RIYADH: Al-Hilal host Al-Orobah in a first meeting between the two sides at the Kingdom Arena at 7:05pm today, Monday, as part of Round 31 of the Saudi Pro League (Roshn League).

Both teams head into the match looking to extend their winning streaks — Al-Hilal defeated Al-Raed 5-3, while Al-Orobah overcame Al-Riyadh 4-2 in the previous round.

The two sides have previously faced off five times in the Pro League, with no matches ending in a draw. Al-Hilal won four of those encounters, while Al-Orobah claimed one victory.

In their most recent clash, which took place at Al-Jouf University Stadium in Round 13 of the first half of the season, Al-Hilal recorded their largest-ever win over Al-Orobah, scoring five goals.

Interim Al-Hilal coach Mohammed Al-Shalhoub aims to secure all three points and maintain pressure on league leaders Al-Ittihad, who currently sit six points ahead. He is expected to rely on the same lineup that faced Al-Raed, with the return of Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo.

On the other side, Al-Orobah’s Spanish coach Antonio Cazorla hopes to win and move away from the relegation zone, counting on key players including Syrian striker Omar Al-Somah, Spaniard Cristian Tello, and Jordanian defender Muhannad Abu Taha.

Al-Hilal currently sit second in the league table with 65 points, while Al-Orobah is in 16th place with 30 points.

And at 9:00pm Al-Okhdood’s football team will be aiming for their first-ever victory over Al-Nassr at Prince Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Najran.

The two teams have met three times in the Pro League, with Al-Nassr winning all three matches. Al-Okhdood is now seeking their first victory against the Yellow team in the top flight.

Al-Okhdood currently sit in 17th place — second from bottom — with 28 points, and is fighting to avoid relegation. The team will be missing one of its key players, Brazilian midfielder Petros Matheus, due to injury.

On the other hand, Al-Nassr is in fourth place in the league table with 60 points and is looking to bounce back from a 3-2 home defeat to Al-Ittihad in the previous round.

It’s worth noting that the first-leg match between the two sides ended in a 3-1 victory for Al-Nassr, with Sadio Mane scoring twice and Cristiano Ronaldo adding a goal, while Saviour Godwin scored Al-Okhdood’s  goal.

JEDDAH: The second season of PFL MENA got off to an exciting start at the weekend with wins for local favorites, and fighters in the featherweight and lightweight divisions advancing to the playoffs.

In the main event at the Onyx Arena, 2024 PFL lightweight champion Mohsen Mohammadseifi of Iran beat Egypt’s Ahmed El-Sisy by unanimous decision to advance to the semifinals.

Mohammadseifi leaned on his striking in the early rounds before shifting gears and showcasing his grappling in the final frame to seal the victory.

In the co-main event, PFL MENA newcomer Salah Eddine Hamli of Morocco clinched a spot in the lightweight semifinals with a slick third-round submission victory over Bahrain’s Abbas Khan.

Taha Bendaoud of Morocco needed just over two minutes to put away Boualem Drissi of Algeria by submission and secure his spot in the featherweight semifinals.

Malik Basahel of Saudi Arabia made a statement in his professional debut, scoring a second-round TKO win over Algeria’s Mountasser Boutouta in a showcase flyweight bout.

Basahel said: “I felt good in there during the fight, I trained hard and well for this fight with my team down at AVT Leeds, so I came in prepared and ready.

“There’s not much difference from amateur and pro, just probably the rules set and the extra two minutes in the round but a fight is still just a fight at the end of the day.”

He added: “I’m always going in a fight knowing I’m going to win, even if the first round is not going my way.

“I’m always confident I can turn the fight around if I have to, but for this fight I would say halfway through the first round I figured out the distance and what he wanted to do and managed to overcome that and get the win.”

Displaying sharp, well-rounded striking, Basahel picked Boutouta apart with punches, knees and kicks. He sealed the deal in the second round with a perfectly timed knee, followed by a flurry of ground-and-pound to force the stoppage.

A commanding performance from bell to bell earned Egypt’s Assem Ghanem a spot in the featherweight semifinals, as he smothered Hussein Salem of Iraq over three rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory.

Islam Reda of Egypt punched his way into the featherweight semifinals with a crushing third-round TKO win over Algeria’s Akram Nasri. There was no stopping Reda after getting into full mount in the final round, as he unloaded a barrage of punches to get the win.

Mohammad Fahmi of Iraq also secured a spot in the lightweight semifinals with a dominant performance, submitting Georges Eid of Lebanon via Anaconda Choke at the 3:12 mark in the first round.

In the final fight of his MMA career, Ahmed Makki of Saudi Arabia went out with a bang, as he notched a third-round Heel-Hook submission win over Hasham Elnamer of Egypt in a showcase lightweight bout.

“It was more than I imagined,” Makki said. “To go out there and perform the way I did, in front of such an incredible crowd, meant everything to me.

“I wanted my last fight to be a statement, not just for myself, but for everyone who’s supported me throughout the years. I’m proud that I was able to end my career on a high note.”

“Retirement doesn’t mean stepping away from the sport completely,” he added.

“I’m excited to focus on mentoring young talent, possibly coaching, and working on projects that help grow MMA in the region, especially here in Saudi Arabia.

“I’m also diving deeper into social media to connect with fans and share more behind-the-scenes content, as well as doing fight analysis and commentary. It’s a new chapter but still rooted in the sport I love.”

Souhil Tairi of Algeria also advanced to the lightweight semifinals with a spectacular second-round TKO over Kuwait’s Abdullah Saleem. A devastating knee to the body spelled the beginning of the end for Saleem, as Tairi followed up with vicious strikes on the ground to score the win.

Eman Almudhaf of Kuwait remained undefeated in her MMA career with a win over Shamara Braga of Brazil in a showcase women’s featherweight bout. Almudhaf bucked a slow opening round and put the pressure on Braga in the second and third rounds to earn a split decision victory.

In the opening bout of the night, Abdulaziz Al-Moammar of Saudi Arabia beat Fares Hamdani of Algeria in an amateur showcase bout. Al-Moammar was the more aggressive fighter throughout the three-round contest, using his grappling to control the pace en route to a unanimous decision win.

The featherweight tournament’s co-main event between Jordan’s Izzeddine Al-Derbani and Yanis Ghemmouri of Algeria was canceled after Al-Derbani was deemed unable to compete due to medical reasons.