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MIGHTY mixed martial arts mean machine Ali Ebrahimi is all pumped up and prepared to take on some of the world’s top fighters … and believes the bitter blow of experience makes him better equipped for the challenge ahead.
He will be competing in the amateur world championships to be staged in the US next month and is determined to become a medal contender.
More than 53 countries will be competing in the IMMAF World Championships which is considered by athletes in the combat sport as the sport’s prestigious amateur tournament. This year it will be staged in Las Vegas from July 5 to July 10 as part of the 5th Annual Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) International Fight Week.
The 29-year-old welterweight (weighing up to 77.1kg), who lives in Barbar, will be one of the six fighters from the KHK MMA – Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Mixed Martial Arts National Team of Bahrain aiming to jab, hook and sweep to success.
Ebrahimi was one of two selected to represent Bahrain at the world championships last year and was stopped in the second round by accomplished Austrian Bogdan Grad.
Now, the Tatweer Petroleum instrument technician is delighted to be given the opportunity of making an impression. Ebrahimi said: “I’m excited to show what I’m really capable of. In 2015, MMA was very new to me, I had only been training for three months and the World Championships was my first taste of MMA after the KHK try-outs.
“I have definitely changed, improved, evolved and gained more experience, which makes me very confident this year.”
In IMMAF tournaments, competitors are selected by draw to determine who they will face in each round of competition. There are nine weight classes for men from flyweight to super heavyweight and now five for women including strawweight to lightweight.
The international event follows the IMMAF Unified Rules of Amateur MMA and is to be sanctioned by the United States MMA Federation (UMMAF) under the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The full-contact sport, which allows striking and grappling using techniques from other combat sports and martial arts, can be won by the judges’ decision after an allotted amount of time has elapsed, a stoppage by the referee or the fight doctor, a submission, by a competitor’s cornerman throwing in the towel, or by knockout.
Ebrahimi, who first started in jiu-jitsu in 2008 before trying his hand at MMA, said: “I love how competitive the sport is and how it affects your whole life. It changes you as a person, helps you overcome many issues and it becomes a lifestyle, not a hobby.”
He has been training with pro-fighter-turned-coach Eldar Eldarov, an unbeaten combat sambo expert from Dagestan. Hamidou Dabo, a jujitsu Black Belt, also helps coach him on his ground and submission moves while Renat Lusubov, an international master of sport in Muay Thai, works with Ebrahimi on his striking.
Usually, he trains daily, at least one-hour-and-a-half in jiu-jitsu and an hour of MMA. He also works on his stand-up training three-times-a-week and strength training twice-a-week. Although it’s Ramadan, fasting is not deterring him from his medal-winning mission.
Ebrahimi said: “It is difficult during the fasting month because we have to slow down a bit during the day and then pace it up after breaking the fast but it’s not impossible.
“If you want something you have to work hard for it, so the gold medal and raising my countries flag are the two main things that keep me focused right now.
“It’s an honour to represent my beloved country at such a high level of competition and I’m very proud to have this opportunity to represent Bahrain to the world.”
Ebrahimi will be joined by Husain Abdulla Ayyad, 27. The flyweight, nicknamed Iron, shined a spotlight on the kingdom in the 2015 European Open Championships after taking bronze and has since secured four straight victories in other competitions.
Other members set to compete include flyweight Fahad Abdulrazaq, 18, bantamweight Abdulla Seena, 20, lightweight Mohammed Adnan, 20, and lightweight Abdulla Alfayez, 26.
The squad is supported and spearheaded by His Highness Shaikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and President of Bahrain Athletics Association.
The Bahraini royal wants to provide a platform for young athletes and an arena where champions can be built from scratch.
KHK MMA provides world-class facilities and coaching as well as promoting and managing fighters. The aim is to develop a grass-root system for upcoming athletes to grow into complete professionals.
The team has also signed the likes of former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, and potential title challenger Khabib Nurmagomedov to its budding roster and has both an amateur and a professional team.
Mohammed Shahid, the KHK MMA team’s CEO, said: “This championship will be a win-win situation for Bahrain. These athletes, no matter what are going to come home with their heads held high having done their country proud. The example they set, will be followed by the young of Bahrain.”
