Competing in any sport is a tough affair, but competing in front of your home crowd while simultaneously carrying the weight of an entire nation on your shoulders adds a level of pressure most of us will never understand. Such was the case with Mohammad Yahya, the first ever Emirati MMA fighter to compete in the UFC. After winning multiple titles in separate organisations, Yahya came up short in his UFC debut last year in Abu Dhabi, a close bout where Yahya himself admits the pressure may have gotten to him.
But now, in less than two weeks, the UAE Warrior will look to redeem himself effort at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Nurmagomedov on August 3, 2024, returning to the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
We met Yahya at the UFC GYM in Dubai Marina where he discussed the pain and the glory of being a professional fighter in the biggest MMA organisation on the planet.
What was going through your head during your UFC debut? Was it noticeably different from your previous fights in other organisations?
Mohammad Yahya: Obviously, I was feeling the pressure as I was walking out to the cage. I didn’t think I would, but I did. I thought it was going to just be like every other fight I’d had, but when you realise you’re fighting in the UFC, no matter how good your focus is, when you finally get there, it’s overwhelming. This has been my dream since I was 14 and losing – even though it was a close decision – haunts me constantly, and I wanted to get back in there as quick as I could.
Your opponent, Trevor Peek, was known to hit very hard, yet you ate his heaviest shots. Were you surprised by how well you managed that?
Mohammad Yahya: I knew he was a wild, hard hitter who knocks people out in the first round, and obviously that plays in the back of your mind, because you can’t be reckless going in. It was a good fight, I just wish I had let myself go a bit more.
Your next opponent, Kaue Fernandes, is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialist, which is your preferred realm of combat. How does that feel?
Mohammad Yahya: He’s going to try and take me down, but my gym is filled with Dagestani’s, so I train with some of the most brutal wrestlers on the planet. And if they struggle to take me down, I don’t think this guy will be able to. And if he does, he’ll be walking right into something for sure.
Has your training changed at all since your last fight?
Mohammad Yahya: Not really. I’ve just turned it up since my last fight. I was supposed to fight earlier this year, but I got a terrible staph infection so I had to pull out. So now, all the extra waiting and training has only made me more dangerous.
What’s been your biggest jaw-drop UFC moment of the year?
Mohammad Yahya: Alex Perreira knocking out JiříProcházka at UFC 300. Since Perreira joined the UFC, he’s been my favourite fighter to watch. I used to watch his kickboxing fights because that’s how I started out too, in professional kickboxing, so as soon as he joined the UFC I knew he was going to be a problem with that left hook. Right now, he’s by far the most entertaining fighter in the UFC.
How did you find the first ever UFC event held in Saudi Arabia last month?
It was great to watch. Obviously, I was upset because my training partner, Khamzat Chimaev, had to pull out because of an illness, but he’s a beast and he’ll be back. When he fought against Kamaru Usman in Abu Dhabi last year, he did his whole training camp here in Dubai, and seeing his work ethic and drive was, and is, very inspiring.
How do you feel leading up to your fight in Abu Dhabi on August 3?
I want to make up for the last fight. That loss is the only thing that’s been on my mind. But everything happens for a reason. I’m going to put on a show. Hopefully get a ‘fight of the night’ bonus so I can pay my coaches (laughs). I didn’t leave it all in the cage in my last fight, and that’s something that won’t happen again. This fight, I’m coming out guns blazing.
Mohammad Yahya returns to the UFC octagon on August 3, 2024 in Abu Dhabi. Tickets are available here.
