Promising and young Mixed Martial Arts talent from the UAE continued to put on a brilliant show in the fourth Youth MMA Championship on Saturday at Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City.
The championship, which saw as many as 40 Emirati youth taking to the octagon, is perceived to be the perfect precursor for the Youth MMA World Championship in August.
The tournament featured fierce fights with a fight card of 30 bouts in a variety of weight divisions, in front of a boisterous crowd. The packed afternoon of competition was capped off with Saeed Al Hosani's victory against Mansoor Al Sayed in the 70.3kg class in the main event.
Abdel Moneim Al Hashemi, Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Mixed Mqrtial Arts Federation, and Brigadier Mohammed bin Dalmouj Al Dhaheri, Board Member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Chairman of the Federation's Mixed Martial Arts Committee and Senior Vice President of the Asian MMA Federation, were among the dignitaries who attended the competitions and honoured the winners.
Al Hashemi said the Youth MMA Championship solidifies Abu Dhabi's status as one of the top destinations for combat sports. "The large participation in Youth MMA Championship 4 demonstrates the presence of a talent pool that is capable of competing for the UAE national team and raising the nation's flag on international podiums," he said.
"This is our fourth MMA event, and event after event, we notice a big improvement in our young fighters as they get more acquainted with the rules that they need to fight under and this is all in preparation for the World MMA Youth championship," said Mohammed Al Hosani, Member of the Federation's Mixed Martial Arts Committee.
"We have more than 40 Emiratis and another 20 Arabs. Hence, this competition could be regarded as an Arab or regional championship. It is crucial to make sure that our players have the opportunity to engage with top athletes from all over the world in order to provide them with the experience they need prior to competing in the World Championship."
Ali Al Najjar, the UAE champion who competed in the Youth C 40 kg division, was crowned after winning the championship bout against competitor Rakan Al Yammahi.
Sultan Al Ghusain defeated Salim Al Shamsi in the decisive match to win the Youth A 65.8 kg division.
Other winners, include Omar Al Jabri (37kg) and Saeed Ahmed (57kg) in the Youth D category; Mayed Al Hosani (37kg), Kamal Abdullatif (44kg), Mansoor Al Kaabi (62kg), Yaseen Al Haj (40kg), and Yousef Al Khoori (62kg) in the Youth C category; Ismail Ahmed (50kg), Aisha Al Hammadi (57kg), Khaled Zawia (65), Yunish Jakouch (48) and Amer Own (60kg) in the Youth B category; and Ahmed Al Jaberi (52.2kg), Abdalla Mahdi (67kg), Mansoor Al Harthi (61.2kg), Kutayba Al Kontar (70kg), and Abdallah Al Tamimi (65.8kg) in the Youth A.
Meanwhile, the Junior category saw Yousef Al Mohsen (67kg) come out on top, while Mourad Ech-Chably (65.8kg) and Mohammed Al Shehhi (65.8kg) were the Senior category winners.
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