Abu Dhabi Challenge Week…the capital of world wrestling continues to consolidate its leadership
Abu Dhabi, 9 November / WAM / Abu Dhabi Challenge Week has become the most prominent event on the global sporting events agenda, attracting the attention of martial arts fans from various continents, which has strengthened Abu Dhabi’s position as a global capital for combat sports.
Since the launch of the partnership with the UFC in 2010, Abu Dhabi has gradually transformed into an international center for this sport, hosting more than 20 tournaments. Indicative of the success of the joint project, the year 2023 witnessed the extension of the partnership between the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and the UFC until 2028. Under the agreement, the UFC organizes one major tournament that includes an annual title fight in Abu Dhabi, in addition to hosting a fight night event from UFC every year.
Abu Dhabi has succeeded in establishing an integrated system to develop combat sports and support emerging talents inside and outside the country. Thanks to its advanced sports infrastructure and quality initiatives for youth, Abu Dhabi has become a global model in combining organizing major tournaments and nurturing new generations of athletes at the same time.
This year’s edition of Challenge Week last October witnessed a group of the most prominent tournaments, most notably the UFC 321 Championship: Aspinall vs. Gunn, which was hosted by the Etihad Arena amidst a huge audience.
Brazilian Mackenzie Dern scored a historic achievement when she decided the fight for the strawweight title by defeating her compatriot Verna Jandiroba, becoming the first woman to win the UFC title in Abu Dhabi and the Middle East.
The competitions witnessed a strong fight between Tom Aspinall and Cyril Jean, which ended in a goalless draw after a strong and equal confrontation that held the fans’ breaths until the last minute.
The tournament was distinguished by the participation of a group of international stars, including Omar Nurmagomedov, Mario Bautista, Alexander Volkov, Jaylton Almeida, Azamat Murzakanov, and Alexander Rakic, in addition to a remarkable Arab participation represented by the Palestinian star Abdel Karim Al-Selwadi, who fought a strong fight against the Brazilian Mateus Camilo in the lightweight category, and the Egyptian Hamdi Abdel Wahab, who continued his historic career as the first Egyptian athlete to participate in the UFC championships. C” will face Chris Barnett in the heavyweight category.
Abu Dhabi Challenge Week also witnessed a strong return to the Power Slap tournament, which provided the audience with an exciting and enthusiastic experience at Space 42 Arena. In the VET version of Power Slab 16: Wolverine vs. Klingbeel, presented by Monster Energy, Wolverine was able to defend his light heavyweight title after defeating Alan “The Kryptonian” Klingbeel by split decision in the decisive extra round, as this fight became the first of its kind in the history of the tournament to be decided via An additional round, which gave it an unprecedented historical character.
As part of the week’s activities, the 64th international edition of the Emirates Warriors Mixed Martial Arts Championship was held, organized by Palms Sports Company, at the ADNEC Center, where Somali Muhyiddin Abubakar was crowned the main flyweight fighter after defeating Brazilian Ribeiro by the referees’ decision.
The Azerbaijani Asaf Sharapov defeated the Angolan Demarti by submission in the third round, while the fight for the light heavyweight title between the Russian Amr Mammadov and the Armenian Marton Mizhlomyan was canceled due to the latter’s illness.
His Excellency Saleh Mohammed Al Jaziri, Director General of Tourism at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, confirmed that the capital has today become a global platform that allows athletes to showcase their skills and gives the public the opportunity to follow the most prominent tournaments.
He added that the established partnership between the department and the UFC aims to make the capital, Abu Dhabi, a center for martial arts in the world, stressing the continuation of supporting athletes and enhancing the emirate’s position as a global home for sports, culture and tourism.
In turn, Frank Lamisella, CEO of Power Slab, confirmed that the level of competition in Abu Dhabi Challenge Week confirms the great interest in this event and the extent of the spread of the game globally, pointing to the large public attendance and official interest in order to show Abu Dhabi Challenge Week in its best light.
Egyptian fighter Hamdi Abdel Wahab said: “Participating in Abu Dhabi was a distinguished experience by all standards in terms of global organization and the large public presence, expressing his pride in being the first Egyptian to compete in the UFC from the UAE.
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