Nada seals 10-year trilogy with guillotine choke to headline PFL MENA 11 semifinals

Mostafa Rashed Nada brought a 10-year rivalry to a definitive close, submitting Osama ElSeady with a guillotine choke at 2:33 of Round 2 to headline the PFL MENA 11 semifinals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The victory marked the third submission win of Nada’s career and settled the rubber match between two former Desert Force titleholders.

ElSeady, returning to competition after a nearly three-year absence, showed signs of ring rust throughout the contest, repeatedly diving for takedowns and attempting to stall on the canvas. Nada (10-4, 3-1 PFL) found his opponent’s chin with right hands on multiple occasions, each time sending ElSeady (9-4, 0-2 PFL) to the floor. The finish came when Nada sprawled on yet another takedown attempt and locked in the guillotine, adjusting his position before forcing the tap.

In the co-main event, Badreddine Diani (12-4, 5-1 PFL) survived an aggressive first round from IMMAF medalist Hazem Kayyali to earn his place in the 170-pound tournament final on December 11. Kayyali threatened with multiple submission attempts in Round 1 and landed a well-timed jumping kick early in the second, but the former UAE Warriors titleholder weathered the pressure and responded with a tight arm-triangle choke that forced the tap at 3:05 of Round 2.

The other welterweight semifinal went the distance, with Brave Combat Federation veteran Abdelkrim Zouad (9-2, 2-0 PFL) defeating Omar Hussein (12-8, 1-3 PFL) by unanimous decision on scores of 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27.

At lightweight, Ylies Djiroun (26-9, 2-2 PFL) punched his ticket to the final by stopping Assem Ghanem (7-1, 1-1 PFL) at 3:06 of Round 1. Ghanem, who took the fight on short notice after Basel Ahmed Shalaan missed weight, attempted an ill-advised takedown that Djiroun stuffed before pinning his opponent against the cage and landing the punches that prompted the referee’s intervention. Djiroun will face 2025 finalist Mohammad Fahmi (7-1, 3-1 PFL) in December, after Fahmi outpointed Egypt’s Ahmed El Sisy via unanimous decision to reach the final for the second consecutive year.

In the sole 145-pound semifinal, Mehdi Saadi (8-2, 2-0 PFL) edged Shadi Kabbani (5-1, 1-1 PFL) by split decision — 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 — despite coming close to a finish with a kneebar in the opening round. The Tunisian will meet Elias Boudegzdame (21-9, 2-1 PFL) in the featherweight tournament final.