UFC Fight Night 39 goes off with a bang in Abu Dhabi

Steve Elling mingles with a diverse sell-out Abu Dhabi crowd for what was “bigger, better” than UFC’s first trip to the capital

There was a sell-out crowd of more than 7,000 fans at du Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Saturday April 11. Pawan Singh / The National

ABU DHABI // The question had hardly been posed when it was answered – with an exclamation point – about 50 metres away.

Along with a handful of friends from work, Sharon Andrews, walked into the du Arena last night not knowing exactly what to expect.

Thirty-nine seconds into the first bout on UFC Fight Night, she had her answer. The two bantamweights accidentally clashed heads, sending one of the fighters crashing to the mat, battered and bleary. A roar erupted and the fight was over. If anybody had blinked, they had surely missed it.

Andrews had just wandered in and was looking for her seat as it abruptly ended. So, above the din, what was she expecting, exactly?

“That’s what it’s all about,” Andrews said, pointing toward the chaos in the ring. “I guess.”

As the UFC made its first trip to Abu Dhabi in four years, Andrews and a few of her friends dressed up in their finery to watch the pageantry of pain.

“It seemed like a can’t-miss event,” she said.

Andrews, 33, was part of a surprisingly diverse crowd that included hundreds who waited until the last minute to watch what UFC officials tout as “the fastest-growing sport in the world”.

Officials said walk-up sales were strong, which was a relief, since only about two-thirds of the presale tickets were swooped up. It was a full house of 7,963 fans, according to organisers.

With another UFC night on the agenda over the next couple of years, those who had attended the organisation’s first incursion into Abu Dhabi in 2010 said there was no comparison between the two.

The public-address system pounding out classic rock tunes, Emiratis Khaled Mohamed Al Suwaidi and Mohamed Ali Al Madfai stood along the rail in their dishdashas, watching the fighters enter the ring and hoping to get a glimpse of the protagonists as they strutted onstage. Big fight fans, they attended the first UFC card in the capital.

“It’s bigger, it’s better, the crowd is here,” said Al Madfai, 27.

Al Suwaidi had little difficulty explaining the attraction, even for those who are far less fervent about the sport than he.

“It’s like a human chess match,” he said.

With mixed-martial arts long ago having established a foothold in the region, the fighters and officials are hoping the area can become a fixture on the UFC schedule as the organisation spreads its brand globally. There was no shortage of aficionados in attendance last night, to be sure, including Al Madfai.

As he noted, his name is Mohammed Ali, after all.

“Culture dissolves, language dissolves, nationality dissolves,” Al Madfai said, pointing at the octagon. “In there, talent is all that matters. Who hits harder.”

Rich Mills, who follows the sport pretty seriously, drove from Dubai with three friends to watch the fight card and lauded those who were responsible for bringing the one-ring circus to town.

“This is the best thing that has ever come to Abu Dhabi,” said Mills, 34, a Brit who has lived here for a decade. “It brings something to this region that has never really been here before.”

Ben Graham stood nearby in the arena’s grassed concession area, soaking up the atmosphere. There was plenty of it, in various shades of neon.

“This was a great opportunity to come down with the lads, without the wives,” said Graham, 32, who lives in Dubai.

The weather, which approached 37°C at midday, was ideal by the time the undercard began shortly after 8pm.

“Where else in the world can you guarantee weather like this outdoors?” Mills said.

If anything, it helped make the night even more unique. The rising mercury was solely in the ring.

“It was awesome to fight outside, which we don’t usually do,” said Jim Alers, a Floridian who won his featherweight fight.

The fighters certainly tried to engage the audience. Ramsey Nijem, a San Franciscan with roots in Palestine, jumped all over the local angle after winning his lightweight bout.

“I am going to step up and win a title for the Middle East,” he shouted into the ringside microphone.

As for the crowd, given the staggering amounts of testosterone on display, there was a surprising number of females in the audience.

“Are you kidding, women love this sport,” said Mohammed Al Hosani, 29, an Emirati who has served as an Arabic-language television analyst for the sport. “You go to a fight in Vegas, and they’re all dressed elegantly for the show. They like to see good, fit men go at it.”

Andrews did not dispute the assertion.

“They are like gladiators,” she said. “What’s not to like?”

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