ABU DHABI // The UAE fans did not have a home fighter on the card they could cheer for at the UFC’s second event in the country.
But in Palestinian-born American welterweight Ramsey Nijem, they had someone with enough regional connections for the locals to be able to get behind as if he was one of their own.
He did not disappoint either, stopping the highly-rated and hitherto undefeated new boy Beneil Dariush with 40 seconds still left in the opening round. Nijem was arguably the most popular winner on the night and he knew it as well.
“I’m here to win a title for the Middle East,” he said after the fight, draped in a Palestinian flag. “I want a main card, I want bigger names. I want people to be scared, I want to be violent.”
Though this was his first trip to Abu Dhabi, Nijem has family in Dubai and it felt as though they were all in the crowd cheering him on.
“The first time the UFC came to Abu Dhabi, I watched as I was fighting on regional promotions and I knew I would be on a card there if they ever came back,” he said. “I have great fans and I dedicate this win to those fans in the Middle East.”
The fight was as brutal as it was short. A Nijem left hook struck Dariush early and it was the cue for the Palestinian-American – who won Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show – to unleash a relentless assault.
It left Dariush – of Iranian origin, which added more spice to the bout – with a bloodied nose and battered pride. He had been favoured pre-fight and had announced without hesitation this week that he expected to win.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae