MMA star Dominique Wooding sets his sights on winning PFL Europe’s $100k cash prize… but vows to first settle a score
DOMINIQUE WOODING has his eyes on the prize ahead of PFL Europe - but must first settle the score with Frans Mlambo.
The Professional Fighters League is MMA's only seasonal format, consisting of qualifying and knockout stages.
It culminates in a series of finale fights where $1million is up for grabs.
But the PFL this year launched a knockout tournament in Europe, offering $100,000 and a spot in the $1m winner-take-all season.
Wooding, 26, stars in the bantamweight bracket and faces Frans Mlambo, 31, on July 8 in Berlin.
Not only does it offer him the chance to head into the semi-final spot but he can also avenge his 2019 loss to Mlambo.
Wooding told SunSport: “With all my losses I’d like to get them back.
"So this is a fight that I wanted to get back and I’ve got my chance now fighting Frans again.
“This fight, it’s going to be one of my sweetest victories. Funnily enough, even the last fight we had some people said I should have won.
“I went over to his backyard so some people said I won the fight, some people said he won the fight but this time around it’s going to be very different.
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“During that time since we’ve fought I’ve obviously improved a lot physically, mentally, technically, it’s going to be a different fight from my side, for sure.”
The PFL Europe final will be held in Mlambo's home of Ireland on Friday, December 8.
It will also be staged at the 3Arena, where Wooding fell to defeat to Conor McGregor's former sparring partner.
He said: "I knew I would be fighting him in the first fight, I just had a very strong feeling to be honest.
“The PFL could have put us fighting some of the other guys and hopefully meet in the final because there’s a story behind it, this is a rematch.
“This is a rematch within four years and plus the finale is in Dublin and we fought in Dublin, in the 3Arena.
“There was a story behind that for the final but obviously that’s not the case. I’m not too bothered about it.”
Wooding enters the tournament with his eyes on the cash prize despite having to first run it back with Mlambo.
He said: “This is a season, tournament format. Everyone wants to win the cash prize.
“My goal is to win the cash prize, whether it’s a rematch or not it doesn’t really bother me. All I know is that this victory will be sweet.
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“But it's not the main thing I’m focussed on, I’m focussed on the grand scheme of things and winning this tournament.”
