Saudi MMA stars to make debuts at Madison Square Garden

Ten years ago few people in Saudi Arabia had heard of Mixed Martial Arts. Now two rising Saudi stars in the combat sport are set to make their debuts on the hallowed canvas of the Madison Square Garden arena in New York.

Abdullah Al-Qahtani, from Riyadh, and Mostafa Rashed Neda, from Jeddah, will compete in separate bouts on Wednesday at the Professional Fighters League playoffs.

Saudi interest in the sport began when the Kingdom hosted the popular regional Desert Force competition in 2014, and its popularity has surged since then with the establishment of a national MMA foundation to develop Saudi talent.

Al-Qahtani, known as “The Reaper,” said he was more than ready to square off against US featherweight David Zelner, despite limited training facilities. “This is an old-school gym,” he said of the spot where he works out, its walls decorated with cartoon sketches of boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.

“It’s not the best and it does not have the best equipment, but it has very good fighters.”

Neda was forced to use YouTube to learn the basics of MMA, and his first proper sparring partner was an American English teacher who showed him jiujitsu fundamentals.
Inspired, Neda took it upon himself to introduce MMA to other Saudis, and eventually formed a club of his own.“It was a difficult time, but thank God, during the past four or five years, MMA has grown a lot,” he said.
Like Neda, Al-Qahtani is eagerly awaiting his New York debut. “This fight will seal my destiny … it is a sacred place for us,” he said. “God willing, I will make everyone proud and win. I’m not afraid, but excited.”