Zamzam Al Hammadi had just become a world champion when she saw her mother cry for the first time. She was befuddled by the tears. She had won; this was supposed to be a time for celebration.
“I saw her crying for the first time, even though I was winning. I really didn’t understand if she was happy or sad. Then I asked her, ‘Mum, why are you crying?’ She told me, ‘I’m happy because you won, but I want to tell you something.’ I was like, ‘What?’ She told me, ‘I have cancer’, and I was like, ‘Mum, you’re kidding me, right?' She was like, ‘No.'"
Al Hammadi became emotional recalling that moment. The smile that had barely left her face faded momentarily. “I told her, 'Mum, I’m going to fight with you. No matter what happens, I’m going to be by your side. I’m going to be with you and believe me, with me, I’m going to see your smile, I’m going to see your smile 24/7'.”
Fighting is what Al Hammadi knows best. The 18-year-old is a two-time IMMAF youth world champion and the first Emirati woman to sign with the Professional Fighters League. She made a winning PFL Mena debut in Dubai in May in an amateur strawweight bout.
Al Hammadi is bright, animated and a jolt of electricity in conversation. She’s gloriously expressive, extremely witty and incapable of harbouring a modest ambition. She’s shooting for the moon and at the very least hoping to land in the stars.
Such was her ascent that she was invited to speak at Middlesex University Dubai’s Women in Sport Series, launched through its London Sport Institute. The opening discussion brought together Emirati athletes to speak about identity, heritage and the next generation.
She agreed to speak to The National on the sidelines. What really shines through is her love for her mother, Nada Al Nuaymi, who serves as both her inspiration and the reason for her fierce ambition. Her mother was born and raised in the UAE but possesses Iraqi roots, two identities that she’s particularly proud of. Mention Iraq and Zamzam’s eyes light up.
When she discovered during our conversation that I was Iraqi, she immediately called for her mother:. “Mum! Come here! She’s Iraqi! Can you believe it? She’s Iraqi!” The delight spread from her face to her mother’s as they conveyed their admiration for the country, explaining their ancestry.
Iraq is a country that she has yet to visit, but Al Hammadi dreams of travelling there. “My blood is there, my blood is there. I always talk about it, and I’m really proud because I have the blood of real history makers.
"My mum always talks about Iraqi history and to be honest, every day I’m learning new stuff about it and that makes me even prouder of it.”
She indulges in her mother’s stories and the Iraqi cuisine she’s learning to cook. She’s already got quite good; she said her mother already considers her the best Iraqi cook in the house, which she considers both a blessing and a curse. “I can’t really cook it [Iraqi food] when I have to diet. When I’m on a diet, I just cry and think I’m losing my skills.”
Al Hammadi has also developed a deep interest in the history of the country and spoke excitedly of studying Hammurabi, the former ruler of the first Babylonian dynasty, famed for creating the code of Hammurabi, the oldest and most complete written legal system in history. A lecturer once asked her why she was so interested. “I told him, because I have Iraqi blood, why not?”
Despite being captivated by her maternal roots, she lives to serve her country, the UAE, the flag she carries into competition. “I’m not representing myself only. I’m not representing my family only. I’m representing my country. Before my name appears, it says Emirati,” a fact that makes her immensely proud.
Al Hammadi is a trailblazer in UAE MMA. She is the first Emirati woman to sign for the PFL and aims to turn pro soon. Grander ambitions include becoming a world champion and to fight in the UFC.
Still only 18, she is in her second year of studying for a degree in international relations, political economy and development and serves on the student council at Abu Dhabi's Zayed University.
She once considered studying media because she likes broadcasting and, by her own admission, thought it would be an easier course. Her mother instead pushed her towards a degree that would help her serve her country.
“She’d be like, 'Zamzam, what you’re doing is great, but I still think this is nothing. You need something bigger.'"
Nada says she has been likened to a lioness for her ability to breed competitive fighters. Her younger daughter, Ghala, is also a decorated mixed martial artist and already owns one advantage that Zamzam is determined to challenge. Ghala once finished a fight in five seconds; Zamzam's quickest finish is six. “And now we’re really competing on this. I was like, ‘Ghala, I’m not stepping down until I get it in four seconds. You’re going to see Ghala, I’m coming for four seconds,'” Zamzam says with a grin.
Asked whether their mother ever worries about raising so many well-trained fighters, Al Hammadi replies, “To be honest, we’re the ones scared of mum.”
Al Hammadi refers to her mother as a cancer warrior. A single mother who has devoted her life to her children, she is full of admiration for her .
Grateful for this, Al Hammadi is encouraged to keep competing and progressing as she feels it motivates her mother to continue treatment. “She’s fighting for her life, to survive. So why don’t I fight for her? So she feels that there’s someone with me who’s fighting as well?"
Al Hammadi is also focused on helping the next generation of girls enter combat sports. She remembers a time she and her sister were the only girls from their group competing at the world championships
She says more women are seriously considering a similar career, and much of that is down to representation. Athletes like Al Hammadi have helped create a pathway that many never thought possible. The jiu-jitsu and martial arts club that Zamzam established had few members in its first year. She says it now has 51 members, with fathers now actively approaching her to ask about opportunities for their daughters.
Al Hammadi hopes that more Emirati women will come to represent the country in every sport. “At least one Emirati girl in every global organisation,” she said.
