5 Things You Might Not Know About Xavier Alaoui

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Xavier Alaoui desires a bigger slice of the Professional Fighters League’s Middle East and North Africa pie and the increased visibility that comes with it.

A Canadian of Moroccan descent, he will toe the line against Ziad Ayman when their bantamweight quarterfinal helps buoy 2025 PFL MENA 2 on Friday at The Green Halls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Alaoui, 33, has rattled off seven victories across his past 10 appearances. He last saw action at a UAE Warriors event on Jan. 16, when he rebounded from back-to-back losses to Jieleyisi Baergeng and Rachid El Hazoume with a three-round split decision over Demarte Pena.

As Alaoui makes final preparations for his upcoming tournament clash with Ayman, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. Early returns were positive.

Alaoui made his professional debut at the age of 22 on May 17, 2014, when he took a three-round unanimous decision from Kevin Walker at an Empire MMA show in Canada. He started his career with seven consecutive victories before a split decision loss to Josh Hill under the TKO Major League MMA banner knocked him from the ranks of the unbeaten in 2016.

2. Known associates are held in high regard.

“The Breadman” reps the famed Tristar Gym camp in Montreal, where Firas Zahabi oversees his training. The academy has afforded Alaoui access to a number of accomplished stablemates, including former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Georges St. Pierre.

3. He can point to a championship pedigree.

Alaoui was a two-time bantamweight champion in the UAE Warriors promotion. He captured the 135-pound title with a five-round unanimous decision over Jaures Dea Gomez at UAE Warriors 14 on Nov. 27, 2020, surrendered it in a second-round technical knockout loss to Vinicius Oliveira at UAE Warriors 18 on March 20, 2021 and reclaimed it with a second-round knockout of Fabricio Viegas Sarraff at UAE Warriors 31 on July 3, 2022.

4. He learned to live out of a suitcase.

The well-traveled Alaoui has already fought in six different countries. Canada, Russia, Latvia, England, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia comprise the list.

5. His reputation precedes him.

A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Alaoui has secured six of his 15 career victories by submission. His methods of choice: two rear-naked chokes, one leg lock, one foot lock, one heel hook and one guillotine choke.