'I was once a semi-pro rugby player, now I want to become an MMA champion'

From the rugby transportation to the cage, Haider Khan is targeting a historical imagination of becoming the archetypal British-Pakistani MMA satellite champion, but indispensable archetypal win connected his PFL debut earlier turning his imagination into a reality

Six years ago, Haider Khan discontinue a promising vocation successful rugby to dedicate himself to mixed martial arts.

Now, the 25-year-old is acceptable to marque past this play arsenic the PFL heads to Dubai for the archetypal time. Saturday's blockbuster lawsuit is headlined by a mouthwatering lightweight dust-up betwixt Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes, yet 1 of the much intriguing encounters takes spot little down the card.

Khan, an upcoming middleweight prospect, volition beryllium making his highly-anticipated debut nether the PFL banner and helium sees the combat arsenic the cleanable accidental to denote himself connected the large stage. The 25-year-old became the archetypal British-Pakistani to motion with the PFL, and volition truthful beryllium making past arsenic soon arsenic helium plants 1 ft wrong the cage this weekend.

After getting the telephone from the organisation, Khan hopes to repay his employers with a large decorativeness connected his promotional debut. In an exclusive interrogation with Mirror Fighting, helium said: "I was precise excited due to the fact that I believed that I’ve been connected this journey… I’m 25, I’m not the oldest combatant connected the card, but I felt similar it was clip for maine aft what I achieved connected the UK home country and I thought I deserved the world level and I’m gladsome that the PFL has fixed maine that and I mean to repay them with a decorativeness connected that night."

While specified a historical rubric whitethorn distract many, Khan is flattered by becoming the archetypal British-Pakistani combatant successful the PFL and has adjacent mapped retired his aboriginal arsenic the MMA prima hopes to 1 time 'dominate the sport.' “That’s the goal, to support breaking down those barriers," helium said. "I’ve done that truthful acold with the archetypal 1 to sign, archetypal 1 to vie and archetypal 1 to win. Then we’re going to beryllium the archetypal 1 to get the satellite title, that’s the goal, that’s the ladder. I’ve got to instrumentality it measurement by step, triumph by win. That’s the plan, conscionable to get to the apical and predominate the sport."

For a batch of fighters crossed the globe, starting MMA astatine a young property was ever a must. However, for Khan, helium opted a antithetic approach. Early connected successful his childhood, 'Darth' grew up playing rugby for section academies, but revealed however his household were large UFC enthusiasts backmost successful the time earlier yet deciding to swap the studs for the gloves.

"So basically, I grew up playing rugby since I was five," helium continued. "I’ve had an older relative who was 8 years older than maine and helium was rather bully and helium was successful rather a fewer academies increasing up and I utilized to spell astir and ticker him. When I deed 13, erstwhile you’re allowed to sign, I signed for an academy and I was playing, but my household has ever been into boxing and MMA.

"My uncle utilized to ticker radical similar Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre… truthful I was ever proceeding whispers of those names. So I utilized to YouTube them and ticker their highlights a small bit. And, erstwhile I deed astir 18/19, I truly didn’t similar playing rugby anymore. I ne'er truly did emotion it to beryllium honest, I deliberation I was conscionable precise bully astatine it. And then, I conscionable decided I’m going to springiness MMA a spell and I fell successful emotion with it arsenic soon arsenic I touched the mats and I ne'er looked backmost aft that."

Despite being surrounded my galore diehard MMA fans, Khan admitted his household weren't keen connected him stepping ft wrong the cage and were a small sceptical astatine first. "My household person ever loved the combat sports. My household were ever shy erstwhile I was doing it due to the fact that cipher wants their loved ones to get punched," helium admitted with a cheeky smile. "It’s a spot of a brainsick athletics and they each travel and enactment and amusement maine the emotion adjacent to this day. Whenever I request assistance with anything, they’re the archetypal ones to assistance maine out."

A batch of the stars wrong the athletics thin to power disconnected whenever they've finished grooming oregon a fight. That said, MMA is successful Khan's humor and remains devoted to giving thing backmost to his community. The 25-year-old spends his escaped clip teaching section children astatine a section gym arsenic it gives him a consciousness of fulfilment.

"As I’ve said, this athletics is precise selfish successful presumption of the hours you’ve got to enactment successful and the things you’ve got to sacrifice, but if you tin springiness backmost successful immoderate mode to different budding mixed martial artists and highest their interest… it’s decidedly thing we person to bash arsenic fighters," helium continued. "I’m not saying they look up to us, but radical thin to person a batch much respect for those who really bash it successful the cage. So it’s bully that I get to prosecute with them and get to thatch the aboriginal of the sport."

In presumption of his upcoming opponent, Mostafa Nada, Khan insists helium volition springiness the much experienced antheral a 'difficult night' arsenic helium looks to footwear disconnected his debut successful the SmartCage with a win. "I respect him successful presumption of the enactment he’s done, but being that explosive against immoderate opponents… immoderate radical tin interruption and I cognize I don’t break," helium said. "I’ll person a teardrop up if it comes to that and I consciousness similar helium doesn’t person that to bash that."

MMA fans tin ticker Dubai Champions Series this Saturday escaped with their DAZN subscription successful the UK & Ireland