Dubai Fighting Championship (DFC) provides a distinct mix of young and old. Not necessarily by age, but in MMA development which is a far more effective tool in evaluating a fighter.
Paul Daley is a seasoned veteran with 45 professional fights under his belt and he’s seen anything MMA has to offer, from fighters with every conceivable background.
Others, however, are fighting to gain that experience, to reach the heights of Mixed Martial Arts through a platform that can match them up with fighters in similar levels of development.
And in between there are fighters who have somewhat developed and refined their skills, looking at taking that next step towards stardom.
That being said, no matter where fighters are in the development one thing is certain. They are looking to provide excitement, bloodshed, and ruthless action for the fans that pay good money to see them.
Because there’s nothing more satisfying in MMA than standing over your unconscious opponent with your hands raised in victory, or so I’ve been told.
We look at the fight night’s biggest encounters and get each fighter’s thoughts ahead of their Dubai showdowns.
ON THE UNDERCARD:
Craig Harriman (2-1) vs. Fatih Ulosoy (1-1)
Craig Harriman (The Empire Gym, Dubai) is new to the game, having been training in MMA for a little under a year, but his conditioning has never been in question. A Crossfit expert, Craig’s endurance and stamina will be the key to his performance in the cage.
In Craig’s words: “I’m quite happy to give him the first round and use my fitness to wear him down. We expect him to come out like a freight train and go all guns blazing…if it gets in to the second round he’s going to be half as powerful as he was in the first so take it into the second round maybe go for a second round stoppage on the floor.”
Fatih Ulosoy (Glory MMA, Dubai and Mike’s Gym, was born to be a fighter. Ever since he was seven years old, starting out in Tae Kwon Do he realized that’s where his passion lied. With a strong striking background and a 40-5 record as a kickboxer, his aim is to finish. The forward movement and a vast array of striking skills will be his key to success.
In Fatih’s words: “When the bell goes I will go, he will feel something he has never felt before.”
CO-MAIN EVENT FOR INTERIM DFC WELTERWIEGHT TITLE
Tonie Michielsen (6-2-1) vs. Mohammad Walid (2-0)
Tonie Michielsen (Tatsujin Dojo, Deventer, Netherlands) started off as a kickboxer but after growing tired of the routine training he decided to shift into martial arts, where you learn something new every day. Under Coach Martijn de Jong, longtime head coach at Golden Glory Gym with notable students such as Alistair Overeem, Tonie has picked up all disciplines in a short amount of time, and his kickboxing base will serve him well in dictating action and pace.
In Tonie’s words: “He must do my game, I keep the pressure.”
Mohammad Walid (Sheikh Takhnoon Palace, Abu Dhabi) has been training in Mixed Martial Arts for the last five years, and his career highlight of World Champion at the World Professional Jiu Jitsu Club shows how evolved his game has become. Having grown up in Abu Dhabi, he was introduced to Karate at a young age and since then has been expanding his game to become an expert in all disciplines.
In Mohammad’s words: “This fight is about who has better conditioning…there’s no way he can win. If he has better conditioning, maybe he can win…maybe.”
MAIN EVENT
Paul Daley (31-12-2) vs. Rodrigo Ribeiro (9-10)
Paul Daley (Spirit Dojo, Nottingham, England) has been around the block. After fighting for the biggest promotions in the world, he’s on the move once again and ready to prove a point at DFC that fighters are supposed to fight.
Many people in Daley’s shoes would wait for their visa issues to clear up, head back to Bellator and fight their way to the title. Not “Semtex”. He’s of the belief that if you’re healthy enough to fight you do it.
His team of coaches work tirelessly to get Daley prepared for any opponent whether it be a striker, wrestler, or in this case a BJJ specialist. Whatever the occasion, Daley has refined his skill set to take control of the fight and go for the finish whenever the opening is there.
In Paul’s words: “I’ll beat him…I’m pretty confident that I can beat anybody that’s currently out there, the only fights that I see that present themselves as a challenge are the guys that are ranked maybe in the top seven in the world, there’s some tough fights for me there. Anybody else that’s floating around outside of these official/made up rankings by fan votes and stuff, I can beat. And I can beat quite comfortably.”
Rodrigo Ribeiro (Evolve MMA, Singapore) has a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and having trained under the master himself, Royce Gracie, he aims to teach Paul Daley a thing or two about submissions.
Ribeiro is an experienced fighter and has been in the cage with some very skilled Mixed Martial Artists, so nothing Daley throws at will be much of a surprise. Been there, done that is a very valuable cliché to have as an MMA fighter and if he’s able to get Daley to play the ground game, things can become very interesting. Playing the spoiler role can be very rewarding.
DFC 4 will take place on Friday (May 10) at the Madinat Arena, Mina A’Salam at 7pm.
For more information and to get your tickets visit www.dubaifc.ae or log on to their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DubaiFightingChampionship
READ MORE:
– DFC 4: The next stepping stone for the UAE’s budding MMA scene
– Ex-UFC star Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley tops the bill of DFC 4
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