While his grandfather, Muhammad Ali, is legendary and known as “The Greatest of All Time,” Biaggio Ali Walsh is forging a distinct path in the world of combat sports.
Biaggio is currently pursuing a career in mixed martial arts and is scheduled to compete in the PFL again this Friday. Rather than attempting to mimic his grandfather`s renowned outspokenness, Ali Walsh is focusing on his MMA development in a deliberate, step-by-step manner.
“I entered this sport simply wanting to discover how far I could take it,” he shared. “Mixed martial arts incorporates numerous fighting styles, and I was drawn to the concept that in a fight, you utilize whichever martial art is most effective for you.”
Ali Walsh`s initial venture into fighting faced a difficult start, marked by a humbling defeat. “My debut fight was for Fusion Fight League in Montana,” he recounted. “My opponent was a very large guy, bald-headed.”
“I knocked him down maybe twice, and this guy just got back up. The `Terminator` theme music was playing in my head. I thought, `Seriously? This dude won`t go down.` It was a challenging fight. I eventually ran out of gas, and he managed to take me down and secure a choke.”
“However, I learned a significant lesson from that fight,” he added. “Perhaps remembering to breathe while fighting is a good idea.”
Despite the setback, he wasn`t discouraged. “If anything, that experience intensified my desire to fight even more,” he stated. “It was a valuable lesson, and I gained a lot from my very first bout.”
Muhammad Ali passed away in 2016, before his grandson had ever considered competing himself.
“I often wish I could go back now and ask him so many more questions,” Ali Walsh mused. “He was a truly great man and a wonderful grandfather too.”
“He did offer my brother some advice, though. He told my brother to eat healthily and do `roadwork.` When my brother inquired what makes a fighter, my grandfather replied: `Moving and rhythm. That`s what makes a fighter.`”
Nonetheless, he doesn`t aim to replicate his legendary grandfather`s exact impact or style in MMA.
“Stylistically, my grandfather and I are entirely different,” Ali Walsh explained. “He enjoyed movement and dancing around the ring; it was almost like poetry in motion. My fighting style is more direct; I move forward aggressively and look to exchange strikes. So, even in terms of how we approach a fight, we are completely distinct.”
“It doesn`t take much power to knock someone out, especially when you`re wearing four-ounce gloves. I believe that`s one of my key strengths – the ability to connect cleanly, and if it lands in the right spot, it could potentially end the fight.”
“Ultimately, I`m just here to demonstrate my own fighting style and hope things go well.”
