Fouad Darwish: UAE Warriors CEO talks about company expansion
MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun catches up with UAE Warriors CEO Fouad Darwish
ABU DHABI – UAE Warriors CEO Fouad Darwish is excited for the future of his promotion.
Like Cage Warriors, the Abu Dhabi-based promotion has acted as a talent feeder for the UFC, where fighters such as Manon Fiorot later signed.
Darwish likes the role the UAE Warriors, which airs on UFC Fight Pass, is playing in springboarding talent onto a bigger platform like the UFC.
“Are we shy to say we are associated with the UFC and we don’t want to compete? Of course, we are not,” Darwish told MMA Junkie. “I am very factual, I am very realistic in my management of the organization and where we stand in the global scene when it comes to mixed martial arts and sports.
“When it comes to sports, we are the biggest company. I don’t believe there’s any other company that does what we do, but when it comes to the MMA domain, we are young. UFC to us is the light, is the icon, is the beam, is where we want to be. It’s never going to be who we want to top because we cannot.”
In partnership with the IMMAF, UAE Warriors will debut in Beirut, Lebanon, in December as they continue to seek a more global reach.
“We want to fulfill our obligations with our fans, our partners with DCT, and our management,” Darwish said. “We promised them that we are going abroad, we’re going to discover new geography, we’re going to try and minimize our costs, and I promise you what’s to come is going to be overtaking everything we have done in the past five years. I believe 2026 is the year of redemption of every effort that was exerted on UAE Warriors in 2019 and onwards.”
UAE Warriors 64 takes place Wednesday at ADNEC Centre in Abu Dhabi. After the original main event between Amru Magomedov and Martun Mezhlumyan was scrapped, the flyweight title-unification bout between champion Iago Ribeiro (13-3) and interim champ Muhidin Abubaker (10-1) was promoted to the headliner. The co-main event features a vacant bantamweight title fight between Asaf Chopurov (8-0) and former EFC and ARES champion Demarte Pena (16-3).
Check out the full interview with Darwish in the video above.
