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Undefeated Afghani martial arts fighter faces first loss in MMA debut in Pune
This was also only the second time that Fight Nights took place at High Spirits and Durani is a firm advocate that it’s the right way to go about giving up and coming fighters like him the platform to flourish
Fighting at the X1 Fight Nights at High Spirits cafe is certainly an experience like none other. Here, amateur mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters from all over the country unite under one roof to provide the fans a never seen before entertainment.
One such fighter, Mirwais Khan Durani, has come a long way from the country of Afghanistan to take part in the MMA fight. Studying Master of Arts (MA) in Economics at a Symbiosis College, the 21-year-old is making the most of his two years in the city and made his MMA debut on Wednesday night (December 16).
Durani spoke in glowing terms about his fighting career in combat sports like wrestling, boxing and muay thai (a combat sport of Thailand) back in Afghanistan, and how MMA poses a completely different challenge in comparison to the aforementioned events.
“Back home I have competed in various fighting events, but here in Pune and in MMA, this was my first event. I’ve competed in two boxing, seven wrestling and four muay thai competitions in Afghanistan and am still to be defeated.
“Of course, MMA is a different challenge altogether and I didn’t feel nervous at all going into my first fight as it is a combination of all these sports which I’m already good at and it’s just about applying myself,” said Durani.
This was also only the second time that Fight Nights took place at High Spirits and Durani is a firm advocate that it’s the right way to go about giving up and coming fighters like him the platform to flourish.
Going into the contest with a positive frame of mind, the 21-year-old seemed extremely disappointed in the manner he suffered defeat. It only took 1 minute and 52 seconds for Sumit Bhyan of Team Relentless to register a TKO (knockout) victory over Durani – in what proved to be one of the most one-sided fights of the night.
Speaking ahead of the first MMA fight and first defeat of his life, he said, “I was told about this event by my coach and I think it’s fantastic for new fighters like me. I don’t really know how the experience will be, but what I need to do is analyse my opponent for the first three seconds. I have to see whether he is a boxer, wrestler or a kickboxer and base my strategy on that. My wrestling is better than my punching and kicking, so I need to ensure I dictate the fight on my terms.”
The thought of taking up such a risky sport never came into Durani’s mind as he watched his father and brother both make a career in it and succeed at various fighting events. In fact, after watching them during his formative years, he had already decided that it’s what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
“As a child, I watched my dad who was a wrestler and my brother who was a boxer and got influenced by them. I saw that they did not show any signs of fear and that’s what gave me the confidence to keep improving and keep fighting in different events,” he explained.
Durani explained the benefits of MMA and how it helps him stay away from all the distractions which students of his age are affected from.
According to him, taking up the sport was a healthy lifestyle option and one he would love to make a career in, once he’s done with his education.
“The sport can make me healthy and can keep me fit. It also improves my personality and lifestyle and makes me ready for every challenge in life. Also, a number of people I know are influenced by the vices around them and I feel this helps me stay focused and away from such things,” said the Symbiosis student.
The 21-year-old met his coach Irfan Shaikh at the Hypertrophy Gym in Kausarbaug, Kondhwa and that’s when he was encouraged to take up MMA. Looking at his impressive amateur background and the growing demand for combat sports in the city and country, it was a no brainer for Shaikh to introduce him to MMA.
Explaining his decision to encourage Khan to take up a new combat sport, the 56-year-old, said, “He came to me and told me about his fighting background. That’s when I asked him to learn Taekwondo and kickboxing. He had a basic idea about all of them and the only thing I needed to do was give him a slight push.”
