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A NOU DAWN
I walked out on the UFC to join rivals PFL’s $1m winner-take-all season with the help of Francis Ngannou
Lightweight is not the first ex-UFC star to make the move
MMA star Marc Diakiese walked out on the UFC for a million dollar dream - with Francis Ngannou acting as a helping hand.
Diakiese had been a staple of UFC events in the UK six years and 15 bouts with the promotion.
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But he has now jumped ship to the Professional Fighters League after long eyeing the switch.
Diakiese, 31, told SunSport: "PFL have been on my radar. I know a couple lads I used to train with from ATT, they won it twice.
"Another lad I know won it, Brendan Loughnane. So I'm just looking and thinking, 'Maybe I can do that.'
"Then, my last camp I was at Xtreme Couture in Vegas and I've been quite good friends for Francis for a while and he was just giving me some advice and talking to me. And he said, 'I think you should join.'"
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Ngannou, 37, is the biggest name to have left the UFC for the PFL, doing so while holding the heavyweight title.
And Diakiese added: "He told me they'd promote me, they'd do good things for me. We're also going to go to Africa, I'm from Kongo so that makes sense.
"I listened, took it on board and when they came I had no choice but to say yeah."
PFL's seasonal format consists of qualifying and knockout rounds with points earned per method of victory in the opening two bout stage.
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The top four in each division progress into the win-or-go-home stages culminating in a series of finale fights where $1m is at stake.
Diakiese is set to debut in the PFL this year but will enter the lightweight season in 2025 - with the life-changing cheque in his sights.
He said: "I feel like I can win that a couple of times, so that's a bonus. My main focus is being given a stage to showcase my skills."
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