Dubai: Emirati fighter Mohammad Yahya is looking at an early finish when he takes on a popular local personal trainer Craig Harriman in the Dubai Fighting Championship’s Fight Night 2 to be held at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa in Dubai on Friday.
“Last fight I did not perform as well as I wanted to because I was kind of ill, but this time I want to finish it in the first round,” Yahya said ahead of the fight.
Yahya is just turned 18 and is the youngest Emirati competing in MMA and has displayed amazing maturity in the cage while registering a grueling win in the DFC’s Fight Night 1.
“I couldn’t really control myself. I was not really nervous but I could not put up my best fight. But this time around I have really trained hard and I’m looking more confident,” he added.
Yahya also believed this shall be an important step for his growth since he is determined to make a serious career in this field.
“I really got inspired watching it on TV and after I got interested and took up serious fighting. I want to build a career out of it and that’s why the DFC becomes very important,” said Yahya, who began fighting at the age of 14.
“It’s a good opportunity for local fighters to showcase their talent. We should have more such fights which will encourage more fighters to get involved,” he added but rued that not many Emiratis were interested in the sport since their parents did not encourage them. “Many parents usually do not prefer their kids to get into this sport but there has been lot of expats showing interest. My parents have been really supportive,” said Yahya noting his ultimate dream is to get into the UFC. “It’s a tough deed, but everyone is human and you just need to work towards your goal to achieve it,” he said.
Among the other fights, the hottest fight will be of Mounir ‘The Sniper’ Lazzez who will take on Najmeddin ‘The Scorpion’ Haddad. Tunisian Lazzez will be returning after securing a spectacular knockout at Fight Night 1against English fighter Andy Cona. His all-action style has already made him a firm favourite with local and regional MMA enthusiasts. Lazzez, who campaigns at Welterweight, is well-known for his striking skills, but his recent successes in grappling tournaments means fans can expect to see him display his new-found versatility in the cage as he continues to develop into an all-round talent bound for the global stage.
DFC’sFight Night, is considered to be the ‘baby brother’ of the much larger event known as Dubai Fighting Championship. DFC’s Fight Night and Dubai Fighting Championship are both run by Tamari Promotions. The best performers on the night of DFC’s Fight Night will have the opportunity to progress to fight on the next grand Dubai Fighting Championship event, which is scheduled for next year and will include some prestigious international names.
Tam Khan, Managing Partner of Tamari Promotions, said: “We’re delighted to be returning to the Habtoor Grand Hotel for the second time in our series of DFC’s Fight Night. The first Fight Night was extremely successful with the crowds witnessing some incredible action from local and regional fighters. We are confident that this upcoming event will be just as exciting as our previous events and we are expecting a sell-out crowd.”
DFC has also recently signed a strategic partnership agreement with the UK’s prestigious Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC), which will see top names from the UK feature at Dubai Fighting Championship’s grand event. Khan added: “This partnership also potentially presents an opportunity for chosen regional fighters who have performed well to fly over to compete in UWC.This means that for the fighters, the stakes to perform well at this forthcoming event are high”.
Tickets
Tickets for the event are Dh200 and Dh300. It can be purchased from Virgin Megastores and Contender MMA. For details check www.dubaifc.ae or contact info@dubaifc.ae
