Princess Iman after training. Photo: Personal Files

Flattered by the news of his marriage to Jordan princess Iman bint Hussein on the homepage of GracieMag.com, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt Zaid Mirza sent us an exclusive shot of his wife after a Muay Thai training, a sport she has been practicing for two years.

According to Mirza, the princess has also been practicing Jiu-Jitsu for a year, which, according to our sources in Jordan, helped the couple become closer. The princess’ brothers, prince Hashim and prince Hamza are also supporters of the gentle art, and today are two tough blue belts.

Another discovery by GracieMag during the wedding ceremony held in March, in Jordan, is that one of the noble guests, sheikh Khaled Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, son of the king of Bahrain, also has private Jiu-Jitsu lessons in his own palace in the small emirate.

As it appears, more Arabian royal families are falling in love with Jiu-Jitsu.

Photo: Publicity.

An MMA organization promising to shake up the Middle East, more specifically Jordan, has come to be and has a date for its maiden event. Desert Force Championship (DFC) is set for November 19 with five international bouts and another five between local athletes. Athletes from Jordan, the UAE, USA, Holland, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine are expected on the card.

“We already did Capital Challenge, which is greatly identified with Jiu-Jitsu. We will use this identity in future gentle art events,” explains Zaid Mirza about the MMA organization’s name change.

“Desert Force is the name we decided on for this MMA event, inspired by the vast majority of the Middle East. The people of the desert are known for bearing difficult conditions and sacrifices, as are MMA fighters. We want to show the world the power of the people of this region,” adds Mirza, who is also launching Midde East Fight League (MEFL).

The aim is to, in the future, hold events once a month and launch talent from the region into major organizations like the UFC, Dream, Strikeforce and the DFC itself.

“The first show will take place in Cairo, Egypt, in January 2011. The MEFL cage will go around all the Arab countries of the Middle East,” reveals Mirza.