<p class="bodytext">Meet our own local Mohammad Ali — only this one swapped street fights for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in January 2023. At 14, Ali was pushed to step into the gym and train. “I would get into street fights and had a temper. My father thought it best to channel that aggression into a sport,” shares the teenager, who began training under Pavan Kumar, head coach of the Indian national Muay Thai team.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ali admits the toughest challenge wasn’t quitting certain addictions he had picked up along the way, but shifting to a healthier diet. “I have adjusted now,” he says, revealing he now sticks to boiled, sugar-free home-cooked meals.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On sharing his name with the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, the teen says, “It was coincidental. I realised it after my first fight, when people told me my footwork reminded them of the legend.” Thrilled, he began focusing more on his footwork. He adds that he looks up to Muhammad Ali and follows his philosophy of “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.</p>.Bengaluru: Man held for killing friend over plans to have relationship with victim’s wife.<p class="bodytext">At 18, Ali clinched the under-51 kg world title in Bangkok at the 21st World Muay Thai Championship, maintaining a win streak of 13 fights. At the Golden Moghkon Championship Amateur Nationals in 2025, he earned the title ‘Knockout Machine’ with six knockouts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Known for his feint-to-spinning-kick combo, Ali focuses on defence and has never taken a hit to his face. “My mother gets emotional when I get hit. I don’t want her to worry, so I focus on my defence (skills),” he says. Ali is also training in Muay Thai and boxing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He sharpened his techniques by adding clinches and sweeps to his training. His tougher challenge, however, has been the lack of Olympic recognition for MMA, which means no institutional support. “(At the world championship), while others had physiotherapists, managers, and dietitians, I just had my coach, physiotherapist and teammates,” he says, adding that the burden of self-funding remains a challenge.</p>.<p class="bodytext">During his time at his training centre in R T Nagar, Ali also helped train 15-year-old Chirayu S, who went on to win silver in the 14 to 16 age category at the 21st World Muay Thai Championship.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Meet our own local Mohammad Ali — only this one swapped street fights for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in January 2023. At 14, Ali was pushed to step into the gym and train. “I would get into street fights and had a temper. My father thought it best to channel that aggression into a sport,” shares the teenager, who began training under Pavan Kumar, head coach of the Indian national Muay Thai team.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ali admits the toughest challenge wasn’t quitting certain addictions he had picked up along the way, but shifting to a healthier diet. “I have adjusted now,” he says, revealing he now sticks to boiled, sugar-free home-cooked meals.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On sharing his name with the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, the teen says, “It was coincidental. I realised it after my first fight, when people told me my footwork reminded them of the legend.” Thrilled, he began focusing more on his footwork. He adds that he looks up to Muhammad Ali and follows his philosophy of “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.</p>.Bengaluru: Man held for killing friend over plans to have relationship with victim’s wife.<p class="bodytext">At 18, Ali clinched the under-51 kg world title in Bangkok at the 21st World Muay Thai Championship, maintaining a win streak of 13 fights. At the Golden Moghkon Championship Amateur Nationals in 2025, he earned the title ‘Knockout Machine’ with six knockouts.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Known for his feint-to-spinning-kick combo, Ali focuses on defence and has never taken a hit to his face. “My mother gets emotional when I get hit. I don’t want her to worry, so I focus on my defence (skills),” he says. Ali is also training in Muay Thai and boxing.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He sharpened his techniques by adding clinches and sweeps to his training. His tougher challenge, however, has been the lack of Olympic recognition for MMA, which means no institutional support. “(At the world championship), while others had physiotherapists, managers, and dietitians, I just had my coach, physiotherapist and teammates,” he says, adding that the burden of self-funding remains a challenge.</p>.<p class="bodytext">During his time at his training centre in R T Nagar, Ali also helped train 15-year-old Chirayu S, who went on to win silver in the 14 to 16 age category at the 21st World Muay Thai Championship.</p>