Exclusive | Haider Khan Eyes Quick Knockout Against Jhony Gregory at PFL Dubai
British-Pakistani middleweight Haider Khan returns to the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on February 7 to face Brazilian veteran Jhony Gregory, predicting a first or second-round finish with his hands. Khan enters the bout ranked 10th in the PFL middleweight division with a record of 10-1.
Haider Khan
The 25-year-old from Oldham completed a training camp split between Liverpool and Colorado, where he underwent high-altitude training to maximize his conditioning for the Dubai card. Khan trains at Aspire in Liverpool under coach Phil Turner, where he has developed since his teenage years.
“I’m fitter than ever to be honest,” Khan said. “I came back and I was saying to my coach, it’s a bit easy this now. I feel like I’ve peaked fitness-wise there, so it’s all good on that end.”
Khan credited the high-altitude work in Colorado for his improved gas tank. “Since I’ve come back down to sea level, I’ve definitely seen the benefits. It’s harder for me to get gassed and I’ve come in the best shape ever,” he explained.
High-altitude training increases red blood cell production and improves oxygen-carrying capacity, benefits that translate to enhanced cardiovascular endurance at sea level. During his Colorado camp, Khan trained with UFC veteran Neil Magny and other high-level fighters, refining new angles and methods with his coaches.
Breaking Through With a Broken Arm
Khan made his PFL debut in January 2025 with a viral first-round TKO victory over Mostafa Rashed Nada after a front kick shattered Nada’s left forearm. The graphic injury occurred when Nada attempted a down block against Khan’s kick, resulting in both bones in his forearm breaking on impact.
“Just in the moment it was exhilaration,” Khan recalled. “You kind of don’t know how to react because you’ve never done that before. Nobody’s ever really done that. It was a big one for me because it was my debut, so it was like double excitement.”
The finish highlighted Khan’s striking background in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and kickboxing. He explained that Nada’s defensive technique, a down block, was incorrect for defending against such powerful bone-on-bone contact.
Overcoming Adversity
Khan’s path to PFL Dubai has not been without setbacks. In 2024, he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to withdraw from a scheduled bout. The injury was severe enough that Khan could not stand on it or throw a jab, despite initially attempting to continue training.
“At first I was devastated because that was another great training camp I put in for that fight,” Khan said. His father and management team intervened, preventing him from competing. “I had to just listen to a lot of people that have given me a lot of great guidance in my life so far. Now I feel better than ever. I’m back on track, fighting on an even bigger card.”
From Rugby League to MMA
Khan’s athletic journey began with rugby league, a sport he played semi-professionally from age four through his teenage years after being picked up by a professional academy at 13. Despite his success on the field, Khan realized the sport was not his passion.
“I don’t support anybody. I never really used to watch the games. I was just good at playing it and was quite athletic,” he said. “Everybody’s worked a job that they don’t love and you end up being miserable, and it was just making me miserable in the long term.” At 18, while studying Politics and International Relations at university, Khan transitioned to MMA and found his calling.
Georges St-Pierre as Role Model
Khan models his career after UFC legend Georges St-Pierre, citing personality and values over nationality. While Khan respects British MMA pioneers like Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy, he connected more with St-Pierre’s reserved demeanor.
“I was quite a quiet kid. I didn’t really speak a lot. I wasn’t trying to look for attention or anything,” Khan explained. “I kind of saw the same values in Georges St-Pierre. He was very reserved, didn’t like to trash talk, but when it came to performing, he just performed.” St-Pierre’s fighting style combined elite wrestling with striking, utilizing a strong jab to set up takedowns and control opponents with ground-and-pound.
PFL Road to Dubai
Khan sees the upcoming fight as an opportunity to inject excitement into what he views as a stagnant division.
“The PFL division’s quite boring at middleweight,” Khan said during a pre-fight interview. He believes his skill set and finishing ability differentiate him from one-dimensional fighters relying primarily on physical attributes.
“I’ve done my homework on this Jhony Gregory and we’ve got a few traps. I plan on setting one of them up and taking him out pretty much in the first or second round,” Khan said, adding that he expects to finish Gregory with strikes rather than a repeat of his debut’s kick-induced injury.
The PFL Dubai card features two world title fights, with lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov defending against Alfie Davis in the main event. Khan’s preliminary card bout against Gregory represents another step toward his championship aspirations in an organization he credits with providing significant opportunities on major international cards.
Khan envisions himself as a future world champion and the first British-Pakistani to hold a major MMA title. “I want to be the individual that people can show to their parents when they return home, making it easier for them to pursue their dreams.”
