Paradigm Sports Senior Vice President Azhar Muhammad Saul affirmed that the company's expansion to the Middle East in it's United Arab Emirates sector is a very successful investment.
The company currently manages some of the biggest combat sports talents in the world most notably former UFC Lightweight champion Conor Mcgregor, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and current UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in addition to several others.
Partnering with the UAE
Azhar, who is currently Paradigm's SVP for Strategy Business Development, revealed that the extension to Dubai was a result of the UAE becoming the epicenter of Mixed Martial Arts in the Middle East; the country currently hosts the UFC in it's Yas Island, currently dubbed as (UFC Fight Island).
The SVP also praised the investment environment in the UAE, stating that the atmosphere is very positive and the procedures are very explanatory.
Possible Extensions in the Middle East
On possible extensions throughout the Middle East, Azhar pointed out that Saudi Arabia is a very hot candidate to be the next business partner for Paradigm, as Saudi has become a house hold name in hosting combat sports events, most notably the Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Heavyweight Title rematch.
The SVP also pointed out that Saudi Arabia currently hosts some of WWE's biggest events and the Saudi population are very much into combat sports.
Possibly Signing Arab Fighters
Being present in the region and leveraging their network of scouts provides the talent in the Middle East an authentic platform to shine and chase their dreams in the world’s biggest promotions, including the UFC. There is a huge amount of talent in the region, Paradigm Sports is excited to help provide them with the guidance they need to get their stories out.
On Egypt's Mohamed Salah, Liverpool's ace striker, opening a door for his club to expand and invest in the Middle East, the former ONE FC VP affirmed that having a broad fan base reaps great rewards both business-wise and athletic wise.
"Having a strong national backing certainly helps us whether or not to invest in athletes," he asserted.
"We have Manny Pacquiao who is a national hero in the Philippines and Israel Adesanya, who is of Nigerian origins and has a very strong African Fanbase and lastly Conor Mcgregor, who's known for his great Irish following and pride."
On Conor Mcgregor
Azhar expressed his content that Conor Mcgregor is finally back to the UFC as he is scheduled to face the hard hitting Dustin Poirier on January 23rd. He also revealed that Mcgregor is better than ever and will be aiming to have 3-4 fights this year if he feels healthy.
On MMA Possibly Replacing Boxing as the World's Premium Combat Sport
The former One FC SVP described MMA as an expanding sport, but refused to rule out boxing as well.
Azhar stated that MMA right now has a broader expansion than boxing as there are countless MMA promotions throughout the world, some even localized like Brave Combat Federation is localized in the Middle East.
He also gave the example of Legends FC, which had a helping hand in producing several fighters who shined on the grand stages, most notably Robert Whittaker, but is now currently hosting mostly Chinese fighters.
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