#TFGinterview: Mohammed Farhad talks potential fights with Gurdarshan and Ahmed Faress, Indian MMA and more

Mohammed Farhad made his Brave Combat Federation debut with a TKO win at Brave 1. A few months later at Brave 5, he went 2-0 in the promotion by knocking out Irfan Khan in just forty seconds. It marked Farhad’s sixth win in a row, all coming via stoppages.

With such an impressive showing, Farhad has cemented his place as one of the most successful Indian MMA fighters in Brave and his return to the cage is something that the fans are eagerly awaiting. Rumors about Potential fights with Gurdarshan Mangat and Ahmed Faress have been making rounds after Brave 5 but nothing has been confirmed yet. In a recent interview with us, Irfan Khan also noted that he would love to have a rematch with Farhad.

Amidst all these, we managed to catch up with Farhad for an exclusive interview where he talked about his fight at Brave 5, potential fights with Gurdarshan Mangat and Ahmed Faress, the progression of Indian MMA and much more. You can read the complete interview below.

The Fan Garage: Congratulations on your win at Brave 5. You are now the most successful Indian fighter in the promotion. Do you think you are now the face of Indian MMA in Brave Combat Federation?

Mohammed Farhad: India had recently been active in Mixed Martial Arts and has a long way to go. My aim is to grow beyond the borders and be a truly international athlete who is from India. The sport was plagued by corruption, steroids, and lack of infrastructure for years. It is a time that athletes must forget the rat race and must focus on associating with each other to improve the level of the sport on a national scale.

TFG: How important was Brave 5 for the Indian MMA according to you?

MF: BRAVE 5 was India’s first exposure to global mixed martial arts. The event was televised across 60 nations and certain nations were aggressively following the event. For the first time fans from the United Kingdom and Brazil flew to India to view and MMA event. Domestic MMA promotions in India are not event at the global amateur level. So similar exposure boosts the level of the sport in India.

I was astonished by the way the event was held. Need to respect the bold initiative of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa that made an MMA event of such scale possible. The level of importance and media exposure Indian athletes received in-midst of global athletes was astounding. This was also a learning experience to me. So far in India, the events that were conducted were controlled by officials who did not even have an amateur MMA background. The presence of international referees and valuable knowledge transfer enabling fighter safety and referee seminars were priceless for the development of MMA in India.

TFG: You had a last minute opponent change for Brave 5, how did you and your team cope with the change?

MF: My preparations went forward to face any adversary. The camp focused on my skills than the challenges that the opponent will throw in front of me. This helped me the most. I was confident that I will take the lead in executing the game plan. This was my advantage even though I fought against an experienced fighter.

TFG: According to Tapology, you are currently the second best Bantamweight fighter from the Middle East. Ahmed Faress is currently on top of the rankings. Will you be interested in a fight with Ahmed to decide who should be on top?

MF: My duty is to focus on my training and come up with more victories. Rankings and accolades are a bonus. Those set of duties of whom to fight and where to fight come under responsibilities of the match maker and the promotion. What I can promise is that, I will be ready to face any obstacle and will be equipped to dominate.

TFG: You are likely to be open for any challenge next but if you had to pick one Indian fighter to have your next fight, who would it be and why?

MF: I am open to be tested. It is not me who needs to fight someone but the rest of the Indian fighters who must fight me to prove their worth. That will happen if they can convince the matchmakers that they have the necessary skills and credentials to be a worthy opponent for me.

TFG: The fans want to see you and Gurdarshan go up against each other. Do you think you can triumph where Muneer failed? And what message do you have for these fans?

MF: The question requires to be corrected. Muneer did not fail, but he lost the bout. The bout was more talked about than the main event. Those athletes put the focus back on Indian MMA despite there were international athletes in the card. Which sport in India other than cricket can claim such a moment? Abdul Muneer became the first ever sponsored athlete of Gifted Nutrition which is owned by reigning Mr. Olympia - Phil Heath. This was something Indian bodybuilders failed to achieve despite being part of competitions for years. Along with Abdul Muneer, I became RDX MMA sponsored athletes in India. We are the first and only Indians to achieve that benefit.

Coming to Gurdarshan Mangat, he is a great athlete. I am glad that we are of the same division. As I stated earlier, I am open for any challenge. At the moment my record is more impressive than that of his. I am not concerned about Gurdarshan. He is one among many athletes who want to compete against me and build his name and reputation. May be one day we will go against each other in the cage. I can guarantee that it will be one of the biggest events in Indian MMA history.

TFG: Following up, what message do you have for Gurdarshan?

MF: I will unleash my messages inside the cage and those will hurt you the most. But till then I wish all success to keep growing so that when that day comes, world will be tuning in to see who dominates over the other.

TFG: Finally, What message do you have for your fans?

MF: We are shaped by the obstacles that we overcome. MMA teaches us to be strong and to face problems than to run away from them. I will always be waiting to face the best of obstacles.

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