This past weekend, several men and women duked it out in the octagon on Abu Dhabi’s fight island for UFC 294. Despite being a lifelong UFC fan, my voyeurism has been confined to the TV, American sports bars or the nosebleed seats the few times I’ve made it to a live event. But with the UFC now bringing its main events to the UAE capital, my plucky journalist credentials not only get me in the door but come with seats so close to the cage that I could practically smell Dana White’s deodorant, and could physically hear the sound of every bone-shuddering strike landing against the skin, an experience that gave new meaning to the phrase, “close to the action.”
But then the fights end, the lights turn on and the stadium vacates, and someone suffering from a severe post-fight hangover is Mohammed Yahya, who was not only making his UFC debut but was also representing the entire nation as the first-ever UAE fighter to step foot inside the octagon. And he lost.
During our interview last week, I asked Yahya about the pressure of representing his people and being the first UAE fighter, but his conviction oozed through the screen, so I was sold. But on Saturday night, having the mouthy American Trevor Peek taunting him across the cage before the first bell, as the fight progressed, Yahya started to wane and Peek continued to capitalise. Aside from a submission attempt from Yahya early on, he lost a relatively lopsided decision.
Yahya gave no post-fight interview, but Peek did, and despite some kind words for his Emirati opponent, he also said, “All the pressure was on him, not me. I think it was too much.” The UFC made a lot of noise about Yahya during the week building up to the fight: interviews, open workouts, and a lot of media and press usually not granted to someone making their debut. The pressure was palpable.
Few of us will ever know the highest highs, but also the lowest lows, of a professional fighter. And sitting front row at the event last weekend, I got a taste, though however slim, of what that might feel like.
Khamzat Chimaev, however, did come up victorious and has planted his MMA flag in the UAE for the foreseeable future, and I imagine many other fighters will do the same considering the training facilities rapidly mushrooming across the region.
MMA is in its infancy in the UAE, but Yahya still has the minerals to lead it to glory. And for those about to brawl, we salute you.
