Riyadh: Saudi mixed martial artist Nawef Chahlal is set to compete against French fighter Benjamin Ploton on June 1 for the French organization AEF in their upcoming preliminary card. The fight is the only flyweight category for that event.

Chahlal said that what made the AEF organization different was its professionalism and the quality of its fighters.

Despite a knee injury that he picked up two weeks ago during training, Chahlal believes that he is physically ready to compete.

“Mentally I am always ready. I like to fight, I like to make my country proud and to highlight Saudi Arabia in all my fights, to make the Saudi people proud makes me strong,” he said.

Chahlal said that he seized the opportunity to prepare for this contest three weeks in advance because it was an opportunity to fight in a big MMA organization such as AEF.

“I would like to give a message to my people; don’t worry I will make you proud, I will prove to the world that we are a land of champions, a land of warriors.

“Thank you all for your support and on June 1st Nawef will honor our flag,” he said.

Chahlal’s coach Mathis Nazil, from the French Atch Academy, believes the 22-year-old Saudi fighter is ready. “He has the technical capacity to win. He showed us some great things in his last fight.

“We try to take as much experience as possible in order to make him quickly switch to the professional world and that he can achieve his dream of being the 1st Khaleeji (GCC) champion in a big organization,” he said.

Chahlal has already competed in the flagship French MMA Supreme League, as well as across Europe.

The AEF was created in 2022 with the goal to develop the sport and hold quality events in which local fighters can show their potential.