KHK MMA

Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa

KHK MMA launching press conference

First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport, President of the Bahrain Athletics Association, and a mixed martial arts enthusiast, Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa became interested in creating its own team and developing MMA in Bahrain. What fuelled his interest was watching Hamza Kooheji -- a local fighter training at Mohammad Shahid's gym Bahrain MMA -- win in a Desert Force event.[1] Throughout March, April and May 2015 a series of national try-outs took place to determine the best local fighters, those of which subsequently joined the team. In August 15th, 2015, KHK MMA held a launching press conference which exposed Bahrain to major names in MMA,[2] such as: Frankie Edgar, Khabib Nurmagomedov, 6th Degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Renzo Gracie, SBG Ireland's head coach John Kavanagh, among others, with Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Mohammad Shahid and several Bahraini authorities. During the 2015 IMMAF European Championships in Birmingham,UK, Hussain Haki Mahdi won the bronze medal at the flyweight division (125lbs),[3] the first significant achievement for KHK MMA just three months after its official launching. In October, 2015, during his match against Adriano Martins at UFC 192 in Houston, Islam Makhachev became the first fighter to compete under the KHK MMA banner in UFC. Two months later, at TUF 22 Finale main event, the former lightweight world champion Frankie Edgar made his first fight inside the octagon as a KHK fighter, with a victory over Chad Mendes by KO.