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Muhammad Ali’s grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh is set to make his professional fighting debut on one of the biggest MMA cards in history.
PFL vs Bellator will see the best fighters from two of the biggest promoters go head-to-head on Sunday.
Late last year the Professional Fighters League (PFL) acquired Bellator and work began on a co-promoted champions vs champions card.
Watch all the action from the 2024 Professional Fighters League. Streaming ad free, live and on demand on Stan Sport
The main card is stacked with Renan Ferreira taking on Ryan Bader in a heavyweight clash while middleweight honours will be fought between Impa Kasanganay and Johnny Eblen.
Former UFC fighters Thiago Santos and Yoel Romero will take each other on in the light heavyweight division.
Before the seven headline fights, four prelims will take place – one featuring Ali Walsh. He’ll take on Emmanuel Palacio in a lightweight fight.
Ali Walsh’s striking coach James Gifford said the grandson of the boxing great has all the attributes of the legend himself – as demonstrated by the fighter with a savage knockout in November last year.
“As far as Biaggio making his professional debut, his growth – it’s real,” said Gifford.
“You guys have seen it back home. You’ve seen what he’s done. Now it’s time to challenge himself.
“Biaggio is an exceptional athlete, literally on the one per cent scale when it comes to speed.
“His athleticism going back to his granddaddy, his brother Nico, it’s something that we want to utilise. You don’t want to take that off the table.
“Sometimes Biaggio wants to be a fan favourite and a crowd pleaser and wants to bite his mouthpiece and throw down.
“That’s great for you guys back home but as a coach it makes me bite my tongue a little bit. I expect big things from this kid. This is the first of many slow, small steps.”
Ali Walsh said he saw improvements with every camp leading up to the fight .
“Each camp I’m getting better and better,” he said.
“I’m learning so many more things, trying them out.
“Each camp is just more improved than the last one. Feeling good.
“Everything is going great. We’re just getting ready to fight now.”
Ali Walsh has a 6-1 record, with six wins on a row coming into his first professional fight.
PFL vs Bellator main fight card (from 7am AEDT)
Heavyweight – Renan Ferreira (12-3) vs Ryan Bader (31-7)
Middleweighty – Impa Kasanganay (15-3) vs Johnny Eblen (14-0)
Featherweight – Patrício ‘Pitbull’ Freire (35-7) vs Gabriel Alves Braga (12-1)
Catchweight (182 lb) – Ray Cooper III (25-9-1) vs Jason Jackson (17-4)
Heavyweight – Bruno Cappelozza (16-6) vs Vadim Nemkov (17-2)
Light Heavyweight – Thiago Santos (22-12) vs Yoel Romero (15-7)
Lightweight – Clay Collard (24-11) vs A.J. McKee (21-1)
PFL vs Bellator prelims (from 4am AEDT)
Featherweight – Aaron Pico (12-4) vs Henry Corrales (21-7)
Lightweight – Biaggio Ali Walsh (0-0) vs Emmanuel Palacio (1-))
Women’s Super Lightweight – Claressa Shields (1-1) vs Kelsey DeSantis (1-2)
Featherweight – Abdullah Al-Qahtan (7-1) vs Edukondala Rao (4-1)
How to watch PFL vs Bellator
Coverage of PFL vs Bellator is exclusive to Stan Sport customers and is not a pay-per-view fight.
Who are the biggest names?
Renan Ferreira (12-3) – PFL Heavyweight Champion
Ryan Bader (31-7) – Bellator Heavyweight Champion
Impa Kasanganay (15-3) – PFL Light Heavyweight Champion
Claressa Shields (1-1) – PFL Women’s Lightweight
Biaggio Ali Walsh – Making Pro MMA Debut
Patricio Pitbull (35-7) – Bellator Featherweight Champion
Jason Jackson (17-4) – Bellator Welterweight Champion
Henry Corrales (21-7) – Bellator Lightweight
Clay Collard (24-11) – Former PFL Lightweight Title Challenger
Johnny Eblen (14-0) – Bellator Middleweight Champion
Aaron Pico (12-4) – Bellator Lightweight
AJ McKee (21-1) – Former Bellator Featherweight Champion
Gabriel Braga (12-1) – Former PFL Title Challenger
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