Zendeli ranks as one of the more compelling under-30 talents on
the
Professional Fighters League roster.
The once-beaten Albanian prospect will take center stage when he
meets Logan
Storley in the
PFL Sioux Falls headliner on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon
in South Dakota. Zendeli, 27, won the PFL Europe welterweight
tournament in 2024, then fought only once in 2025. He last competed
at PFL Champions Series 3, where he laid claim to a three-round
unanimous decision over Omar El
Dafrawy on Oct. 3. Zendeli returns to a PFL that now employs a
traditional ranking system instead of a tournament format. It
should be more conducive to upward mobility.
“The tournament was good because you have everybody who is going up
as they’re winning, so the two best fighters in the tournament are
fighting each other in the finale, but for me, the rankings system
is much better for my situation,” Zendeli told Sherdog.com. “I have
time for recovery, time to fight, and you get to see who is where
in the rankings, who they’re fighting; and it’s easier to plan, so
I like the rankings much more.”
Zendeli understands the reality of his current situation, as he
heads into enemy territory against an accomplished opponent.
Storley, a former interim Bellator
MMA champion, was born in Roslyn, South Dakota, some 165 miles
north of Sioux Falls.
“Look, for me, it’s fighting,” Zendeli said. “If I fight in my home
or the home of my opponent or any other city, it doesn’t matter. We
fight in the cage. The cage is my home. I have respect for all fans
of Logan Storley and also have respect for Logan Storley, but I am
just going in there for a fight. I’m going in there for a win.”
The confrontation with Storley offers Zendeli a chance to test his
wrestling skills against a man who was a four-time NCAA
All-American at the University of Minnesota.
“Logan and I fighting is like one in the same,” he said. “He’s also
a wrestler with good striking, and me, too. I’m more of a wrestler.
I have a little bit better striking, but for me, it doesn’t matter
whether it’s striking or wrestling. I am ready for a fight. This is
MMA. I think I’m much better than him everywhere. Our wrestling is
going to be a good match because I come from a mountain. My
wrestling is not from college; it’s from a mountain. It’s going to
be a hard night for Logan. He’s going to see.”
This marks Zendeli’s first appearance in the United States, and as
he prepares to introduce himself to a new audience, he wants only
to be seen as a fighter who chases the biggest challenges.
“I come from a small city in Albania and when I was there, I didn’t
have a gym or anything,” he said. “I come here to the States just
for the high level of fighters and opponents, and I’d just like the
fans to respect me for that. I came from nothing to be in the
United States, to become world champion and to fight the high-level
guys.”