Mohammed Farhad Rafiq, has made his impact felt in the Middle East after signing with the Bahrain based global MMA promotion, Brave Combat Federation. This Bantamweight fighter has a professional MMA record of nine wins, two of which from the Brave CF cage, and two losses. In Brave CF 1 he KO-ed Zouhir Badre-Eddine, September 2016. In Brave 5: Go for Glory, he faced Irfan Khan, and stunned the crowd as he earned the fastest knockout in the Brave CF history within 40 seconds. The RDX athlete is on a winning spree and is riding a six win streak.
We wanted to learn more about this new Brave warrior after his recent verbal battle against Gurdarshan Mangat. This interesting athlete is not only famous for his life inside the cage, but also in the acting world. He trains in multiple gyms in India and has his point of view when it comes to MMA in India and Bahrain. His time spent in India was at one point intertwined with the President of Brave CF Mohammad Shahid, who was also a professional fighter.
MMA and Acting
You wouldn’t imagine the vastly different professional fields of MMA and acting to share commonalities, but according to Farhad they do. Both require time, effort and technical ability. However he has acted in a role related to that of a martial artist. The fighter loves the cage over his film career.
“In the cage it’s war. The bruises, the hurt, the falling down; everything is real. There are no breaks, there is no script and there’s no saying who will survive. There are no retakes.”
Training in India
Farhad is a resident of Mumbai who currently resides in Bangalore because of business and training. It has led him to become a part of three different teams. In Mumbai, he trains with Evolution MMA headed by Jiterndra Khare. For the two Brave fights, he was trained by Coach Khare as a part of team Relentless.
“Coach Khare is one of the most experienced coaches we have in India. He is very determined in pushing you beyond your expectations. He involves himself in the training routine in a manner which doesn’t let you give up. The focus which fighters receive, the techniques they learn, team training and diet plan is extremely serious and professional.”
When Farhad is in Bangalore, Brave fighter Abdul Muneer is who he trains with for boxing. Muneer is one of the toughest fighters in India who has strong striking skills as well as experience. For grappling, however, he trains in the Institute of Jiu-Jitsu (IJJ) in Bangalore, led by Rohit Vasudevan.
MMA Industry in India
The MMA industry in India has yet to catch up with the rest of world, like in several other countries. Previously Super Fight League (SFL) was the only local promotion any MMA fighter in India had the chance to compete in. As time went on many other promotions have emerged, which indicates a better future for MMA.
The All India MMA Federation (AIMMAF) guided under the vision and influence of KHK MMA has provided better career opportunities for MMA fighters. Previously minor associations handled by amateur kickboxers and pastors handled MMA in India. With no experience they were incapable of promoting athletes and providing them global opportunities. Also there were widespread corruption that stunned the growth of the sport in India. AIMMAF is successfully addressing these issues and there is an immense change.
“The federation [AIMMAF] is taking initiatives to provide amateur fighters with multiple platforms to fight and to develop their potential. Earlier, fighters were not aware of what they were signing to. The contracts by associations and promotions were a trap that destroyed careers. It is only due to the intervention of Mohammed Shahid under the initiative and leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, there is a serious change in Indian MMA. Now there is transparency in contracts and fighters know what they’re getting into. We are thankful towards this initiative.”
Brave Combat Federation
Since the first time he entered the Brave cage he feels he has grown a great deal as a fighter, and he continually strives to improve further. “ I am with no doubt, a learner. In India, fighters only train when there’s a fight so they’re stuck at a certain level. On the contrary, I train each and every day. Whether it is Boxing, BJJ or Muay Thai, I see to it that I strengthen all aspects of my game.”
When it comes to the impact Brave has made in India he had this to say:
“Brave has given a very strong and reliable platform for MMA fighters here. The promotion has also brought certain standards to the way fights are held. India consists of raw talent and these initiatives make me believe that it can be nurtured to full potential in the coming years.”
Farhad on Brave’s President Mohammad Shahid
Farhad and Shahid had parallel mixed martial arts career and used to know each other. He is familiar with Shahid as a fighter and states that he is one with “great striking ability” and had an arsenal of “some of the vicious knees his opponents feared”. Though now Shahid has moved to the business side of MMA, Farhad is honest in saying that fans will definitely appreciate seeing him back in the cage. He has much respect for Brave’s President and all that he is doing for the sport, and all those he is inspiring along the way.
“Mohammed Shahid is a veteran MMA fighter who now shoulders a huge responsibility of promoting MMA. He is a man of his words. He is an entrepreneur who holds great expectations for MMA around the globe and is working towards achieving them. He is someone who has toiled like us, trained like us, struggled like us, fought like us. He knows the game, he knows the players and today he knows the business. Now, that is promising.”
Farhad, Ramadan, and Family
During the month of Ramadan, Farhad may be away from the cage but always in training. However due to the focus of his MMA career, he is also away from his family during this spiritual month, but sees them as often as possible.
“It is really important for me. During Ramadan when the family sits together for Suhoor, prays together and the whole environment of love and togetherness opens a new dimension. I miss that. I do manage to spend time with them whenever it’s possible which is just once or twice a year. That is one of the many sacrifices I have to make as a fighter. It is hard to express what I feel and how much I miss my family. I constantly feel their love and support. My mother is such a huge motivation. She makes it a point to watch all my fights and checks in with me every day about my training and my life here. I’m sure even she is unable to express her emotions but I know I’m constantly in her duas.”
This family oriented, hard-working, and ever improving young Indian talent has a long way to go. He is off to a powerful start and will definitely be on the radar here on out. Look out for him on Brave CF events coming up.
