He might be headlining the main card of the Matrix Fight Night (MFN) mixed martial arts promotion set to take place in Hyderabad on Friday night but Afghan fighter Abdul Azim Badakshi was grappling with another serious challenge in August this year.
The 26-year-old from Afghanistan had been in Mumbai for just over a month, hoping to build his career in mixed martial arts. With an impressive 11-3 record, the lightweight fighter was scheduled to fight with the Matrix Fight Night promotion and was preparing hard for his first bout. However, there was worrying news from back home. Afghanistan's civil war was creeping closer to the capital Kabul, where his family lived. "I really wanted to go back home. But just as I was going to leave, I was advised to wait," he says.
The suggestion came from Krishna Shroff, sister of Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff and one of the backers of the Matrix Fight Night promotion. "She said to give it some time to see what happened and then think of what to do. A week after I was supposed to go, the Taliban took over the country," he says.
Stuck away from his family, Badakshi couldn't do much but continue to train at an MFN gym in Mumbai and pray. The takeover of the country hit Badakshi personally. His father used to run a restaurant in the capital, which is now shut. The lack of work has forced two of his brothers to cross over to Iran. Yet, Badakshi thinks he's been lucky. "I'm thankful to Krishna for encouraging me to stay. If I was in Afghanistan, I would be in a lot of trouble. My career would have been over for sure," he says.
As a sport, mixed martial arts was rapidly growing in Afghanistan at the time of the fall of the erstwhile government. Scores of fighters competed at home and overseas. MMA gyms mushroomed in the capital. The country even had an Afghan born fighter - Javid Basharat - competing in the UFC. "We fought all over the world. I fought in Europe and Asia. We were able to make the country proud with MMA," says Badakshi.
It's all come to a halt.
"MMA isn't allowed in Afghanistan anymore. The gyms have been shut and of course there are no fights," says Badakshi. The only chance for an Afghan fighter to compete now would be if they were outside the country when it fell to the Taliban. It's almost impossible for fighters to even leave the country. "If you are a fighter from Afghanistan, your career is finished. There was another fighter from Afghanistan who was supposed to compete along with me in Hyderabad but he couldn't get out. You don't get visas now if you are applying from Afghanistan. Because I can apply from India, it's easier for me," says Badakshi.
While he says he often worries about his family in Kabul, they've told him to stay away. "I speak constantly with my mother and father. They are safe for now but they tell me not to return. I really wanted to go back to Afghanistan but now the only thing I can do is train and fight," he says.
Fighting has been his calling for many years now. Born in the town of Kishum in the North-Eastern province of Badakshan, from where he gets his name, he started his career in combat sports when he moved to Kabul and started learning the Chinese martial art of Sanda. As he was exposed to mixed martial arts, he started training in wrestling and boxing as well. After a loss in his first professional bout, Badakshi went on to become one of the toughest fighters in Asia in the flyweight division, with all of his eleven victories coming by stoppage.
His biggest challenges are outside the ring now, though. Although he's supported by MFN, and stays close to his training gym in Bandra, he says he often misses his family. "I miss my parents. They are in my mind. I speak to them often," he says. He does remain grateful to his compatriots at his gym for supporting him. "They never let me feel lonely. When they heard about the problems in Afghanistan, they went out of their way to support me. Because of all the help I've got, I really love India. It has provided everything - training, a place to stay and a chance to compete. It's like my second home now," he says.
Meet your #MainEvent contender -
THE AFGHAN LION ������ @abdulazimbadak6
The resume speaks for itself.�� 10th December, �� @TajFalaknuma #MFN7 #GetReadyToFight#MFN #MMA #MatrixFightNight #MixedMartialArts #AbdulAzimBadakshi #TheAfghanLion pic.twitter.com/gRcirRZSG9
- Matrix Fight Night (@mfn_mma) November 25, 2021
His first home will remain Afghanistan though, which is why he hopes to win his bout against Brazil's Marcello Guarilha on Friday. "This fight is more important than anything. Right now the Afghan people are in a lot of tension. When I win, the people will get a lot of happiness. It's very important to win. I really want to win here," he says.
Regardless of the outcome of the fight, Badakshi isn't making any long term plans just yet. Personal experience has made him realise the futility of that exercise. "There are people who say don't you want to go to the UFC or something. I have stopped making any long term plans. You don't know if you will be alive or dead the next day. You just have to do the best with what opportunity you have immediately," he says.