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Amir Albazi

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Amir Albazi
Born (1993-10-27) October 27, 1993 (age 31)
Baghdad, Iraq
Other namesThe Prince
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st)
DivisionFlyweight
Bantamweight
Reach68 in (173 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofPhoenix, Arizona, U.S.
TeamFightzone Stockholm (formerly)[2]
London Shootfighters (2013–2021)[3]
Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts (2021–present)
RankPurple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[4]
Years active2009–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins17
By knockout5
By submission9
By decision3
Losses2
By decision2
UniversityUniversity of Roehampton
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Amir Albazi (Arabic: أمير البازي;[5] born October 27, 1993) is an Iraqi professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 27, 2024, he is #3 in the UFC flyweight rankings.[6]

Early life and education

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Amir was born in Baghdad. When he was seven years old, he fled Baghdad in the middle of the night alongside his family, then moving to Syria, where Amir saw his father for the first time since he was a toddler. The family stayed in Syria for a year and a half, before moving to Sweden.[7][8]

Amir's family settled in Bredäng, a district in Stockholm in which immigrants and refugees made up 60% of the population.[9] Amir got into a lot of fights and trouble as a kid, resulting in his joining a street gang as a teenager.[10] His interest in mixed martial arts happened overnight as he watched an old UFC fight on the television. Having been impressed by this new type of professional fighting, Amir looked up the cheapest MMA gym and signed up the next day.[11] Albazi moved to London in 2013, and graduated from University of Roehampton with a degree in sports science.[12]

Career

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Early career

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Amir's first fight came in the World Ultimate Full Contact 15, he submitted Pavlo Kulish in 59 seconds, and subsequently went on an 8 bout win streak to start his MMA career before moving to Bellator, where he extended that streak to 10 bouts after defeating Jamie Powell and Iurie Bejenari. Amir's first loss came in the Middle Eastern promotion series Brave CF to Jose "Shorty" Torres. Amir rebounded from his loss by defeating Ryan Curtis in Brave CF 29.[13]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Albazi made his UFC debut on short notice on July 18, 2020, against Malcolm Gordon at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2.[4] Amir defeated Gordon by submission 4 minutes and 42 seconds into the first round.[14]

Albazi was expected to face Raulian Paiva on October 31, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva.[15] However, Paiva pulled out of the fight on 11 September citing a knee injury, resulting in Albazi's removal from the card.[16]

Amir was then scheduled to face Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC on ESPN: Smith vs. Clark on November 28, 2020, but Zhumagulov pulled out due to visa issues. The bout was rescheduled for UFC 257 on January 24, 2021.[17][18] Albazi won the bout via unanimous decision.[19]

He was then scheduled to face Ode' Osbourne at UFC on ESPN: Makhachev vs. Moisés on July 17, 2021. However, Albazi withdrew from the bout due to undisclosed reasons.[20]

Albazi was next scheduled to face Tim Elliott at UFC on ESPN: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot on June 25, 2022.[21] However, Elliott pulled out in mid June due to undisclosed reasons and the bout was scrapped.[22]

Albazi faced Francisco Figueiredo on August 20, 2022, at UFC 278.[23] He won the bout via rear-naked choke at the end of the first round.[24]

Albazi was scheduled to face Alex Perez on December 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 216.[25] However, with Perez withdrawing from the fight, Albazi wound up scheduled against Brandon Royval instead.[26] In late November, Royval pulled out of the bout due to a broken wrist,[27] and was replaced by promotional newcomer Alessandro Costa.[28] Albazi won the fight via knockout in round three.[29]

Albazi faced Kai Kara-France on June 3, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 46.[30] He won the fight via a split decision. The decision drew criticism,[31] and 19 out of 21 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Kara-France.[32]

Albazi was expected to face two-time former UFC Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night 237 on February 24, 2024.[33] However, Albazi withdrew due to a neck injury and was replaced by former title challenger Brandon Royval.[34]

It was reported that the bout between Albazi and Brandon Moreno was re-scheduled to take place on November 9, 2024 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 247.[35] However, the bout was moved to November 2, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 246.[36] Albazi lost the fight by unanimous decision.[37]

