For Mohammad Yahya, breaking barriers has become a habit. The first Emirati to sign for the UFC and the first to win a major MMA title will add another milestone to his trailblazing career this month when he becomes the first homegrown fighter to headline a PFL event.
Adding extra lustre will be the fact Yahya will do so in front of his home crowd in Dubai.
“It feels great. Obviously, I’m very proud,” he tells The National. “I always wanted to fight at the Coca-Cola Arena, to fight in the biggest Arabian tournament right now. Really makes me feel proud to get this chance.
“I’ve been to some other PFL events and the energy is really great, so I’m excited to go out there and represent my family.”
Yahya signed with the Professional Fighters League in February and was originally set to debut in Saudi Arabia on May 8, but the event was postponed due to the Middle East conflict.
In hindsight, that postponement worked in Yahya’s favour. In April, the PFL announced their Mena season opener would now be moved to Dubai, elevating Yahya from undercard to top billing. He will face Tunisia’s Mehdi Saadi in a featherweight quarter-final bout, his face adorning posters to promote PFL: Pride of Arabia.
Following the Dubai World Cup at the end of March, PFL Mena will be the second major international sporting event to be held in the city since the Iran war kicked off on February 28. A fragile ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran was reached on April 8, but was broken on May 4 when Tehran launched more drones and missiles at sites across the UAE.
“We’re in the safest, greatest country alive,” Yahya said of the UAE stepping in to host the PFL Mena opener.
In his nearly two decades in the fight game, Yahya has seen the country take great strides in promoting MMA. A pioneer who has fought for regional and international promotions, there were few options when he first started out.
He first learnt kung-fu after joining a local dojo, later excelling in jiu-jitsu and kickboxing. Today, as he stands in the TKMMAFIT Gym equipped with all the equipment any aspiring fighter could wish for, he reflects on how mixed martial arts in the country has grown.
“I’ve been in this game for like, 20 years, so I’ve been in Dubai when there was no events, no gyms. And now, not just Dubai, but the whole UAE, is hosting some of the biggest shows in the world, and it’s just great to see our leaders and our people enjoying the sport and pushing it. You see our government supporting a lot of the youth and a lot of tournaments and pushing the sport really well. So we’re blessed to have them.”
One of those beneficiaries is Zamzam Al Hammadi, the teenager who will make history on May 24 as the first female Emirati to fight professionally in MMA.
“It’s really good to see she’s making history,” Yahya, the UAE’s original MMA pioneer, said. “I remember I made history as the first Emirati to be in the UFC, the first champion [in UAE Warriors]. It’s good to see now a female fighter coming out of the UAE. She’s really good; she’s won gold medals. I’m really proud for her to be representing us. She’s going to kill it.”
Yahya (12 wins, six losses) was let go by the UFC last summer following the conclusion of a three-fight deal that saw him lose all three contests. In his last bout, a doctor’s stoppage following 10 minutes of mayhem with Steven Nguyen potentially saved Yahya from a permanent eye injury.
Now fully recovered, Yahya is once again ready to resume his MMA journey. He says there has been no drastic change in approach since the Nguyen defeat, with any shift in focus more mental than physical.
“I guess I’ve worked on a lot mentally; we have a new coach from Dagestan (Azamat Gashimov), and he has been helping me fill the holes [in my game]. We’ve been working together since last year. So already I’m much better, much more focused, in a much better mental state.”
In Saadi (6-2), he faces a well-rounded fighter, although one who has been inactive in pro MMA since his victory over Jalal Al Daaja in January 2024.
Getting back in the win column and putting on a show in front of friends, family and fans is important to Yahya.
“I see me as being better in every aspect, but obviously I’ll be looking for a TKO,” Yahya said of Saadi. “Having said that, if see the submission [is on] I’m going to take it, but my goal is to put on a really good performance. That’s what they (the fans) deserve.
“The fans can expect to see fireworks always. Even when I didn’t win I never had a boring fight. I’ve always delivered on my promise of the night. I’m coming out strong, on fire. It’s going to be great.”