The sweet-toothed ‘Bomber’

Leah Oatway

• Last Updated: November 14. 2009 12:34PM UAE / November 14. 2009 8:34AM GMT

Khan, right, is looking forward to grappling with Jack Mason in East London, England. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

DUBAI // Standing at 6ft 2ins, with arms the width of the average man’s head and more than a passing resemblance to Hollywood action man Vin Diesel, Tam Khan doesn’t look like a guy you’d want to mess with.

And you’d be wise not to.

In less than four weeks time the Dubai-based 27-year-old, nicknamed “The Brown Bomber”, will face Jack “The Stone” Mason for the Ultimate Challenge Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Grand Prix Middleweight Belt.

The elimination tournament, organised by the guys responsible for “Cage Rage”, has spanned most of 2009, drawing in an increasingly celebrity-packed crowd as eight fighters selected in each of the six weight divisions battle it out to become the undisputed UC MMA champion.

A fortnight ago, at The Troxy, in East London, England, Khan cemented his place in the middleweight final, making short work of formidable semi-final opponent Ben Craggy with a rear naked choke just 1.26mins into the first round.

A donor kebab and five hours sleep later – “everyone else went to the after-show party, I went for a kebab and to see my mum” – man-machine Khan, originally from Essex, also competed in the Reverse All GT grappling tournament held in Colchester, leaving with a gold medal for the under 95kg division.

Having returned to the UAE, where he runs TSG Dubai MMA Academy from the World Black Belt Centre on Sheikh Zayed Road, “The Brown Bomber” is now back in training for his December 5 showdown, again at The Troxy, with Mason – perhaps best known for his recent bout against Alex Reid, the boyfriend of British glamour model turned reality TV star Jordan.

“Hard training, limited carbohydrate and no-doughnuts-depression” is all that’s on the menu for the next month.

But sweet-toothed Khan, whose “walk around weight” is 96kg and fight weight 84kg, insists the sugar deprivation is worth it.

Aside from the belt and title, up for grabs is an opportunity to fight British UC middleweight champion Tom “Kong” Watson – who is currently nursing a broken hand – and, perhaps most importantly, international exposure.

“It is the co-main event under heavyweight champion and former UFC fighter Neil Grove, being shown live on Sky Pay Per View,” Khan said with a grin as he wiped down with a towel after a submission wrestling session. “It is a massive fight.”

Last year he made it through to the final round of trials for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Team US versus Team UK, a reality TV show and MMA competition organised by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Up-and-coming professional MMA fighters, yet to make a name for themselves, are placed in a house just outside of Las Vegas and compete for the title of The Ultimate Fighter, winning a six-figure, multi-fight contract with UFC. Khan’s dreams of being selected ended when the show decided to go with lightweight and welterweight fighters. But UFC are once again looking at middleweight contestants and while his name was not short- listed for trials this year Khan, ranked second in the UK’s MMA middleweight division, is hoping a win next month could change that.

“I see TUF as an opportunity to improve and train hard under the best coaches,” he said. “I have a lot of improvement to make. This fight could open doors if I win.”

The final could have been a Dubai bonanza which saw Khan fight his TSG Dubai teammate and friend Abdallah Abou Hamdan, who won his semi-final bout on a doctor’s stoppage in the third round.But, in honour of his more experienced MMA teammate, Hamdan has stepped aside, dropping down to welterweight where organisers feel he is a stronger opponent and leaving Khan to face Mason, a more experienced fighter who has fought a similar calibre of opponents and was due to fight Watson before his injury.

Hamdan will fight Jamaine Facey, an equally tough opponent, in a UCMMA welterweight bout.

“The organiser [Dave O’Donnell, formerly of Cage Rage] asked if Mason and I would like to fight it out for No 1 contender and we both said yes,” explained Khan. “The money was right, it was the main event and that is how to attract sponsors.”

An amateur boxer from the age of 13, Khan discovered MMA while at university studying business management.Three months into training at a gym run by his friend and MMA fighter Daniel Burzotta, in London, Khan won a bronze medal at a submission wrestling tournament and realised he had “natural talent”.

Khan is a personal trainer in Dubai, working as many as 16 hours a day in order to support his training. He hopes to attract sponsors and eventually set up a full-time MMA academy in the Emirates with the best coaches in each discipline, alongside fight nights that combine local amateur and professional talent with the best international pros.

He is quietly confident about his chances against Mason next month. “I know Jack Mason, I have trained with him,” he said. “His strength is in his ground work. So is mine. He is a strong, big guy but I think I can get the edge on him.”

loatway@thenational.ae