The
Professional Fighters League will tie a bow on its latest
season when it crowns its third set of champions in a calendar year
through the
PFL Europe 2024 Finals on Saturday at the LDLC Arena in Lyon,
France. Six-figure contracts are to be awarded in the bantamweight,
lightweight, welterweight and women’s flyweight divisions.

Jakub
Kaszuba puts his perfect 13-0 record on the line and gets his
chance to become the first-ever two-time PFL Europe champion when
he meets Connor
Hughes in the lightweight final. Kaszuba, 29, advanced in the
draw with back-to-back unanimous decisions over Kane Mousah
and Daniele
Scatizzi. The Pole operates out of a Gracie Barra affiliate in
Jacksonville, Florida, and figures to be a lock for the PFL’s
global season in 2025 should he repeat at 155 pounds. Hughes,
meanwhile, enters the cage on the strength of a three-fight winning
streak. He last saw action at PFL Europe 3, where he took a
unanimous decision from Ignacio
Capella in their three-round semifinal. Hughes boasts eight
finishes among his 10 career victories, six of them inside one
round.

Beyond Kaszuba chasing history, here are three other reasons to
catch the PFL Europe 2024 Finals:

Blink at Your Own Risk

A time-honored combination of charisma and heavy hands made

Lewis McGrillen-Evans a person of interest on the regional
scene just as the PFL set out in search of such talents. The
24-year-old Manchester Top Team rep now finds himself in position
to pursue a $100,000 payday in the bantamweight final opposite
Alexander
Luster. McGrillen-Evans planted his flag deeper into PFL soil
and made his intentions clear on Sept. 28, when he filled in for
Khurshed
Kakhorov as an injury alternate and punched out Dean
Garnett in the third round of their 135-pound semifinal. It was
his fifth one-punch knockout as a pro. On the other side of the
equation, the once-beaten Luster has rattled off four straight
victories, three of the via submission. He qualified for the final
with consecutive rear-naked choke finishes of Alperen
Karabulut and Julien
Lopez.

Cinderella Man

Apparent advantages in the experience and grappling departments
have afforded Daniele
Miceli the opportunity to be the last man standing at 170
pounds. The resurgent Italian looks to complete his Cinderella run
when he confronts Florim
Zendeli in the welterweight final. Miceli, 37, cruised through
the bracket with a 27-second submission of Yassin
Najid and an 86-second technical knockout of Ibrahima
Mane. Each of his last nine outings has ended inside the
distance. Zendeli, meanwhile, steps back into view on a five-fight
unbeaten streak during which he has compiled a 4-0-1 record. He
advanced to the tournament championship at PFL 3, where he was
awarded split scorecards against Jack Grant in
September. Zendeli has secured six of his seven career victories by
knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Hunting Another Gem

The PFL struck gold in the women’s flyweight division with Dakota
Ditcheva and undoubtedly hopes to do so again, even though
those odds seem remote at best. Nevertheless, Paulina
Wisniewska puts her unblemished record at risk when she toes
the line against Valentina
Scatizzi in the 125-pound final. Wisniewska, 26, nailed down
her spot in the tournament championship with a second-round
technical knockout of Dee Begley
on June 8 and a three-round unanimous decision over Karolina
Wojcik in September. She trains with MMA Team Ostrada in her
native Poland. On the other side of the bracket, Scatizzi steps in
as a late-notice injury replacement for blue-chip
Great Britain Top Team prospect Shanelle
Dyer. The 28-year-old
SBG Ireland export wound up on the wrong side of a split
verdict against Dyer in their Sept. 28 semifinal.