Literally, a fighter

Shahzaib shares his journey from being a loader in Karachi’s fruit market to Asian MMA Champion

Shahzaib’s tale is the classic story that movies are made on. Once a loader at the Karachi’s fruit market went on to win the crown of mixed martial arts (MMA) Asian Champion in 2021 and bagged the bronze medal in the same event in 2022.

In the coming year, he is set to become the first Pakistani to ever to participate in the International MMA Championship and has his sights set on the gold medal.

“For others, a medal like that may just be an honour, but to me and the boys from academies like ours, these medals are the difference between being able to continue our career and quitting it,” he said.

The young 20-year-old worked as a loader for two years in the Karachi’s fruit market, lifting boxes weighing 50 to 60 kilogrammes two years before he was able to pursue his MMA career.

“Lifting all those weights definitely made me stronger. Every day I’d go to the market and be hired on daily wages to load and unload fruit crates on and off the trucks or from the shop of one merchant to another,” recalled Shahzaib. “I worked for five or six hours every day only to make Rs500. I had the dream of becoming an MMA fighter but had no means to pursue that dream.”

A couple of years back, he got to hear the announcement that he was waiting for ages. An MMA academy, named Bashshah Usha Academy, announced that they will be recruiting individuals regardless of their financial background as long as they had the talent for MMA fighting.

“That was my chance, I went in and started training, and soon my peers and my teachers, especially Sir Imran Qasim saw that I had it in me,” he reminisced. “Sir Imran supported me throughout the journey, he often paid from his pocket for things like my diet and medical checkups. He was the one who made sure I continued my journey and played on the national and international levels”.

When his coaches thought that he was ready to compete in different competitive events, he started to participate in various tournaments and he did not disappoint them. He fought in a few MMA events in Sindh and went on to win them.

“Soon after, it was time for the national MMA tournament and we had no money to participate in it,” he shared. “As the last resort, the academy started collecting funds so that the athletes could feature in the event.

“Everyone chipped in, some shelled out Rs500, others Rs1000, and so a couple of boys, including me, were able to compete and I went on to win it. I have been the National MMA Champion a couple of times now.”

In 2021, Shahzaib fought at a grander stage, at the continent level and clinched the Asian MMA title, defeating an Indian counterpart to achieve the feat.

The young MMA fighter could not put forth his best performance in this year’s event and only ended up with a bronze medal.

“I had other things on my mind, financial difficulties, and the absence of a coach hurt my campaign,” he said. “Everything weighed me down and I was not able to perform the way I should have because I was preoccupied and even till the last minute before the event, we were not sure if we will be able to make it to the championship.”

MMA training is expensive. It requires a high-protein diet and other high-priced facilities. Shahzaib belongs to a very humble family, meaning he cannot bear his expenditures on his own.

“I am the son of a security guard, my brother is a driver, I have one younger brother and then I have three younger sisters. My family does not have enough money to support me financially; however, they do support me continuously and keep my morale high,” Shahzaib said.

The budding fighter is training the next generation to help them improve their skill and also to earn some money, which can help him support his career.

“Currently, I train younger kids at my academy to make around Rs20,000 a month and nearly all of it goes to sustain my diet and my doctor visits as injuries are a part and parcel of MMA fighting,” he said.

“However, it is obvious that a mere Rs20,000 cannot bring medals to the country, a lot more is required and I want sponsors to step forward and support me and my cause so that I can concentrate on fighting rather than on financing my trips.”

After his performance in the Asian Championship, he is more determined now. This year, he claims to have become more resilient and mentally stronger. He has not only started working to get better but also actively looking for entities who can sponsor him and his teammates. He believes finding sponsors will help him stay focused on his fights only.

The hardworking pugilist looks up to Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former Russian former professional mixed martial artist who remained UFC Lightweight Champion from 2018 to 2021 and retired from the octagon with an unreal record of 29-0.

“Khabib is a big inspiration for me. He came from a background as humble as mine and he dominated the international arena to the point that he is considered a legend in the world of MMA,” he maintained. “Of course, my goal is to mirror his run and draw inspiration from him and one day, hopefully, even train with him so that I can learn more and more about our sport from him.”

The former Asian champion wants to join his academy in the United States of America and learn from the man himself.

On the other hand, Shahzaib highlighted the benefits of the MMA academy that opened in his area and recruited all the committed mixed martial artists irrespective of their financial background.

According to him, it has played a massive role in keeping children away from the abuse of drugs and other such acts.

“There are countless boys I meet at the academy who say that they used to be drug addicts and MMA fighting helped them get off them and secured their future,” he mentioned. “Having an academy in the locality means that now these boys spend their days doing something productive rather than spending time sitting idle and wasting their life away smoking or doing drugs.”

Shahzaib wants more of such facilities in different areas of the city and the country as this healthy activity can keep the coming generation safe and bring glory to the country.

“I wish that more such avenues will open up for youngsters so that more and more people can get into the field and represent Pakistan in the international arena,” he said.

The skilful fighter dreams of hoisting the green and white flag high at the grandest stage and becoming the international MMA Champion in 2023.