Abu Dhabi: Tonight four heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters will step into the cage for a chance to win Dh1,000,000. Round 2 of the Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship's (ADFC) will see fighter from Brazil, UK, Russia and Cameroon face off in the semi-final round of the tournament.
For the last few decades, Abu Dhabi has built a reputation with the world famous Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) and Abu Dhabi Submission Championships. So it was no surprise that MMA, the world's fastest growing sport, made its way to the UAE, and boy did it ever make an impression.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the premier MMA organisation in the world, had a show in Abu Dhabi last April. And just a few weeks after that saw the launch of the UAE's own MMA franchise, the ADFC.
Disqualification
Putting up a Dh1,000,000 winner-take-all Grand Prix as its showcase main event, ADFC Round 1 out preformed the big dogs at the UFC and showed the UAE how truly exciting MMA fights can be. Spectators saw everything MMA can give. In one night there were, KOs, TKOs, submissions and chokes, only one fight made it to the judges' decision and there was even a disqualification.
We also saw Hassan Al Rumaithi, the first Emirati Professional MMA fighter, make his hometown debut.
For Round 2, many of the top fighters will step back into the cage, including Al Rumaithi, as well as a few new names from the region.
The main event will be the two heavyweight fights where Brazil's Marcos Oliveira, representing the ADCC, will take on the former Total Combat Ultimate Force Heavyweight Champion Neil Wain.
"I think this is going to be one of the toughest fights of my life," said Oliveira, who advanced to Round 2 with a 17 second Knock Out (KO).
"I know I'm the underdog in this tournament, all the other guys have been in big MMA franchises. But I'm training very hard and I have a great team and coaches."
In the other heavyweight fight, Cameroon's Thierry Sokoudjou will try and redeem himself after a disappointing first fight where he won by disqualification. But his opponent is the five time Russian Wushu-Sanda Champion Shamil Abdurahimov, who had a three round battle with American Top Team's Jeff Monson in Round 1.
"We want to promote pure fighting in the UAE," says iSEE (parent company of ADFC) COO Randall Yogachandra.
"Round 2, we are focusing more on the fights, making it a good fight show for the fans to see. We are focusing less on the extra entertainment features, the fans are there to see a fight, and that's what we will give them."
"After Round 1, 300 fighters approached us wanting to fight, which is great, but we have to be selective in who we showcase. Hassan [Al Rumaithi] is an exception as far as his skill. He is the first Emirati fighter, he is a good fighter, and he has a bright future in MMA and with ADFC…but like I said, there are many local talents that are coming up fast."
One of those local talents may be Dubai's Ali Mohammad Ali Abdullah Ahli, who will step into the cage to be the youngest professional MMA fighter in the region. Tonight is the 20-year-old's debut fight. "I prefer to finish it with a KO but any win will do. It's important for me to make sure I finish the fight and not leave it in the hands of the judges," says Ahli.
Other Arab fighter will also be showcased tonight as Lebanese grappler Abdullah Abu Hamdan will finally get a chance to fight for the ADFC. Abu Hamdan was schedule to fight in Round 1 but his opponent injured his neck warming up, minutes before the fight was to start. The Middle East Muay Thai Champion will be facing off against American wrestler Jake Short.
Crowd favourite
The Lion of Babylon Rafat Al Shawe, fighting out of Dubai, will also be a crowd favourite. The two time UAE and Iraqi Karate Champion almost had his fight prematurely started on Wednesday night at the weigh-ins. Tempers flared as UK striker Ed Smith got in Shawe's face and fans got a taste of tonight's action.
Representing the South Asian community is the striker from India, Bhupesh ‘The Maratha Warrior' Kamble. He will be taking on a tough veteran of the sport in Canada's Vaughn Anderson who has a record of 10-1-1.
Also in attendance is an MMA legend, the former UFC Heavy weight Champion and UFC Hall of Famer, Mark ‘The Hammer' Coleman. ‘The Godfather of Ground and Pound' will be sitting ringside doing colour commentary for the event.
If Round 1 is any indication, fans are in store for a very exciting night at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Tickets are still available. For more information go to www.adfc.ae.
Preliminary fights
Nine preliminary fights are scheduled for the night en route to two main event fights for ADFC’s Round
- V. Anderson vs B. Kamble
- R. Shawe vs vs E. Smith
- J. Willis vs M. Omarov
- A. Abu Hamdan vs J. Short
- P. Lamberto vs H. Al Rumaithi
- F. Enomoto vs M. Reiter
- M. Piran vs F. Lopez
- M. Maia vs M. Mansouri
- A.M.A.A. Ahli vs L. Ferreira
