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- Fighters share their thoughts ahead of Saturday event featuring Francis Ngannou v Renan Ferreira and Cris Cyborg v Larissa Pacheco
RIYADH: PFL’s “Battle of the Giants: Brace For Impact” takes place in Riyadh on Saturday, headlined by Francis Ngannou fighting Renan Ferreira for the heavyweight world title, and Cris Cyborg versus Larissa Pacheco in the women’s featherweight world title fight.
Other fights on the card at the Mayadeen on Saturday night include the middleweight fight between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards, the featherweight fight between Husein Kadimagomaev and Zafar Mohsen, and the lightweight clash between AJ McKee and Paul Hughes. The preliminary card also features the featherweight fight between Ibragim Ibragimov and Nacho Campos and the bout between Tariq Ismail and Taha Bendaoud.
Some of the fighters sat down with the media to speak about the big fight night in Riyadh on Saturday. Here are some of their thoughts:
Paul Hughes (Ireland)
“As a youngster growing up in Ireland, I obviously looked up to Conor McGregor. Nobody from Ireland had ever made it before on the world stage of MMA and he came and completely took it over and changed it. How could I not take inspiration from that? I hope he comes back victorious.
“I don’t have too much of a relationship with Conor. I think most people would have seen my interaction with him after my Bellator debut in Dublin when he was down cage side and I thanked him after my fight for inspiring me. I had dinner one time with him at the Black Forge and that was cool, that was a real full circle moment for me. He’s always been supportive, it’s all good.”
Johnny Eblen (US)
“Honestly, I don’t know what he thinks. I don’t really care. I know what I’m doing in the gym and I’m training with the best guys in the world. I travel gyms and train with other guys who have fought for other titles and I’m truly trying to evolve every single day. I don’t care what other people think or what they’re trying to do. I’ll dig deep until I die. That’s the only mode I know.”
AJ McKee (US), wearing a traditional Saudi thobe
“It’s part of the culture and obviously I want to respect the culture. And I also have a struggle picking out outfits. So, it’s way easier, I don’t have to worry about what I’m pick out, and it’s comfortable.
“I think Riyadh can become the fight capital of the world. I think if you look at the history of the fights in Riyadh they have promoted and put on, they have all been the biggest cards — from boxing to MMA. If Saudi Arabia continues on that journey, then the sky’s the limit.”
Fabian Edwards (Jamaica/UK)
“I feel like the last fight I beat him. It wasn’t any errors, or he was outclassing me. I don’t hate him. I’ve matured over the past year. I feel in my younger days I was like ‘oh, I need to hate him’ but I don’t. Regardless, my job is a fighter and I need to go in there and try and break his face. It sounds violent but that’s the sport we’re in and on Saturday night I’ll go in there and try and break his face.”
Tariq Ismail (Sudan)
“When it comes to me being a part of this event, I think it goes both ways: the event is very lucky to have a fighter like me and I’m very lucky to be a part of such a big platform in Saudi Arabia. The training camp for this fight has been absolutely phenomenal. I had a training camp out in Thailand at a very credible gym, one of the best gyms in the world. You’re going to see balance between my striking routes and my grappling routes and it’s going to be an incredible performance for people tuning in.”
Zafar Mohsen (Germany/Afghanistan)
“I’m focused, prepared and ready to fight — this is a battle that will show who’s truly ready for the top. I’m fully prepared to step into the cage — this is a highly anticipated featherweight clash. My opponent is a dangerous training partner of Khamzat Chimaev and he will be standing across from me, but I am prepared. This is a great stage to show my talent.”
Taha Bendaoud (Morocco)
“It’s always been my passion. I’ve been doing martial arts since I was three years old. I have competed in Muay Thai and jiu jitsu since I was a little kid. For sure I didn’t have as much experience this past year as I had some problems that happened this past year, but MMA has been life changing for me. MMA has given me life. I’m just going to go in there on Saturday and bang. Nothing is going to hold me back. I’m not going back until I get the win. I love Riyadh. It has always been a dream of mine to fight in Saudi Arabia. I feel the energy and calmness of being here. It’s very special.”