MMA Fighter Yusef Kaddur Spotted with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI During Royal Vacation

Mohammed VI is currently in M’diq, a coastal town in the Tangier-Tetouan region, where he is enjoying his vacation. But the images circulated on social media showing the Sovereign in a convertible were taken during his visit to Tetouan, after the celebration of Eid al-Adha, according to Vanitatis. In the images, Yusef Abdeselam Kaddur, 39, a mixed martial arts expert, appears sitting right behind the King of Morocco.

Spaniard from Melilla, Kaddur started practicing several sports such as karate, swimming and athletics from the age of 4. He then specialized in mixed martial arts, where he won many titles, including the Olympic Committee medal and the gold medal of the city of Melilla. The athlete told El Faro de Melilla that he was then "forced" to leave Spain to achieve "new goals". This is how he joined Morocco where he was six-time champion.

After winning all these titles in Morocco, Kaddur returned to Melilla to create his own MMA school in order to train "many athletes" and help them also win titles. In the meantime, he met the Azaitar brothers, also MMA fighters and close friends of King Mohammed VI since 2018, who introduced him to the King of Morocco. Kaddur was seen alongside the Sovereign in December 2022, celebrating in the streets of Rabat the victory of the Moroccan team against Spain during the World Cup in Qatar.

Since then, the athlete has been part of Mohammed VI’s inner circle of friends. At first, he was considered a bodyguard of the Sovereign, but his behavior is more akin to that of a confidant and friend of the monarch. After M’diq, Mohammed VI should spend the second part of his summer vacation in Al Hoceima as in previous years.