Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Alex “Little Rock” Silva, ONE Championship lightweight contender Amir Khan, and the rest of the members at Evolve MMA have a new mentor.
His name is Siyar Bahadurzada, and his first challenge will be preparing “Little Rock” for his World Title challenge against the division’s reigning king, Joshua “The Passion” Pacio, at ONE: FIRE & FURY on 31 January in Manila, Philippines.
In a recent press release, Evolve MMA announced that Bahadurzada has become the academy’s new head coach.
With more than 20 years of martial arts experience, Bahadurzada is a Shooto World Champion who has competed in some of the most recognizable organizations around the world. He will now coach and prepare the prestigious Evolve Fight Team.
The Kabul native rose to fame as Afghanistan’s first-ever sports World Champion. He holds a 24-8-1 pro record and has competed all over the world, including the USA, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, Denmark, Russia, and many other countries.
Bahadurzada also trained under some of the world’s top coaches like Martijn de Jong, Greg Jackson, Cor Hemmers, Lucien Carbin, and Mario Sperry, among others.
Evolve believes his extensive experience and martial arts pedigree will help develop their athletes to compete at an elite level.
“We received numerous applications from world-class candidates, but Siyar stood out to every single one of us as the person to lead the charge going forward,” Wesley De Souza, Vice President at Evolve, said.
“He understands and embodies the values Evolve MMA upholds, and we are confident he has what it takes to lead and steer the Evolve Fight Team to greater heights.”
Bahadurzada inherits a talented roster from former head coach Eduardo Pamplona.
In acknowledging the importance of his role, Bahadurzada also professed confidence in upholding Evolve’s reputation as a world-class martial arts stable.
“Evolve MMA is widely recognized as Asia’s top martial arts academy and houses the greatest number of World Champions, and I’m truly honored to be appointed as the Head Coach of the Evolve Fight Team,” he said.
“I plan to capitalize on the strengths of all Evolve Fight Team athletes to achieve even greater heights and continue the legacy of producing world-class talent.”
Can Bahadurzada begin his mission by helping Silva recapture the strawweight gold?
Find out on 31 January when ONE Championship returns to Manila, Philippines for the first time in 2020 with ONE: FIRE & FURY at the Mall Of Asia Arena.
Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action live and for free.
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