‘I always wanted to be world champion’

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

“If Philippines has Manny Pacquiao, Ireland has Conor McGregor, and the U.S.A. has Muhammed Ali—Bahrain has Hamza Kooheji,” BRAVE Combat Federation president and KHK Sports CEO Mohammed Shahid said yesterday about the Kingdom’s top professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. Kooheji is set to make history on March 11 when he faces Canadian-Irish Brad Katona for the BRAVE CF Bantamweight World Championship title, headlining BRAVE 57 at the Khalifa Sports City arena in Isa Town.

It will be the first-ever world title match for a Bahraini MMA fighter, and Kooheji is looking to make the most of this golden opportunity—one he has been working tirelessly for over the past decade. “I waited for this for so long,” Kooheji said of his title bout yesterday at a press meet held in Juffair Square. “I’ve been training professionally for 10 years, I’ve taken everything seriously—my diet, I don’t see my friends much, I don’t see my family much, always travelling, always training. “I always wanted to fight for a title and I always wanted to be world champion.

After 10 years, I get this chance, and I’ll make the best of it.” Kooheji is popularly known as “The Pride of Bahrain”, having accomplished plenty of milestones for the Kingdom in his career—from being the first Bahraini professional MMA fighter to becoming the top-ranked bantamweight in the Middle East.

He is now determined to add another feather to his cap and raise the Bahrain flag high once more in what he describes will be a career-defining fight. “To be world champion, it means everything for my legacy,” said the 29-year-old. “It is important to be world champion. Without it, you don’t have a legacy.” Kooheji has stepped up his training for his title fight and is totally focused on the task at hand. Such is the intensity of his preparations that his coach Eldar Eldarov, who himself is a pro MMA fighter, said that Kooheji has even “moved out of his home” and “is sleeping in the gym”.

Mental toughness

Eldarov is proud of his fighter and credits Kooheji’s mental toughness for being able to achieve what he has to date. “Why he is here today is because of his strong mentality,” Eldarov said yesterday. “Not every fighter can stay that long in this way. A lot of fighters break mentally in this, our hard sport, but Hamza is the one who started with this goal, and until now he has the same motivation.” Eldarov highlighted Kooheji’s development as a fighter from the time he started off as his coach until today. “I came to Bahrain seven years ago; Hamza then and now are two different persons.

He has grown up as a person and as a fighter. “All these seven years we are together, our lifestyles are the same. When I am training, he is helping me with my fight. Now he has his fight, I am every day with him. For me, it is very important to help him reach his dream, his goal.

“Every day and night, he is just training. Not everyone can do it, live this lifestyle. I think he is deserving more than anyone.” Kooheji is definitely not taking things lightly ahead of his bout and has set his sights completely on the world title. “I know my opponent is good, but my training and what I am preparing for is much better than his,” Kooheji said. “Coach Eldar has never taken any preparations easily, ever since the first fight he came.” When asked about where he sees himself in the next five years, Kooheji said: “I should focus on my opponent. I should not think ahead. Whatever happens in this fight changes everything in my career.

For now, I am just thinking of one goal and not even thinking of what I am going to do on March 12. I am only thinking about March 11.” Also present at yesterday’s Press meet was Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation president Mohammed Qambar. Kooheji’s fight for the vacant Bantamweight world title will be the headliner of BRAVE CF 57, which takes place as part of BRAVE International Combat Week.

Also set for fight night are two more title fights: Middleweight champion Mohammad Fakhreddine will once again attempt to become a two-division titleholder in a rematch against arch-enemy Mohamed Said Maalem for the Light Heavyweight belt, while Abdisalam Kubanychbek takes on former champ Amin Ayoub for the interim Lightweight title, with lineal titleholder Ahmed Amir out due to injury. BRAVE International Combat Week will also feature the first-ever edition of the MMA Super Cup, the highest-paying team-versus-team competition in amateur MMA.