Kurdish teen set to make MMA debut

NASHVILLE, United States (Kurdistan24) – A Kurdish teenager from Nashville, Tennessee, is scheduled to compete in his first amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight on Saturday, June 25.

Ahva Abdurrahman, who turned 18 on Tuesday, was born in Nashville after his parents moved to the US in the early 90s from Duhok in the Kurdistan Region.

Abdurrahman explained that at his first ever MMA fight “the Kurdish takeover will begin.”

“The event is called Valor Fights 35. I messaged Tim Loy, the owner of the promotion and event. I told him I’m turning 18 soon and that I wanted to make my debut for him,” he said.

Asked to describe his fighting style, Abdurrahman told Kurdistan24 that he is “an all-around fighter,” and confident ahead of Saturday’s Featherweight bout.

Abdurrahman said his trainers admire him for being “fast, strong, and durable.”

“I have good footwork, good wrestling, and great striking. I will come for the knockout Saturday,” he said.

The Kurdish teenager holds a blue belt (second rank) in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been involved in the sport since he was 14.

Abdurrahman said that he found his inspiration to compete after watching an advertisement on television for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in 2011.

The event was headlined by then UFC Welterweight Champion George St-Pierre, who Abdurrahman thinks is the “greatest fighter of all time.”

“I think I was [also] drawn to [MMA] because [we] Kurds naturally have that fighter’s spirit,” he added.

Abdurrahman pointed to injuries as one of his biggest obstacles when he first got involved in the sport.

“When I was younger, I wouldn’t train very smart and would get injured easily…but as I’ve grown and matured as a fighter, I’ve been training smarter and have been healthy because of it,” he explained.

Abdurrahman said his biggest dreams “are to win the UFC Championship, to be the best fighter in the world, and the greatest fighter of all time.”

He revealed that Saturday’s fight would be dedicated to his late grandfather, Abdusalem Mayi, who passed away earlier this year.

“I will carry his name to glory in victory,” he concluded.

Editing by Ava Homa