Desert Force Championship

Desert Force Championship (DFC) is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the Arab World, which hosts most of the top-ranked Arab MMA fighters in the region.[2][3] The championship has held ten televised events and presided over approximately 100 matches.[4] DFC currently airs on MBC Action on a bi-monthly basis.[5] In 2010 Desert Force launched the “Elimination Series”, a single-elimination tournament for Arab MMA fighters competing to become the first regional MMA title belt holders in 7 respective weight classes. Fighters from across the Middle East have competed in 7 weight classes, namely Bantamweights, Featherweights, Lightweights, Welterweights, Middleweights, Light-Heavyweights and Heavyweights; each class enforcing the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. Participating countries include: KSA, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia.[6] In recent years DFC fights have been officially refereed by MMA referee Yves Lavigne.[7][8][9][10]

Desert Force MMA Championship
TypePrivate
IndustryMixed martial arts promotion
FoundedOctober 10, 2 (2-10-10)
FounderZaid Mirza,[1] Mohammad Mirza, Zaid Abu-Soud
Headquarters
Amman
,
Jordan
ParentX-Sports Management, LLC
Websitewww.DesertFC.com

Current champions
DivisionUpper weight limitChampionSinceTitle defenses
Bantamweight61 kg (134.5 lb) Nawras AbzakhSeptember 5, 2016 (Desert Force 24)0
Middleweight84 kg (185.2 lb) Mohammed KarakiDecember 7, 2015 (Desert Force 19)0
Welterweight77 kg (169.8 lb) Mounir LazzazMarch 23, 2015 (Desert Force 16)0
Lightweight70 kg (154.3 lb) Mohammed TrekiMarch 23, 2015 (Desert Force 16)0
Featherweight66 kg (145.5 lb) Aziz JulaidanDecember 15, 2014 (Desert Force 14 - Al Academiya 2 Finale)0
Welterweight77 kg (169.8 lb) Ahmed LabbanNovember 15, 1991 (Desert Force 15 - Al Academiya 3 Finale)0

Events
Country Event title Location Date
Egypt Desert Force 19 - Egypt Shooting Club Stadium, Cairo 2015-12-07
Lebanon Desert Force 18 - Lebanon Ghazir Stadium, BEIRUT 2015-08-18
Jordan Desert Force 17 - Homecoming Al-Hussein Youth City Boxing Arena - Amman 2015-05-25
Saudi Arabia Desert Force 16 - Saudi Arabia Green Halls - Riyadh 2015-03-23
UAE Desert Force 15 - Abu Dhabi FGB Arena 2015-02-09
Saudi Arabia Desert Force 14 - Al Academiya 2 Finale KSA Venue Jeddah 2014-12-15
UAE Desert Force 13 - Abu Dhabi FGB Arena 2014-08-25
Jordan Desert Force 12 Al-Hussein Youth City Boxing Arena - Amman 2014-04-28
Bahrain Desert Force 11 Bahrain Khalifa Sports City Arena, Manama 2014-03-07
Jordan Desert Force 10 - Al Academiya Finale Al-Hussein Youth City Boxing Arena - Amman 2014-01-27
UAE Desert Force Dubai AUD Knights Arena 2013-10-17
Jordan Desert Force - 2013 Grand Prix Finals Al-Hussein Youth City Boxing Arena -Amman 2013-06-15
Jordan Desert Force - 2013 Grand Prix Semifinals Al-Hussein Youth City Boxing Arena - Amman 2013-03-07
Jordan Desert Force - Round 2 on MBC Action Al-Hussein Youth City Boxing Arena - Amman 2012-12-14
Jordan DFC - Desert Force 5 Amman National Orthodox Club Gymnasium 2012-09-07
Jordan Desert Force 4 - Middle East Grand Prix Amman National Orthodox Club Gymnasium 2012-03-30
Jordan Desert Force 3 - Elimination Series: Knockout Round Amman National Orthodox Club Gymnasium 2010-09-30
Jordan DFC - Desert Force 2 Amman National Orthodox Club Gymnasium 2011-05-19
Jordan DFC - Desert Force 1 Amman National Orthodox Club Gymnasium 2010-09-08

Weight divisions
Weight class name Upper limit
in pounds (lb) in kilograms (kg)
Bantamweight 135 lb61 kg
Featherweight 145 lb66 kg
Lightweight 155 lb70 kg
Welterweight 170 lb77 kg
Middleweight 185 lb84 kg
Light Heavyweight 205 lb93 kg
Heavyweight 265 lb120 kg

Desert Force Academy

The Desert Force Academy is a 13 episode reality TV series that started airing in November 2013 on MBC Action. The series follows the lives of 16 amateur Arab MMA fighters training and fighting for a chance to hold the Desert Force title for their respective weight.[2][11][12]

In the second season there was a big change and surprises in the fighters test, before it was only organize matches between fighters and the winner get the opportunity to participate. But in the second season they will train the fighters in military base for five days and who will survive will participate.

References
  1. "Interview With Desert Force Founder Zaid Mirza Who Plans To Expand from the Middle East to Las Vegas - MMAmania.com". mmamania.com. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  2. "Desert Force MMA Championship kicks off on MBC Action | Rapid TV News". rapidtvnews.com. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  3. "Desert Force is finding its MMA niche in the Middle East | The National". thenational.ae. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  4. "Desert Force Championship Fights, Fight Cards, Videos, Pictures, Events and more". sherdog.com. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  5. "MBC.net - Desert force – MBC Action". mbc.net. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  6. "The First Arab MMA Championship of its kind in the Middle East concludes in Amman - ArabsMMA". arabsmma.com. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  7. "browser - Please update to a modern browser". arabsmma.com. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  8. "Bahrain News Agency | Bahrain to host Desert Force MMA Championship". bna.bh. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  9. "Gulf Daily News » Local News » Bahrain set to host Desert Force Championship". gulf-daily-news.com. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  10. "Desert Force "Al Academiya" Finale Results: Fakhreddine Victorious After Thabet Suffers Knee Injury | The Flying Knee MMA". theflyingkneemma.com. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  11. "Google Translate". translate.google.jo. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  12. "Desert Force Martial Arts championship concludes in Amman | Sports | Ammon News". en.ammonnews.net. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
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