Our team will shock the world

Manama: Gold Medal nominee Hussein Abdulla Ayyad believes Bahrain MMA National team is ready to shock the world at this year’s in IMMAF Amateur World Championships in Las Vegas.

Hussain hails from the KHK MMA gym, founded and supported by HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and recently won a bronze medal in the European Open Championship under the international mixed martial arts federation.

Hussain is one of the six fighters who will compete Amateur MMA World Championship and he is confident that anyone writing off Bahrain’s chances will be doing so at their peril.

“We’re a small country but we will show that even a small dot on the map can produce world class athletes, and we will prove it this year to the worlds,” Hussain said.

Hussain, nicknamed “Iron”, was defeated in the 2015 European Open by the eventual championship winner, but took home the bronze medal. He has since rattled off four straight victories and believes that the KHK MMA team is riding a wave of confidence.

“We are training hard, day and night. We’re mentally and physically preparing to be fit this year and show the world we are ready to step up from amateur level to pro,” He said.

KHK MMA has an amateur and professional team, and the team philosophy is firmly rooted in developing fighters from the ground level up. Current UFC superstars Frankie Edgar and Khabib Nurmagomedov represent the gym, which aims to give their budding fighters the best opportunity for success through providing world class coaching, facilities and education.

Hussain is just one of the several Bahraini medal hopefuls at this year’s, with two KHK fighters returning to Las Vegas after their disappointment last year, Abdulla Seena and Ali Ebrahimi. 

He believes that his teammates are returning with a real sense of purpose and belief this time round.

“They have a great chance for a medal because of their extremely skilled jiu-jitsu abilities, which are miles ahead of anyone else in the team,” he said. Watch out for them!”