Desert Force V on MBC Action is this Thursday at the American University of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Here are the fights I can’t wait to see:
Ali Ahli vs. Anas Siraj Mounir
This is a massive comeback fight for Ali Ahli against a very dangerous opponent. You must give credit to both Ali Ahli and Desert Force for not wasting time and putting the best possible fights out there given the late notice replacement of Bechir Majri. Many people, including myself, thought Ali Ahli would be given an easy opponent to start his Desert Force career in order to appease the local supporters, but this is certainly not the case. They are both Blue Belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and they are both promising strikers who have at least one KO/TKO at the professional level. This fight is the fight that should sell most tickets given Ali Ahli’s name in the local MMA scene and I feel the outcome will surely affect Desert Force’s future in the UAE given the lack of Emirati fighters on the horizon. If Ali Ahli wins, he would have been watched by millions of viewers in the Middle East and Northern Africa (a lot of them Emirati), who will surely be encouraged to train in MMA and be the next UAE star in this fast growing sport. So in essence, this is a fight that’s bigger and more important than how it looks on paper.
Georges Eid vs. Victor Monfront
An important fight on many levels, but mainly for its historic value as the first ever Arab vs. Non Arab fight (there is a 2nd fight that will pit an Iraqi vs. Iranian, which should promise to be wild as well, but the two countries are too close to each other so I opted for the other fight). This is not a big deal outside of Desert Force as we have seen many Arabs fight on the international level against international competition, but this presents a historic moment to this region given the massive eyeballs expected to tune in when the show airs on MBC Action days after the event is over. Some Arab fighters dislike the way they’re portrayed when they go against international competition and I don’t blame them for that. This will be the test that counts in front of millions of people watching.
Tarek Suleiman vs. Abdullah Medjdoub
This is a fight I am looking forward to simply because of both fighters’ preparations. Suleiman trained at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand while Mohammed Majdoub trained at Tristar Gym in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Tarek Suleiman is coming off an impressive win in his last fight where he gave a wrestling clinic on his way to a very professional win and comeback. Majdoub has his first fight in Desert Force but we know what he is capable of and he will surely be a tough opponent for Suleiman. The road back to the title picture doesn’t look that easy for Suleiman as this is a step up in competition compared to his last fight.
