammy-Jo Luxton
Lightweight: Sebastien Di Franco vs. Mark Ewen [e]
Women’s Strawweight: María Guédez Jr. vs. Kiya O’Sullivan