Dubai – MMA icon and UFC Hall-of-Famer Royce Gracie was in attendance at the Dubai Fighting Championship Press Conference as an ambassador of the promotion on Wednesday, 8th February at the Asiana Hotel. Also in attendance was radio personality and Dubai celebrity, Kris Fade from Virgin Radio 104.4FM.

Dubai Fighting Championship press conference, launched by Tamari Promotions – a partnership between UK MMA fighter turned entrepreneur Tam Khan and fighter Ari Basti, included a promo teaser video created by Mirror Image Productions.  The video can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/dubaifc1.

DFC will host a variety of weight classes from Flyweight to Heavyweight and will take place at Club Boracay in the Asiana Hotel. A specific date has not been set, however Tamari Promotions are aiming for a March/April show.

The CEO of Tamari Promotions, Tam Khan informed media that the aim of DFC is to “develop local talent and give them a competitive platform where they can display their skills”.

“We want to develop each fighter’s character as well as their skill so that they become well-known within the region, like today’s popular athletes in other sports, they need a persona and I want to build fighters so that the people of Dubai can get behind their favourite fighters,” said Khan at yesterday’s press conference. 

MMA legend Royce Gracie was optimistic of Dubai Fighting Championship’s success saying that the “time is right” for a Mixed Martial Arts event to be hosted in Dubai.

“When I came here 4 years back and did one of my seminars there were maybe no more than 20 people. I just did a seminar last night and I hardly had any place to move. MMA is growing and I have no doubt in my mind that it will be successful,” said Royce.
 
Award winning radio personality Kris Fade also shared his optimism saying, “An event like Dubai Fighting Championship is “rare, but welcomed entertainment,” as the concept is still fairly new.

“Unfortunately Dubai is a mall culture. You go home and eat or you go to the mall and eat. Having a promotion like the Dubai Fighting Championship is an awesome alternative to the regular events that Dubai hosts. Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, so it’s only natural for Dubai to host its own MMA event,” added Kris Fade at the press conference.

The DFC press conference concluded with photos of the local fighters squaring off for the cameras. Khan thanked the current DFC sponsors and welcomed any potential sponsors by stating, “This is a great opportunity for brands who are aligned with DFC’s vision to get involved in this historic MMA event in the region”.