Personal life

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In an interview with BBC dated 16 December 2022, Albazi stated that he wants to become the first Arab UFC champion and plans to eventually return to Iraq and develop MMA there.[38]

Championships and accomplishments

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  • Ultimate Challenge MMA
    • UCMMA Bantamweight Championship (one time; former)
  • FightStar Championship
    • FSC Bantamweight Championship (one time; former)

Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
19 matches 17 wins 2 losses
By knockout 5 0
By submission 9 0
By decision 3 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 17–2 Brandon Moreno Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi November 2, 2024 5 5:00 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Win 17–1 Kai Kara-France Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Kara-France vs. Albazi June 3, 2023 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 16–1 Alessandro Costa KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland December 17, 2022 3 2:13 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 15–1 Francisco Figueiredo Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 278 August 20, 2022 1 4:34 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Win 14–1 Zhalgas Zhumagulov Decision (unanimous) UFC 257 January 23, 2021 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 13–1 Malcolm Gordon Submission (triangle choke) UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 July 18, 2020 1 4:42 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Bantamweight bout.
Win 12–1 Ryan Curtis Submission (kimura) Brave CF 29 November 15, 2019 1 2:24 Isa Town, Bahrain
Loss 11–1 Jose Torres Decision (unanimous) Brave CF 23 April 19, 2019 3 5:00 Amman, Jordan
Win 11–0 Iuri Bejenari Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 200 May 25, 2018 1 3:21 London, England
Win 10–0 Jamie Powell Decision (unanimous) Bellator 179 May 19, 2017 3 5:00 London, England Flyweight debut.
Win 9–0 Dino Gambatesa Submission (kimura) FightStar Championship 8 December 10, 2016 1 4:30 London, England Won the FSC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 8–0 Rafał Czechowski Submission (rear-naked choke) Scandinavian Fight Nights 1 June 4, 2016 2 N/A Solna, Sweden
Win 7–0 Niko Gjoka TKO (slam) Ultimate Challenge MMA 44 September 5, 2015 2 2:21 London, England Won the vacant UCMMA Bantamweight Championship.
Win 6–0 Ondřej Moravec TKO (punches) Bitva Roku 2015 March 19, 2015 1 4:34 Prague, Czech Republic
Win 5–0 Salih Kulucan Submission (kimura) Ultimate Challenge MMA 41 November 8, 2014 2 2:30 London, England
Win 4–0 Ally McCrae Submission (rear-naked choke) SFC 3 October 10, 2010 2 0:00 Stirling, Scotland
Win 3–0 Bagandov Murada TKO (punches) World Ultimate Full Contact 16 September 4, 2010 1 3:00 Viseu, Portugal
Win 2–0 Andre Batista TKO (punches) World Ultimate Full Contact 15 August 22, 2009 1 3:35 Viseu, Portugal
Win 1–0 Pavlo Kulish Submission (rear-naked choke) 1 0:59 Bantamweight debut.

