Used to competing outside his homeland, Abdullah Al Qahtani plans on relishing home advantage when he fights this weekend on Saudi Arabia’s momentous MMA debut.
What’s more, the Riyadh-born athlete is predicting fans in attendance, or those tuning in from afar, are in for a treat.
“Inshallah, they’re going to see something very good, something very excellent… and something crazy,” Al Qahtani tells The National in the Saudi capital as he puts the finishing touches to his prep. “And be ready.”
Evidently, Al Qahtani feels more than ready. Of course, the 7-1 pro record helps buttress belief. Competing initially in Bahrain-based promotion Brave CF, the Saudi national signed last year with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and promptly marked his arrival last June with a first-round submission win against Lamar Brown, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Two months later, Al Qahtani took a unanimous decision against David Zelner, at the venerated Madison Square Garden in New York.
But, on Saturday, the featherweight will contest a three-round bout with India’s Edukondala Rao in Riyadh, on what is already shaping up to be one of the standout MMA cards of 2024.
“PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions”, taking place at Kingdom Arena, marks not only Saudi’s big bow in elite-level MMA, but the PFL’s inaugural blended event since acquiring fellow promotion Bellator in November.
The chief four bouts pit against one another champions of the respective organisations, while the card will also feature the likes of celebrated combatants Clay Collard and AJ McKee, women’s boxing superstar Claressa Shields, and the pro debut of Biaggio Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali’s grandson.
A stellar fight night promised, it was made possible, too, by the investment agreement announced last August between the PFL and SRJ Sports Investments, an entity owned by Saudi’s Public Investment Fund.
Understandably, Al Qahtani feels like an ambassador helping usher in a new frontier with MMA in the kingdom.
“I do feel it,” he says. “Before, like three years ago, no one here knows what MMA is. And also, when I started before that, I only wanted to be the best in the world.
“And now, all the eyes are on Saudi Arabia and on MMA. And now PFL has come, they are pushing for me to become the best.”
An only child, Al Qahtani dedicates his performances to his mother; it was her, in fact, who actually pushed him to take up the sport.
Now aged 24, and about to represent his country at home but on the global stage, it all seems to have worked out rather well.
“Now it’s here in Saudi, here with my family, with my team, all the people who want me to have success,” Al Qahtani says. “Every time I go outside to fight, I hear all the people are against me.
“But now here in Saudi, all of them push me, all of them want me to win – this is something huge.
“Everyone knows me; they know what I do in my fights. All my other fights are big and crazy. No one can explain what I can do in the fight. On Saturday, I will do something big.
“I want to put on a great show… and show the world how good Saudi fighters are.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
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Honeymoonish
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England 12-man squad for second Test
v West Indies which starts Thursday: Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (captain), Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Jack Leach
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
More coverage from the Future Forum
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Company%20profile
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Result
Arsenal 4
Monreal (51'), Ramsey (82'), Lacazette 85', 89')
West Ham United 1
Arnautovic (64')
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
