Exclusive: Lewis McGrillen set for PFL Dubai clash with PFL MENA champion Nawras Abzakh

Combat Evolved can exclusively reveal that Lewis McGrillen will make his return to the cage on November 14, with his name added to the upcoming PFL Dubai card, where he is set to face current PFL MENA bantamweight champion Nawras Abzakh at the Coca-Cola Arena.

The matchup pits one of PFL Europe's rising stars against the PFL MENA bantamweight champion, creating a PFL Europe vs PFL MENA clash and adding further depth to an already stacked event in Dubai, topped by a PFL Heavyweight Championship bout between Vadim Nemkov and Sergey Bilostenniy.

Representing Manchester Top Team, McGrillen looks to build on the momentum he has generated over the last year after beating Brandon Lewis in a hard-fought contest at PFL Austin by unanimous decision earlier this year.

The 25-year-old has become one of the standout names to emerge from the PFL's European brand, compiling a list of second and third-round finishes over the likes of Dean Garnett, Alexander Luster and Alan Philpott, establishing himself as a serious threat at bantamweight.

Now, McGrillen gets the opportunity to test himself against the champion of another PFL region when he faces Abzakh in Dubai.

Sitting on a three-fight win streak, the Jordanian fighter holds a 15-6 record with one no contest, with eight of those victories coming by submission.

Abzakh has also previously captured regional titles at both flyweight and bantamweight before making his mark internationally with the PFL.

He wasted little time claiming the PFL MENA bantamweight title in December last year, submitting Islam Youssef with a guillotine choke after just 36 seconds to secure the title.

The victory came after Abzakh had already worked his way through the tournament in 2025, defeating Ali Yazbeck by second-round knockout before overcoming Moktar Benkaci by unanimous decision in the semi-final.

Despite Abzakh's credentials, McGrillen is relishing the opportunity to test himself against a PFL champion from another region.

Speaking exclusively to Combat Evolved, McGrillen issued a warning to Abzakh about what's to come.

“Another scalp and beating the champion of the Middle East. This scalp will keep the momentum of my activity pushing me up the rankings. McGrillen 2.0 coming.”

Abzakh will provide McGrillen with another major test, but the Manchester Top Team fighter is clearly confident that another scalp in Dubai will take him a step closer to the top of the PFL bantamweight division.