[39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  2. ^ Ryan O'Leary (September 11, 2015). "Amir Albazi – 'The Prince is here to stay', Now Eying UCMMA Flyweight Title". mmaviking.com.
  3. ^ "Exklusiv intervju med Amir Albazi". fightermag.se. January 13, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Steve Latrell (July 16, 2020). "Fight Island Debuts, July 18 Edition". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  5. ^ Wright, Alex Shams (2022-12-15). "كيف يحلم اللاعب العراقي أمير البازي بأول لقب عربي في الفنون القتالية المختلطة؟" [How does Iraqi player Amir Al-Bazi dream of the first Arab title in mixed martial arts?]. BBC (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-12-15.
  6. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  7. ^ "Amir Albazi: "Jag är nästa svensk i UFC"". www.mitti.se (in Swedish). 2018-08-24. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  8. ^ Bellator 200's Amir Albazi talks childhood escape from Iraq War, 25 May 2018, retrieved 2022-08-15
  9. ^ "Statistik och fakta om Stockholm". start.stockholm. 8 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Amir Albazi: "Jag är nästa svensk i UFC"". stockholmdirekt.se (in Swedish). August 24, 2018. Archived from the original on July 19, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "Iraqi Amir Albazi's circuitous route to Abu Dhabi via Syria, Sweden and London". The National.
  12. ^ "Amir Albazi". Ultimate Fighting Championship. 9 July 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Farah Hannoun (November 15, 2019). "Brave CF 29 results: Azamat Murzakanov runs through competition to win KHK open weight title". MMAjunkie.com.
  14. ^ Matt Erickson (19 July 2020). "Amir Albazi's submission of Malcolm Gordon was just what he expected to happen". MMAjunkie.com.
  15. ^ Juarez, Rodrigo (2020-08-18). "Raulian Paiva returns to the UFC Octagon in October to face Amir Albazi". globoesporte.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  16. ^ Barone, Marcelo (2020-09-11). "Raulian Paiva suffers knee injury in training and is out of the fight against Amir Albazi in the UFC". globoesporte.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  17. ^ Staff (2020-11-24). "Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov pulled from UFC on ESPN 18 lineup". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  18. ^ Steve Duncan (2020-11-25). "Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov rescheduled for UFC 257". mma.uno. Archived from the original on 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2020-11-25. (in Spanish)
  19. ^ Fortune, Ryan (2021-01-23). "UFC 257 Results: Amir Albazi Bounces Back to Decision Zhalgas Zhumagulov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  20. ^ Saurabh Singh (June 25, 2021). "UFC Fight Night on July 17 Cancel a Fight as Amir Albazi Pulls Out". essentiallysports.com.
  21. ^ Tristen Critchfield (March 22, 2022). "Tim Elliott Expected to Face Amir Albazi at UFC Event on June 25". Sherdog.
  22. ^ Nolan King and Farah Hannoun (2022-06-14). "Tim Elliott out of UFC on ESPN 38 bout vs. Amir Albazi". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  23. ^ Staff (2022-06-20). "UFC 278 announced with 12 fights on the card headlined by Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  24. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-08-20). "UFC 278: Amir Albazi Subs Francisco Figueiredo In Statement Flyweight Victory". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  25. ^ Alexander, Mookie (2022-08-30). "Alex Perez vs. Amir Albazi slated for UFC Fight Night in December". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-08-31.
  26. ^ Jay Anderson (2022-10-25). "Brandon Royval vs. Amir Albazi Set for UFC's December 17 Card". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  27. ^ King, Nolan (2022-11-23). "Brandon Royval announces he's out of UFC Fight Night 216 due to broken wrist". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  28. ^ Contreras Legaspi, Carlos (2022-11-23). "El brasileño Alessandro Costa debutará en UFC ante Amir Albazi". ESPN Deportes. Retrieved 2022-11-23. (in Spanish)
  29. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2022-12-17). "UFC Vegas 66: Amir Albazi Halts Newcomer Alessandro Costa In His Tracks". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
  30. ^ Martin, Damon (2023-03-13). "Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi booked for UFC event on June 3". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  31. ^ Richardson, Andrew (2023-06-04). "Robbery? Albazi Splits Kara-France In Close Scrap". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  32. ^ "Amir Albazi vs. Kai Kara-France". MMA Decisions. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  33. ^ Leonard, Harvey (2023-12-02). "Report: Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi Set For UFC's Return To Mexico On February 24". MMA News | UFC News, Results & Interviews. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  34. ^ Steve Marrocco (2024-01-11). "UFC Mexico City gets new headliner after Amir Albazi forced off card". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  35. ^ Cole Shelton (2024-09-02). "Brandon Moreno ends brief time away from MMA, set to return at UFC Vegas 100". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  36. ^ Nolan King (2024-09-03). "UFC books Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi main event for Nov. 2 in Edmonton". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  37. ^ Eddie Law (2024-11-02). "Brandon Moreno Puts On Clinic Against Albazi, Wants His Title Back". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  38. ^ "Amir Albazi: Iraqi MMA fighter dreams of becoming first Arab UFC champion". BBC. 16 December 2022.
  39. ^ Sherdog.com. "Amir Albazi". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
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