For Badakhshi, putting a smile on Afghan faces is worth fighting for

“People who do not have hope are shaitaan (evil),” said Abdul Azim Badakhshi. The Afghan mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, for one, is living on just that: of the situation improving in his country plunged into civil and political turmoil and of seeing his family back home after months of staying put in India. Till then, MMA remains his only big hope.

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The 26-year-old headlined the main card of Matrix Fight Night 7 (MFN) in Hyderabad on Friday, where the Afghan beat Brazilian Marcelo Guarilha via TKO (technical knockout) in the second round of their featherweight contest. A lot was riding on it for Badakhshi, more than any of his previous 14 amateur bouts of which he had won 11. This one has little to do with the result though.

“I fight not just for myself but for the people of my country and those who follow me back home. They get happiness from it. I want to give them that. People in Afghanistan have been through plenty of problems lately. They have had nothing to enjoy that can put a smile on their faces. And if I can bring that smile back with my fight, I will be happy,” he said.

A separation

Afghanistan was thrown into crisis in August this year with the Taliban takeover that saw dramatic visuals of panic-stricken Afghans hurrying to flee their homeland. Watching it all unfold on television was Badakhshi, who has been in Mumbai for six months training for the MFN fight at the MMA Matrix fitness centre. Unable to head home amid the chaos, Badakhshi couldn’t help but fret about the situation and make daily phone calls to Kabul, where his family is based. His father owns a restaurant in the Afghanistan capital, while two of his five brothers have shifted to Iran.

“I was really worried about my family in Kabul; kya hoga unka udhar (what will happen to them there). That thought never left my mind. But I believe in hope, hard work and Allah. So I decided to focus on my training here. I really missed my family, and remained in close touch with them. They are fine,” he said.

In normal circumstances, Badakhshi would have been with them in Kabul, where he has set up a gym. But like with many other sports in Afghanistan, MMA has come to a standstill under the current political regime. Badakhshi fears for the future of the budding fighters who do not have the means to get out of the country and for the growth of the combat sport that he believed had been on a constant upswing in Afghanistan.

“UFC fights were big in Afghanistan. More people started watching it and taking it up in recent years. But in the current scenario, MMA fights are not allowed. Afghanistan’s people and fighters want MMA fights. It impacts a lot of people—from fighters to organisers. It is the only way fighters can earn money. That isn’t happening right now. They’re unhappy,” he said.

However, he reiterates his buzzword of “hope” that things will gradually change for the better in his country. “Ho jayega, thoda thoda theek ho jayega (things will improve, little by little). We just have to wait.”

From wushu to MMA

Badakhshi was six when his family shifted from Badakhshan province in north-eastern Afghanistan to Kabul for better prospects. His elder brother forced him to join a nearby gym because he was too thin. “Kuch jyada hi patli tha,” he said with a chuckle.

By the time he was 11, Badakhshi was training in wushu. His parents weren’t convinced mainly due to health concerns. Badakhshi brokered a deal: if he were to win an inter-gym fight, he’ll pursue wushu. Else, he’ll stop. “I won the fight,” he said. “After that, my father supported me a lot. You want your family to support you, to show you the way and to tell you that this road is not right.”

In a country weary of war and violence, that road can lead to many possible dangerous destinations. But Badakhshi never once wandered from his sporting journey.

“In general, life is very difficult in Afghanistan. There are problems of safety, of your own life. Everything can be a problem there—small or big. But we get used to it,” he said. “But it’s not that it’s just a land of problems. Afghanistan has a lot of good things and a lot of good people, some of whom have supported me to get me where I am.

“The most important thing is to believe in yourself and march ahead. You can be from anywhere—Afghanistan, India, USA—and there may be different kinds of problems. But you have to neglect the distractions. Afghanistan can have plenty of them, but it doesn’t mean that I leave my journey. I have gone through a lot of problems in my life. But I didn’t stop.”

At 17, after dabbling in wushu and a bit of boxing and wrestling, Badakhshi moved to the full-contact MMA that includes techniques from various combat sports and martial arts. “I trained for whatever was allowed in MMA,” he says. He lost his first fight—to Narender Grewal in the Super Fight League in India in 2013—but knew he was in it for the long haul.

Badakhshi doesn’t know what the future holds for him. “God-willing, I can see my family again soon. Par kal ka bharosa nahi hai; zinda hai ya nahi (We don’t know what is in store tomorrow),” he said.

What he is certain of, however, is training more and fighting more. “For myself, for my family and for the happiness of the people of Afghanistan.”

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