After dream debut in Dubai, PFL star Haider Khan is ready for the spotlight

When the Professional Fighters League (PFL) made its debut in Dubai last January, the fast-rising fight promotion put on a show that was fitting of a history-making moment in one of the biggest markets in the Middle East.

Road to Dubai Champions Series featured a world championship main event that turned out to be an instant classic, as Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes battled for five rounds in an early candidate for fight of the year.

Apart from the thrilling main event, there was one other moment from the fight card that made the rounds on social media and had the MMA world buzzing. That was none other than Haider Khan’s vicious bone-breaking TKO against Mostafa Nada. The English-Pakistani Khan threw a thunderous front kick that ended up snapping Nada’s forearm in half, resulting in the injury TKO.

“The arm breakage, obviously that wasn't something you plan for, but again, my coach said that I kick that hard. He's always encouraging me to kick more in my fights, saying that I have the ability to break people's arms with how hard I kick,” Khan said about the win.

The impressive showing marked a successful SmartCage debut for Khan, who improved to 9-1 in his blossoming professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Not bad for someone who only turned pro in 2021.

A former rugby standout, Khan shared that he fell in love with MMA after being exposed to two of the sport’s best ever.

“I started MMA training once I decided to stop playing rugby, that was roughly when I was 18 years old. I decided that I wanted to try martial arts, I had an interest in it from a young age, in terms of my uncle and my family, they had an interest in fighting and stuff, so I used to hear a few voices like Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva, so I Googled them, I researched them and I started getting an interest in MMA,” Khan explained.

 “Then eventually, when the opportunity came up after rugby, I decided I wanted to start training and that's how my passion grew for MMA.”

Khan began fighting as an amateur in 2018, putting together an impressive 4-1 slate before making the jump to pro. Khan went on to win eight of his first nine professional bouts and eventually caught the eye of the PFL, getting signed to compete on their Dubai debut show. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, Khan says that he’s pursuing something that he truly loves.

“MMA is my full-time job. I chose it because it's something that I love, and my parents did support me in that decision,” Khan said. “They always said that you gotta do something you love and follow your dreams, and that's what I'm doing, so, MMA, fighting, being a professional athlete and being a professional fighter is my dream, so I'm chasing that now at the moment, and Inshallah, it goes well.”

As for making his PFL debut in Dubai, Khan said that it was a no-brainer.

“Signing with the PFL was a big deal. My team, ICS, managed to get a contract to go fight in the PFL and in Dubai, and when that got offered to us, it was an opportunity that we had to take.”

With a stellar PFL debut in the books, Khan now hopes to be able to continue putting on highlight-reel performances and building a reputation as a fan-favorite in the Middle East.

“I think it's a great thing, having that expansion in Dubai. As we saw in the last event, 10,000-plus sold out in the Coca-Cola Arena. It's truly got a big market there, and then I would love to be in the next event there. I feel like with that kind of finish, the people in Dubai hopefully know who I am now, and I'd love to keep building on my reputation there as well.”

So what’s next for Haider Khan? It’s all up to the PFL and his management.

“In terms of my next fight in the PFL, I think that's a discussion that ICS and the PFL and I have to got to have. Honestly, it just depends on who they have on the table, and what event it's for, but honestly, ICS and me, we'll fight most people, but it's up to them to decide and I'll happily be guided by them.”

At the end of the day, Khan wants to go down in history as one of the best 185-pounders to ever compete in the sport.

“My goal in my fight career, personally, is to be one of the best middleweights in history. That's what I wanted to achieve, and that's what I dreamed of when I first was daydreaming about becoming a professional fighter and watching these greats like Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva, I wanted to be in their position,” Khan concluded.