Dubai: Mohammad Yahya has signed a four-fight contract with Bellator MMA, becoming the first Emirati mixed martial artist to join an international promotion.
The 23-year-old kick-boxer is only the second UAE-based fighter to make it big in MMA after 33-year-old Dutch/Turkish former Glory kick-boxing light-heavyweight champion Gokhan Saki signed a multi-fight agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) last month. Both train at Tam Khan’s TK MMA Fitness gym in Media City making it a double celebration for the esteemed local trainer.
Bellator MMA, owned by American broadcaster Viacom, is considered to be the world’s second biggest MMA promotion behind UFC.
Yahya began his career in Tam Khan’s Dubai Fighting Championship in 2012 and later appeared in Desert Force and Dubai Fight Night promotions, boasting a record of six wins and one loss.
He has won three fights by technical knockout (TKO), two by submission and one by way of decision.
The fight he lost was by TKO to Iraq’s Hassan Talal in December, but he bounced back becoming featherweight champion in Eric Favre’s Dubai Fight Night Championship with victory over Egypt’s Mahmoud Mohammad last month.
“I’m very excited to be representing the UAE in one of the leading MMA platforms,” said Yahya. “I grew up watching Bellator and their fighters. It really hasn’t hit me yet but I’m very excited.
“I’ve always dreamed to fight overseas and raise my flag, and now my dream is going to be a reality. I can’t wait to make my country proud.”
Yahya’s trainer Tam Khan, a 36-year-old Brit of Afghan descent, who is himself a former professional fighter in the UK’s Ultimate Challenge and Ultimate Warrior promotions, said: “Mohammad Yahya is the pride of the UAE in my opinion. He can single-handedly transform the way our region is currently being perceived by the outside media when it comes to combat sports.
“He is a hard worker in the gym and a very humble person outside the gym. He carries himself with poise and confidence and is everything Emirati people should be proud of.
“When I first landed here eight years ago, it was my dream to produce a local talent from the UAE, and today my dream is coming to life. I’m very proud of him and his accomplishments. He is testament to Emiratis that hard work and tenacity pays off.”
A date and first opponent has yet to be scheduled for Yahya’s Bellator MMA debut, but he is busy training alongside Saki at Khan’s gym to prepare himself for a potential fight before the end of the year.
Saki’s UFC debut is also unconfirmed but he has expressed an interest in competing at UFC 115 in Rotterdam in his native Holland on September 2.
