Desert Force looks set to move MMA up another step in popularity in the Middle East, thanks to TV. Photo by Khalid Walid Hassan.

In the midst of the current era of political turmoil, the Middle East will again be the stage for a major MMA event. With Amman, Jordan, hosting the event, countries that now and again flare up in armed conflict will get to see their representatives do battle in the Desert Force cage.

As previously reported here on GRACIEMAG.com, MBC Action, a Middle Eastern channel spanning 22 Arabic-speaking nations, will broadcast the event. The network has run a number of ads for the event ever since the end of the sacred Muslim month of Ramadan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VzNujmwfkQ

The lineup will feature an array of different accents. Making his debut in the sport, Mallick Quraan is the son of a Jordanian father and American mother. Born in the USA, he was raised in New Jersey and learned Portuguese from his capoeira teacher. Despite never having visited Brazil, he is fluent in the language. Also featuring at the Middle Eastern event is Gabriel Tayeh, a Brazilian of Palestinian parentage, who is doing his training camp at X-Gym in Rio de Janeiro. The Sul Jiu-Jitsu black belt from Porto Alegre commented on the opportunity:

“It’s a Middle Eastern tournament but half the fighters are of other origins. I feel that makes the event all the greater, because it brings experience and a different technical level from Brazil, the USA and Europe. The folks in the Middle East are really tough, so it’s a good mix.”

Aside from the fighters, there will be Jiu-Jitsu black belt coaches and assistants from Brazil—like Alex Negão Paz, who will be cornering Yahya Alhammadi—a head of security for a prince of Abu Dhabi—, as well as Francimar Bodão, who is training Jordan’s Haider Rashedd.

According to Zaid Abu-Soud, one of the promoters of the event, the central idea in putting on the show is the search for champion-caliber fighters from the region to launch at major shows with a worldwide scope in the near future: “The Arabic youth needs sporting heroes, and MMA can provide it for them.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=expNr80R9Lk

Desert Force V – on MBC Action
Amman, Jordan
September 7, 2012

Mazen Alhindi (KSA) vs Ahmded Albousairi (KUW)
Noureldin Isam (SUD) vs Daniel Hilal (LIB)
Karim Khalifa (TUN) vs Abdullah Abou Hamdan (LIB)
Abdelali Mouira (MAR) vs Silvester Saba (LIB)
Mohamad Mashaly (EGI) vs Mallick”Rato” Quraan (JOR)
Tarek Suleiman (SIR) vs Mohammed Abu Naim (PAL)
Moh’d Ibrahim Elmgharbel (LIB) vs Bechir Majri (TUN)
Mahmoud El-Sayed (EGI) vs Yahya Alhammadi (EAU)
Rida Mourak (MAR) vs Gabriel Tayeh (PAL)
Amr Wahman (EGI) vs Ammar Tchalabi (KSA)
Bilel Missaoui (TUN) vs Haider Rasheed (JOR)

Cristiano Marcello in photo from personal archives.

The inaugural installment of Desert Force Fight Championship in Amman was a success both in terms of the quality of fights on the card and the reaction from the crowd. Besides the better-than-expected turn-out, the exemplary organization behind the event, with its VIP seating for a select public, stood out.

All eleven fights on the card ended in a knockout or a submission, which pleased those in attendance, including members of the royal family like princes Hachem Bin Hussein and Hussein Mirza, the latter going out of his way to hold a reception for all the fighters after the event.

Of the eleven bouts, five were between Middle Eastern fighters. The idea is to promote these matchups so that soon international-caliber athletes will arise in the region. Catching attention were the Jiu-Jitsu versus kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu versus taekwondo matchups, reminiscent of the early days of MMA. Jiu-Jitsu had a clear advantage (watch below).

The bouts that stood out on the international card were Brazil’s Cristiano Marcello facing off against tough Frenchman Freddy Thulle and the main event between Brazilian stalwart kickboxer Bruno Carvalho and young American wrestler Marcos Marques. Both were won by the Brazilians via submission in the final round.

Complete results:

Pavel Kusch (Ukraine) defeated Marco “Bad Face” Antonio (Brazil) via guillotine in R1

Cristiano Marcello (Brazill) defeated Freddy Thole (France) via triangle in R3

Francimar “Bodão” Barroso (Brazil) defeated Abhijeet Petka (India) via knockout in R1

Bruno Carvalho (Brazil) defeated Marco Marques (USA) via guillotine in R2

Jorge Luis Michelan (Brazil) defeated Bhupesh Kamble (India) via TKO in R1

Gabriel Tayeh (Jordan BJJ) defeated Jad AlWahsh (Jordan) via armbar in R1

Mahmoud Gogazi Hussein (Jordan) defeated Muhannad Daasan

Khaled Walid (Syria) defeated Khalil Eissa (Egypt) in R1

Hashim Arkhagha (Jordan) defeated Mohammed El Dawansy (Egypt) via armbar in R1

Yousef “Polvo” Alhamad (Kuwait) defeated Daniel Hilal (Lebanon) via guillotine in R1

Khaled Abdulkareem (Iraq) defeated Diaa Shattat (Jordan) via knockout in R1

Zaid Mirza has confirmed qualifiers for Abu Dhabi’s World Pro Jiu-Jitsu championship will be held in Jordan. The event will take place November 26 and 27 at Baccaleureate School in Amman, and is open to all practitioners from white to purple belt.

Jordan has become a strategic point, for its location on the Mediterranean sea providing easy access for athletes from Europe and Africa disputing airfare and board for ten days in Abu Dhabi for the event paying out a total of nearly two million dollars in prize money.

But the news doesn’t end there. During the weekend following the qualifiers, the inaugural Desert Fighting Championship will take place, on December 3 at the Orthodox Club, also in Jordan’s capital.

This event will feature around ten MMA fights, mostly involving fighters from Middle Eastern countries.

“We want to appreciate and provide incentive to fighters in the region. There are some very promising fighters and we cannot miss out on providing these new talents with opportunity,” relates Mirza, also reporting he has arranged for the young fighters to get the exposure they deserve: “We are working side by side with Abu Dahbi Sport TV to cover our events live, which is a great achievement for the sport.”

The event was nearly canceled due to the sudden death of Ambassador Azmi Mirza, Zaid’s father, a well-known figure in Middle Eastern politics.

“My father was a great appreciator of Jiu-Jitsu and would surely have insisted that I hold the event. It’s a way of paying tribute to him and honoring the countries he loved so dearly,” said the Cássio Werneck black belt.

The Arab world has embraced Jiu-Jitsu once and for all, and on the 24^th and 25^th of September it will be the kids’ turn in the spotlight, at the Arab Cup for Kids event. The tournament will take place in Amman, Jordan, with kids between four and fourteen years of age competing. And there’s much more than mere medals on the line.

“For the first time, we’re rewarding the first-place winners with Playstation III’s and Keiko gis to the runners-up, as well as medals,” remarks brown belt Mohammed Bilbeisi, the event’s organizer.

Another piece of news is the Arab world’s participation en masse.

The event has been around for seven years and this time, we decided to open it up to the other Arab nations. We have athletes from Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Palestine all confirmed. We already count 120 participants,” adds Bilbeisi.