As one of the most recognisable figures in UAE combat sports, Tarek Suleiman is uniquely positioned to assess the state of the country’s evolving fight scene.
The Syrian, 36, holds a professional MMA record of 13-9 with one no contest over a 15-year career. He has fought on promotions including UAE Warriors and the Professional Fighters League.
Last year, he helped launch Quintet 5 in the country, an innovative survival grappling format founded in Japan that prioritises collective strategy over individual scoring.
Over the course of his career, the Dubai resident has witnessed how the country has evolved as a major international hub for mixed martial arts, jiu-jitsu and other combat sports.
“This is a country proven to be the Mecca of combat sports, the Mecca of all professional promotions,” Suleiman told The National on the sidelines of last week’s launch of the London Sport Institute in Dubai by Middlesex University.
“We see more promotions in different types of sports coming to be part of this ecosystem of sport in the UAE.”
Suleiman’s personal journey is one that defied cultural expectations. Where once the idea of a professional fighter from an Arab background was questioned, today it is celebrated.
His path into fighting was anything but conventional. He was raised in a culture where sport was rarely seen as a coveted career choice. “Being an athlete in the Arab culture family is … being a loser,” he said, recalling the early scepticism he encountered.
While studying for an engineering degree at the American University of Beirut, fighting entered his life almost by chance.
“I found fighting as an escape from the university, and I started competing just for fun,” he said.
Suleiman recounted how a friend offered him some extra money to take part in a local promotion. “My friend said, ‘Oh, we have this fighting, they pay money. You want to play?’, I was like, ‘Yeah! I don’t mind the extra bucks in my pocket.’” The thrill of victory captivated him. “I loved it. I won the fight. I got addicted to the spotlight from the first go.”
That first spark lit a flame that took Suleiman across the region, from amateur promotions to televised fights and professional MMA. His family’s early doubts were shaped by cultural norms that equated athletic ambition with futility. Changing perspectives was not easy. But time, performance, and perseverance began changing minds. “I’ve proven my family wrong, and here I am today,” he said.
Suleiman last fought in January 2025, fighting on the undercard of the PFL Road to Dubai, the promotion’s first major foray into the country. He suffered a first-round loss to Ahmed Sami.
While broadening his portfolio outside the cage, including promoting, commentating, hosting events, and managing athletes, Suleiman says he is not ready to hang up his gloves just yet.
“I’m getting ready, hopefully, at the end of the summer, targeting a date there,” he said. “Some people tend to think that I’ve been away from fighting. But when you get older, you start to fight less, start planning for what’s next … outside the cage, I’m still learning, I’m still growing.”
For a fighter who once found himself on the fringes of acceptable career choices, Suleiman’s determination to pursue his dream reflects both personal growth and the changing landscape for Arab fighters on the world stage.
