RIYADH:  With just days to go before his PFL MENA Featherweight Championship bout on Nov. 29, Saudi mixed martial arts fighter Abdullah Al-Qahtani is hoping his fans鈥� support will spur him on to victory in Riyadh.

Al-Qahtani said: 鈥淔ighting on home soil with the Saudi crowd behind me will be a strong support as I aim to secure the belt. We鈥檝e set the right plans for the final.鈥�

Al-Qahtani will face Jordan鈥檚 Abdullah 鈥楾he Cobra鈥� Alhyasat, the man who defeated him in September鈥檚 semifinal. An injury to the other semifinal winner 鈥� Egypt鈥檚 Islam Reda 鈥� gave Al-Qahtani another shot at beating Alhyasat.

The 27-year-old Saudi, whose record currently stands at nine wins and two losses, said he is not disheartened by that semifinal failure.

鈥淎bdelrahman has five victories in his professional career and won the semifinal by unanimous decision. This hasn鈥檛 put pressure on me or affected my morale,鈥� Al-Qahtani said. 鈥淪ince replacing Islam Reda, I鈥檝e been training intensively to prepare 鈥� to give my best, avenge the semifinal loss, and claim the title. Together with my coaching team, I鈥檝e analyzed the mistakes I made in the semifinal and focused on the positive aspects of my performance. God willing, (I) will be the one to crack Alhyasat鈥檚 code, win, and bring joy to the Saudi audience.鈥�

Alhyasat insisted he is unfazed by the prospect of a partisan crowd supporting Al-Qahtani.

鈥淚 would have preferred to face a different fighter in the final, but I鈥檓 comfortable with this matchup; it will be as easy as the semifinal,鈥� he said. 鈥淔ighting on his home turf won鈥檛 be a source of stress for me. I will repeat my victory over Al-Qahtani.

鈥淚 expect Al-Qahtani to change his fighting style for the final. That鈥檚 why, during my training camp in Thailand, we studied all possibilities (so I can) adapt to the flow of the fight,鈥� he continued.

The showdown is just one bout on a night that also includes the PFL World Championships, which are being held outside of the US for the first time, at King Saud University in Riyadh.

Headlining is the unbeaten Russian fighter, Timur 鈥淚mam鈥� Khizriev, who takes on the UK鈥檚 Brendan Loughnane for the World Featherweight Championship.

In the Women鈥檚 Flyweight Championship co-main event, Dakota Ditcheva will put her 13-0 record on the line when the English-Bulgarian MMA and former Muay Thai fighter goes head-to-head with Brazil鈥檚 Taila Santos.

In addition to the championship fights, the undefeated 萝莉视频n PFL star Hattan Alsaif 鈥� who made history when she became the first Saudi female to sign a contract with a major MMA promoter 鈥� takes on Algeria鈥檚 Lilia Osmani.