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Many MMA fans think Biaggio Ali Walsh is about to have the biggest fight of his life when he takes on Joel Galarza Lopez in the Professional Fighters League – but Muhammad Ali’s grandson fought a much tougher battle when he battled drug abuse and depression overcame.
The 25-year-old goes into the November 25 fight with a 5-1 record in cage fighting, and is tipped to turn professional if he wins.
Now that his brother Nico Ali Walsh and aunt Laila Ali have made their mark in professional boxing, he will continue the family tradition started by his grandfather, but MMA is much more than a way to make money and achieve fame for him.
Before his first cage fight in June last year, Ali Walsh was struggling after finishing playing American football, as he explained to Daily Mail Australia.
Mixed martial arts is much more than a way to fight fame and fortune for Biaggio Ali Walsh (pictured during his victory over Ed Davis in August)
Ali Walsh (pictured with his legendary grandfather, Muhammad Ali) changed his life when he took up cage fighting while battling drug abuse and depression
“I live in Sin City, Las Vegas, so the access to all kinds of party drugs and clubbing, all that stuff, it’s right here, right in my face,” he said.
‘So when I finished playing football I thought, “I’m free! I don’t have to wake up and go to training, I don’t have to do this and that!” So I did what I wanted.
‘What I was actually doing was numbing myself from the pain I was experiencing mentally.
‘I felt pain because I didn’t get the opportunities I expected in football, so much was expected of me. I just numbed myself and it didn’t help me mentally, emotionally or spiritually. It took me away from that.
“But ever since I started training in MMA, took it seriously and decided to fight, it changed my whole lifestyle. MMA forces me to live a healthy life.’
The 25-year-old gave a very revealing answer when asked why he chose MMA over boxing
All of Ali Walsh’s victories inside the cage have come through striking behavior, not submissions – and yes, he has learned a few lessons from the man known simply as ‘The Greatest’.
Thanks to his surname, you would expect Biaggio to have picked up the family sport of boxing.
When Daily Mail Australia asked why he chose to grab, kick, choke and armbar his opponents, his answer was revealing.
“I think I was always the bad kid growing up. “I’ve always had an anger problem deep inside, I don’t know where it came from,” he said.
“MMA is quite brutal, very aggressive and I think it suits my personality better.”
After losing his first fight when he was choked, Ali Walsh has won five in a row, all via strikes rather than submissions.
And yes, he has his grandfather – widely regarded as possibly the greatest boxer ever – to thank for some of his success in the cage.
“I’ve been watching my grandfather fights since I was a little kid,” he said.
“I have a favorite fight of his: when he fought Cleveland Williams… he was in his prime, he was the best Muhammad Ali.
Ali Walsh has been watching Muhammad’s fights ‘since I was a little kid’ – and his favorite fight was when the GOAT took on Cleveland Williams at the height of his powers
Ali Walsh revealed he also learned a lot from watching his grandfather’s greatest rival, Smokin’ Joe Frazier (pictured left, fighting Ali for the world heavyweight title in 1971)
“The way he raises his right hand with his punches, his quick punches, that’s something I get from his book. The way he throws rights to set up hooks. There are so many things I took from him.”
Surprisingly, Ali Walsh has also learned some lessons from his grandfather’s greatest rival and the man who handed the GOAT his first defeat as a pro.
“Even Joe Frazier, I watch Joe Frazier a lot too,” he explained.
‘With him it’s the left hook. And his head movement too.
“It’s really funny, my friend Mads Burnell, my teammate, his favorite fighter is Joe Frazier and his style is a lot like Frazier’s, so every time we meet in sparring it’s kind of like Ali versus Frazier, because I have to fight like my grandfather and stay longer while he throws those hooks inside.”
When asked if he’s more inspired by what ‘The Greatest’ did inside or outside the ring, he only answers for a split second.
“It’s outside the ring,” he said.
Mohammed achieved everything a boxer could in the ring, but it’s what he did outside the squared circle that really motivates his grandson
“You see celebrities nowadays, they’re quite arrogant and cocky, they don’t want pictures, they don’t want autographs.
“But my grandfather never said no to a picture, never said no to an autograph, people gave him their children and he hugged them and kissed them, he just spread so much love. Nowadays you don’t really see that much anymore.
“I want to reset my grandfather’s example and fighting is the only way I can do that.”
The 2023 PFL World Championships will be shown live and exclusively on November 25 from 9am AEDT on Stan Sports