RIYADH: The weather is finally improving after the hot summer months and with most of the players back from vacation, the 2016-2017 season starts at Dirab Golf & Country Club this weekend.
Fittingly, the season-opening event on Saturday is the annual Saudi National Day Golf Tournament sponsored by Almarai Company.
The wraparound season for 2015-2016 ended on May 28 with the final of the Match Play Club Championship 2016 won by Filipino ace Resty Sibug over German Ralf Schiffer 5 and 4. Though the season officially ended Dirab organized side events for intrepid players including the July Corporate Open Golf Tournament.
From Saturday, it’s back to normal at Dirab especially for those who didn’t touch their clubs because of the hot weather.
One of the biggest majors at Dirab, the Saudi National Day tournament exclusively sponsored by Almarai for many years now has attracted 110 players as of Tuesday, with some on the waiting list.
This two ball Texas Scramble format competition will have a 7 a.m. shotgun start, and the prizes scaled down to the fifth place. In addition to the major prizes for the winners up for grabs are skill prizes for men’s and ladies longest drive and closest to the pin. Also, each player will receive a goody bag courtesy of the sponsor at the registration booth.
DGCC Golf Manager Bouchaib El Jadiani said Dirab will serve Saudi traditional food during the tournament while Marriott Riyadh Hotel will take care of the usual breakfast-lunch buffet. To refresh the players are the Almarai products including yogurt and juices.
Dirab opens new season with staging of Saudi National Day Golf Tournament on Saturday
Dirab opens new season with staging of Saudi National Day Golf Tournament on Saturday
‘Out cold’: Haider Khan eyes knockout win over Gregory at PFL Road to Dubai
- British-Pakistani fighter takes on Brazilian veteran Jhony Gregory at Coca-Cola Arena on Feb. 7
DUBAI: British-Pakistani middleweight Haider Khan heads into the PFL’s Road to Dubai contest on Feb. 7 with a 10-1 professional record and growing international stature.
Khan faces Brazilian veteran Jhony Gregory at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, opening a card that features title fights and further accelerates the league’s push into the Middle East.
Khan grew up in Oldham in a sports-first household, where rugby, football and athletics filled most of his childhood.
“As a grown up in the UK, it was good for me. I was always a sporty child. I played many sports, rugby, football. I did athletics, but I got into MMA a bit later,” he said during an exclusive interview.
At around age 17 at university, he stepped away from semi-professional rugby and followed his uncles’ enthusiasm for mixed martial arts into a local jiu-jitsu gym down the road.
On the domestic scene he built a strong resume, climbing into the top 10 of the UK middleweight rankings and breaking into Europe’s lists as a rising name in the division.
The PFL gave Khan a larger platform, and he made the most of his debut. In Dubai, he stopped Mostafa Rashed Nada in the first round when a checked kick led to a gruesome arm break, a win that drew mainstream coverage in the UK.
“That was an impressive performance by myself, breaking his arm,” Khan said.
“I don’t feel any pressure to be honest because I’ve worked very hard to get to the position I am. I believe that I’m going to keep delivering performances like that where I’m going to get finishes and I’ll be the highlight of the night.”
In his second PFL outing against Sean McCormac, Khan leaned on takedowns and top control to take a decision in a middleweight showcase, highlighting his grappling edge on the night.
He feels the work between fights is starting to show. “I feel like every camp I train, I’m just leveling up in all areas of my game … I think what I do best is I put it all together and I’m fine-tuning that,” he said.
“Eventually it’s going to click to the point where it’s going to seem seamless.”
Gregory, who has years of experience and an aggressive style, is the next test. “He’s a very tough opponent, a bit of a veteran, had plenty of fights,” Khan said.
“He swings big, he commits to everything — his takedowns, his striking. So I expect him to come out fast, come out hard, but I imagine him missing a lot and I’m going to capitalize on that.”
For Khan, the matchup carries meaning beyond the rankings. He is the first British-Pakistani fighter on the PFL roster and has been vocal about what that visibility means.
“For me, it’s one of the main reasons I do it, to be a role model in this Pakistani community and show us that we can do it,” he said, thanking the fans in the region who have been turning out to support him.
Away from fight camp, “Darth” Khan keeps things simple. “In my free time I’m quite a boring guy. I like to relax, chilling with family and friends. I like to have a good coffee, love a good cappuccino … and a great movie to just chill and unwind,” he said.
When the cage door closes in Dubai, though, the goal is clear: “Fight night in Dubai ends with Haider Khan laying Jhony Gregory out cold.”
