UAE Warriors alum Mohammad Yahya steps into the octagon for the first time at UFC 294 this weekend, where he’s set to take on Trevor Peek. The card is topped by the rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, while Yahya vs. Peek arrives on the prelims.
Mohammad Yahya
Standing at five-foot-nine
Fighting at 155 lbs (lightweight)
29-years-old
Fighting out of United Arab Emirates
Training out of JRCS
A pro record of 12-3
7 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions
How Yahya will fare in the UFC:
I don’t understand this signing from a talent skill standpoint but I understand it for a few reasons. He is a hometown fighter and is a UAE champion. I don’t like the signing because of all the UAE Warrior’s fighters, Yahya would not come to mind to sign. He’s on a good winning streak but he has not got one good, high-level win. Even his losses are to lower-level guys.
Yahya is just a basic fighter. Nothing he does impresses me. On the feet, I’d say his hands are fine but he has a lot of flaws. Yahya holds his hands low, curls up when taking damage, and he brings his hands back to his face too slow. His striking defense is too much of a liability and his chin is concerning.
At times he will take the fight down and will tend to use the wrestling later the fights goes. I don’t rate either his wrestling and jiu-jitsu too high. He may get takedowns in the UFC but I don’t see him outclassing anywhere on the mat with his ground game. Yahya is nothing special and you can find multiple fighters at his level fighting regionally all over the world. I see him struggling to get a win in the UFC.
How he matches up with Peek:
It’s weird to say but I feel really good about Peek in this fight. Peek has some of the worst techniques you will see. What he does have is constant pressure, heavy hands, a rock-solid chin, and a valuable gas tank.
Yahya, I don’t see having any advantage in this fight. On the feet, Peek hits harder and throws more volume. That mixed in with the striking defense and chin of Yahya is a bad matchup for him. Also as long as the fight goes the pace I believe it will, it will eventually break Yahya. I don’t think we will see much grappling in this fight. I like Peek in this fight by TKO and I feel weirdly confident about it.
