From organising fights at school, to a dream of the big time

From the age of 14 seeing fighting on TV, I knew that was what I wanted to do.

I loved fighting since I was a little kid in school. I was always getting into trouble and into fights. I hated everything about school.  I had the perfect childhood, and I am thankful to my mum and dad for that – but I just loved fighting.

I am not an angry person, I just love the feeling of fighting. The rush it gives you knowing you are going to war, and taking on that warrior spirit. 

After my brother introduced me to fighting on TV, I was immediately hooked. Realising you could make a living out of it, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.

I started training MMA as a teenager but back then it was difficult finding a gym because there wasn’t an MMA gym here in Dubai. I started training in a Kung Fu dojo. 

I wanted to fight, but there were no competitions or tournaments – so I just rounded up all the guys in school who I knew could fight and called out the biggest one. We would organise the fights in advance and then train in the week leading up to them. At the age of 15 or 16, this was my first real taste of competition – at that age it was good experience.

Being the man to carry the flag for the UAE

The goal for me has always been to become the first fighter from the UAE in the UFC.

I love representing the UAE and one of my goals is to put the UAE on the MMA map. We need a big-name fighter from the UAE and I am the one.

Five or six years ago the rest of the world would not take Arab fighters seriously – we were seriously underrated. But now the light the UFC has shone on this region with Fight Island we are seeing some serious up and coming talent being able to showcase their skills. Hopefully I can be the first UAE fighter in the UFC.

Right now I am not in a rush, people keep asking me when I am going to join the UFC – I think I am good enough, but at the moment I am concentrating on learning and developing. I am getting better every single day, I am still only 26, my aim is to be in the UFC by the age of 28 and by that stage I’ll have the skills and experience to go into it with all guns blazing and not miss an opportunity.