Sport

Kurdish MMA fighter on UK Main Card set to extend winning run

A professional Kurdish Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from the United Kingdom looks set to extend his winning run on Feb. 24 when he competes in his fourth professional bout.

Karzan Sulaivany 2018/02/22 14:27

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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A professional Kurdish Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from the United Kingdom looks set to extend his winning run on Feb. 24 when he competes in his fourth professional bout.

Cheya Saleem, a 28-year-old Kurd from Birmingham in the UK, who holds a professional MMA record of 2-1-0, is set to fight Mike D’Aguiar (1-1-0) in the Flyweight division (125 lbs) in a Fight Night event promoted by Killacam MMA.

In a recent interview with Kurdish MMA, the Kurdish athlete said he was confident of beating his opponent in the first round.

“I really feel I’ve improved my game a lot since I started training at Renegade [his new gym],” Saleem stated. “I will stop him in the first round.”

Cheya Saleem began his training in MMA at Fearless MMA in Birmingham, but says he likes to explore different facilities. (Photo: Cheya Saleem)

His only loss came via decision on his professional debut back in 2016 against John Shink in the Bantamweight (135 lbs) division.

Since then, Saleem has won his following two fights convincingly, knocking out opponent Jack Young inside the second round last April and submitting Aaron Robinson in the first in September.

Saleem said he has learned “a lot from” from training with former UFC fighter Vaughan Lee, and feels he is “improving every day.”

“This fighting game has always been a deep passion of mine, and I want to make it a part of my life forever,” he said.

Cheya Saleem poses for a photo with his training partners at Planet Jiu Jitsu in Birmingham, United Kingdom. (Photo: Cheya Saleem)

The Kurdish athlete was born in Ranya, a city in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani Province. He left for Holland at an early age before moving to the UK where he now resides.

“My relations with back home is good. I still got a lot of family members back in [Kurdistan],” he told Kurdistan 24, adding he “enjoyed being in Kurdistan” when he visited a few years back.

The 28-year-old already has another fight scheduled after Saturday's bout. He will complete in the Bantamweight division at Almighty Fighting Championship 8 on April 7.

Saleem said that fighting in the UFC was very much a possibility, but admitted it was challenge because “the road isn’t easy.”

“I have grown to learn to enjoy and take every part [of] this journey of mine in, whether it’s an up or down,” he explained. “I don’t know how far I will make it, but I know I’m not mediocre.”