Mohammad Yahya defends lightweight title in UAE Warriors 29: Arabia main event

UAE Warriors Arabia lightweight champion Mohammad Yahya will make his first title defense in less than two weeks.

Yahya (10-3) puts his title on the line against Mohamed El Jaghdal (7-4) in the UAE Warriors 29: Arabia main event on March 27. The card takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and streams live on UFC Fight Pass.

A person with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Winner of five of his past six fights, Yahya captured the inaugural UAE Warriors Arabia lightweight title this past September when he finished Yazid Chouchane in the second round. Prior to signing with UAE Warriors, the United Arab Emirates native made two appearances for Bellator, going 1-1 with a first-round knockout of Ashley Griffiths.

El Jaghdal, who comes from a kickboxing background, last competed in May 2021 when he scored a first-round TKO in Spanish-based promotion Mix Fight 47: Badalona. The Moroccan fighter has won two of his past three.

UAE Warriors 29: Arabia is part of a triple header, with UAE Warriors 28: International headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Tarek Suleiman (12-7) and Ireland’s Will Fleury (9-3) taking place March 26 and UAE Warriors 27: Africa kicking things off on March 25.