26-year-old Egyptian fighter Ibrahim El Sawy will be competing in the largest Mixed Martial Arts Championships in the region, the Desert Force MMA Championship (DFC), which will be held in Abu Dhabi on Monday, Aug. 25 and aired on MBC Action.
With around 100 MMA fighters in Egypt (amateurs and professionals combined), the sport has started to become more recognized and is gaining popularity.
The Egyptian fighter will be going head to head against Abdallah Abou Hamdan from Lebanon in the middle weight division of DFC 13.
El Sawy hopes to win at DFC 13 and move on to accomplish any MMA fighter’s dream of competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and, ultimately, representing Egypt in the World Championships.
“It’s a huge dream I’ve always had and of course it would be an honor for Egypt and for me to be the first Egyptian holding the title of Arab Champion in MMA,” El Sawy told us.
El Sawy started his martial arts path with boxing. He then took up kickboxing and Muay Thai, which led him to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and further developing his skills and talents with Brazilian Jiujitsu.
El Sawy has been training for months in preparation for the championship, using Fitness Pro devices, which he says have helped him develop his fitness levels and improve his cardiovascular system and overall strength.
With MMA’s popularity rising in the Middle East, El Sawy hopes to see the sport grow in audience and participation.
“I hope to see MMA reach the level of popularity in Egypt as the rest of the Middle East. I’d like to see more professional fighters representing Egypt… and have the talent and skill to win.”
WE SAID THIS: Check out Fitness Pro’s Facebook page here to follow up on Ibrahim El Sawy’s results.