The 28-year-old Rizwan ‘The Haider’ Ali will be going into his 10th international bout. PHOTO: Instagram
LAHORE:
“I will be getting back after seven months, it is not so easy, but we can win,” Pakistan’s star Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Rizwan ‘The Haider’ Ali believes in his ability to adapt and put his faith on Allah as he will be take on Egypt’s Adham Mohamed ion his lightweight Road to Brave 100 bout at Sports Complex DHA Pahse 6 in Lahore on Sunday night.
The 28-year-old will be going into his 10th international bout and has an impeccable record of nine wins, as he remains undefeated in his career.
Rizwan, along with Brave Gym owner and the President of Pakistan MMA Federation Omar Ahmed, were also recognised by the Pakistan Army and were honoured by the Inter-Services Public Relations with the “Pride of Pakistan” award.
He is up against Ahdam, who is a slightly more experienced fighter than Rizwan. Adham has a record of 11 bouts and has lost four so far.
Talking to The Express Tribune as he came to Brave Gym at Packages Malls in Lahore for his weigh-in on Saturday, he said that he is looking for a win and not taking the pressure.
Rizwan is a celebrity and a hero. As soon as he entered the gym, the air shifted, and people began surrounding him, even though the preparations for the second day of the Pakistan MMA Open were in full swing, with fighters preparing to take the cage.
Brave Gym is a wonderful place, with high ceilings, light coming in from the windows, a full-size MMA bout ring in the centre of it, and different training equipment put on the corners of the wall to make room for people to move around more freely.
But in the midst of the hustle and bustle, Rizwan’s entrance made an impact as he headed toward the office located at the far end of the gym.
Rizwan was looking leaner than one would expect from just seeing his pictures.
He intensified his diet and water intake monitoring during the last few days, and he believes that cutting down on weight before the fight is more difficult than the fight itself at times.
“I train all year round, so it is not an exception, but the most challenging part is the weight. I have not competed in seven months, so in this time one tends to gain weight, and shedding that near the fight is something which I deem to be more difficult than the fight itself at times.
“The weight division is less than your natural weight. I think that is most challenging, but then it is all part of the sport,” explained Rizwan.
The boy from Gujjar Khan made Pakistanis proud all over the world with his back-to-back wins against the Indian fighters last year.
Starting from April 20, 2024, when he knocked out Pawan Gupta in the first round of the Karate Combat 45 bout, then Srikant Sekhar in the BRAVE CF 85 third round through knockout on August 18, and lastly, knocking out Sekhar again in the BRAVE CF 92 bout on December 15.
The Haider, meaning the lion and having a religious and spiritual context of it being the title of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) cousin Ali ibn Talib’s honourary title, inspires Rizwan to fight fearlessly and to prepare for that fight fearlessly too.
“The story behind my nickname is that my mother wanted to name me Haider, but that didn’t happen, so I chose it to be my nickname in the MMA fighting arena, because it has so much depth. For me, it is also the nickname of Hazrat Ali, Sher-e-Khuda (The Lion of God). So I kept it, and it helps me get into the spirit of fighting,” said Rizwan.
He said that faith plays an important role in his mental health and well-being.
“I don’t really have any rituals, but I feel that if one prays five times a day, it keeps one balanced.
“Secondly, MMA also keeps me disciplined and away from stress; it helps in reducing it for sure when we train and fight, and it keeps me away from negative things,” said Ali before heading out to the weigh-in as the Pakistan Open fights went on in the background.