The first events of the new season of the "Warriors of the Emirates" martial arts championship will kick off on January 20, organized by Palms Sports, marking the 46th edition of the international series and the 47th edition of the Arab series the following day. The competitions will take place at the Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City.
The international edition will feature 13 bouts with 26 fighters from around the world. Notable participants include Brazilian Alex Da Silva in the lightweight category, and Cameroonian Georges Dia, the champion of the African series.
On January 21, the Arab edition will take place, showcasing 11 bouts among 22 fighters. The highlight will be the middleweight matchup between current champion Wassim Hammami from Tunisia and Imran Shaaban from Lebanon. Other fighters include Abdullah Al-Boushehri, Jalal Al-Daaja, Mohamed Al-Assili, Suhail Thaeri, and Iman Al-Mudaf.
Last year, the "Warriors of the Emirates" championship organized 11 editions, starting from February until October, crowning eight champions across the three versions: international, African, and Arab. Notably, Jordanian Ali Al-Qaisi won both the Arab series title in the 40th edition and the international title in the 42nd edition in the featherweight category, while Mohamed Yahya took the lightweight title in the Arab series, and Badr Al-Din Diani won twice in the Arab series in the middleweight category.
Other champions included Georges Dia, the featherweight champion in the African series, Bruno Machado, the lightweight champion in the international series before announcing his retirement, and Amro Nur Magomedov, who claimed the lightweight title in the international series.
Fouad Darwish, the head of the organizing committee for the "Warriors of the Emirates" and the CEO of Palms Sports, expressed his happiness with the successes achieved in 2023 and noted that the organizing committee is determined to continue achieving success this year with the diverse participation from around the world, as it serves as a launching point for many champions. He expressed his anticipation for the new season, aiming to maintain excellence in organization, which enhances the championship's prestige and affirms Abu Dhabi's leadership in advancing this sport regionally and globally.
