UAE champion Mohammed Mardi says the Arab Muaythai Fight Night provides him and other Arab fighters the perfect platform to showcase their talents.
A host of titles are on the line at the inaugural tournament taking place at Space 42, Al Raha Beach in Abu Dhabi, on Saturday.
Twenty-eight fighters from 14 Arab nations will take part, with Mardi entered into the welterweight division.
Mardi, 22, will learn of his opponent during Friday's draw.
He will be a heavy favourite no matter who he faces. Mardi has four Muaythai world championship titles, including a gold medal at the World Youths and three in the senior divisions.
Mardi's record of 28 wins from 32 fights mark him down as one of the most exciting young talents to emerge from the Arab world. He’s joined by teammates Ibrahim Bilal, Rafi Ramzi, and Ahmed Shammar at Saturday's tournament.
“Me and my teammates are very excited for this new adventure that provides Arab Muaythai fighters another wonderful opportunity to exhibit their talents and skills,” Mardi told The National during a break in training.
“We have been preparing for this competition no sooner after we were informed two months ago. It’s a contest that brings together the best skills and talents from the Arab world.
“It’s a milestone event from the Arab Muaythai Federation, and like us, I believe every Arab contestant is really looking forward to this.”
Mardi has been practicing the combat sport since he was seven and was drafted into the UAE national team at 17. Soon after, the UAE Muaythai Federation was founded in 2018.
He described Muaythai as his "first love" and a dedicated training regime and said he was grateful for the support of the federation.
“There are many combat sports that are spreading fast in the region and for me, Muaythai is my first love and I am very fortunate to get the opportunity to pursue full time in the sport,” he said.
“It’s my full-time job. I train three hours in the morning and four hours in the evening. Our federation hold camps before every competition and I feel me and my team are going into this with a lot of confidence.
“In combat sport, a win is never guaranteed,” he added. “Whether it be a world, continental or regional championship, the intensity is the same. One mistake can cost you the fight. That’s why combat sport is so exciting for the fans.
“The Arab Fight Night is a one-off contest to decide the regional champion. So, it’s about who is the best on the night.”
Mardi is returning to action after achieving a fourth-place finish in the World Championship in Greece earlier this year.
With Jordan and Tunisia winning medals in the recently concluded Paris Olympics, in taekwondo, Mardi says he hopes to one day see Muaythai included on the roster, potentially at the LA 2028 Games.
“Muaythai was included as a demonstrate event in Paris and I wish it will be included in LA 2028,"he said.
"If that happens that will mean the world for me. And obviously my goal would be to qualify for it. If not 2028 perhaps 2032, and I wish I’ll still be around. Insha Allah.”
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WHAT%20ARE%20THE%20PRODUCTS%20WITHIN%20THE%20THREE%20MAJOR%20CATEGORIES%3F
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
