The Professional Fighters League recently announced the signing of Hattan Alsaif. She is the first Saudi Arabian female to sign a professional mixed martial arts promotion deal. Alsaif is an accomplished Muay Thai fighter who has won a gold medal in the Saudi and World Combat Games.
At 22, Alsaif still has a ton of runway left on her combat sports career, and she seems thrilled to begin her MMA journey. I spoke with her on January 6 about her beginnings in combat sports and more.
“This wasn’t a plan,” Alsaif told me from her home gym in Saudi Arabia, where she’d just completed her final workout of the day. “I come from a traditional Saudi family. None of my family was an athlete. We followed football, but none of us played it.”
Alsaif was a WWE fan as a child but became disinterested in professional wrestling when she learned it was scripted. Needing something to scratch the itch for athletic combat, Alsaif discovered Muhammad Ali at the time of his passing.
She learned of his iconic accomplishments in the ring, found a connection because of their shared religion (Islam), and was determined to learn more about boxing.
Alsaif’s love for boxing morphed into a fascination with Muay Thai thanks to her stumbling upon the social media profile of Abdullah Al-Qahtani, a Saudi fighter who is also signed to PFL. Al-Qahtani’s gym videos showed fighters training and competing in various combat sports.
“I jumped into his DM’s,” Alsaif said. “What are you doing? I wanted to know everything. I was so curious.”
Al-Qahtani allowed Alsaif to come to the gym and test the waters for free, and that was enough to get her hooked. As her interest in combat sports broadened, she discovered a love for MMA.
“Anyone who does MMA, you’re a hero.” Alsaif said. “You have to be focused on the ground, grappling, the boxing and striking. It’s amazing to be so good at it all.” That interest, the success of Al-Qahtani, and Alsaif’s exploits in Muay Thai were among the factors that made the deal with the PFL happen.
The terms weren’t disclosed, but the signing makes a mark on multiple fronts. Inking a high-profile Saudi athlete and a female from the region is historic in an area that has become the combat sports capital of the world over the past two years.
Also, the PFL’s signing of Alsaif continues the promotion’s trend of inking female combat sports athletes from multiple disciplines into the fold. Alsaif follows Claressa Shields, Amanda Serrano, and Savannah Marshall into the PFL, current world champions from boxing.
“I was shocked,” Alsaif said when she learned the PFL wanted to sign her to a deal. “I was screaming and running around the gym. It’s not an easy something. As the first Saudi female, I’ll have all eyes on me. I’ll have to represent my country in the best way.”
The date nor the opponent for Alsaif’s debut have yet to be announced. Still, with a solid first impression, she could take the first steps toward becoming a pioneer and needle-mover in Saudi Arabia and abroad.