Well what can we say about Mhammad Karaki’s performance. He did absolutely everything he had to do to win the title and did it extremely well! Although he is usually more known for his dramatic come from behind wins, he won the title by dominating the fight from start to finish.
He will certainly not want to let go of the shield easily but you can bet your bottom dollar that a lot of fighters will be eying that belt with envy and a desire to rip it out of his hands (literally). Abdelali from Morocco will be aggrieved to have lost his last fight against the Lebanese jiu jitsu practitioner which would have put him in contention against Saada. Could a rematch be on the cards? Potentially, but not yet.
Fighters such as Sami Antar and Mohammed Ali Felix could well have a case (and record) to ask for a fight but we would love to see Khalid Walid come back again to Desert Force and test himself against Karaki. The Syrian fighter was supposed to face Tarek Suleiman put pulled out of the fight at the last minute for reasons unknown (something that he apparently has been known to do previously). Nevertheless, if the Mirza brothers can make this happen it would be a bombastic event!
Khalid Walid is unlike any other fighter Karaki has faced previously. Not only is he a jiu jitsu brown belt but he also has strong striking skills as a result of his karate background and upbringing. Khalid is 2-0 in Desert Force but also has a strong competition record outside of the Octagon and would be a real threat to Karaki’s aspirations to hold on to that shield. Karaki will need to be on his A game and come up with a strategy to outmaneuver, outpace and out strike Khalid.
