KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The Professional Fighters League launched its PFL MENA season at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday night, delivering an evening of high-stakes tournament action and compelling bouts.
Whilst the regional showcase featured top-tier mixed martial artists from 11 nations, the evening was a tale of the contrasting fortunes of two home favourites, highlighted by a historic, barrier-breaking performance from teenage prospect Zamzam Al Hammadi.
Before the opening bell had even sounded, the 18-year-old Al Hammadi had already etched her name into the annals of UAE sporting history by becoming the first Emirati woman to compete inside a professional mixed martial arts octagon.
Stepping into the cage for her highly anticipated promotional debut in a women’s strawweight amateur fight against Egypt’s Abeer Mansour, the decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion overcame pre-fight nerves to secure a hard-fought unanimous decision victory.
Utilising her elite grappling foundation, Al Hammadi dictated the tempo of the opening two rounds by systematically closing the distance and executing disciplined takedowns. Though Mansour found striking success in the final round, Al Hammadi held firm to see out the contest.
“I have to admit I was nervous,” Al Hammadi revealed after her hand was raised. “Thank God, I was able to use these nerves as my strength though, and I controlled the fight to secure the win not only for myself but for the UAE. The submission finish didn’t happen unfortunately, but after the second round I knew all I had to do in the third was to hang in there because I had been dominant up to that point.”
The Abu Dhabi-trained athlete, who is balancing her burgeoning fighting career with international relations studies at Zayed University, was roared on by a passionate local crowd, where her mother sat, a fighter herself against cancer.
“It was fantastic fighting in front of my mum for the first time. I saw my shadow as I walked out and was astonished by the amount of support I had at the Coca-Cola Arena. To not only compete but to get the win in front of all my fans, family and friends was something that will stay with me forever. I can’t wait to get back in the Smartcage again in the PFL and hopefully I can get another victory,” she added.
In the featherweight tournament main event, the evening brought heartbreak for the nation’s most established MMA veteran, Mohammad Yahya. Making his promotional debut on home soil, “The UAE Warrior” engaged in a brutal, toe-to-toe battle with Tunisia’s Mehdi Saadi that ultimately ended in a narrow split decision defeat.
Saadi opened the bout with heavy calf kicks, forcing Yahya to alter his stance. The experienced Emirati responded with sharp, heavy straight punches to dictate portions of the third round, but two of the three judges ultimately scored the closely contested affair in favour of the Tunisian.
The undercard yielded further Emirati success as Butti Alameri opened the evening with a dominant unanimous decision win over Hamada Osman in a featherweight amateur bout.
In the tournament brackets, Algeria’s Ylies Djiroun advanced to the lightweight semi-finals with a first-round technical knockout over Morocco’s Salah Eddine Hamli.
Djiroun will be joined in the semi-finals by Ahmed El Sisy, Basel Shalaan, and Mohammad Fahmi, the latter advancing via a walkover after opponent Assem Ghanem withdrew due to injury. Bahrain’s Hamza Kooheji also advanced in the featherweight tournament following a unanimous decision win over Taha Bendaoud.