Abbas Sakhizada trains at High Altitude Martial Arts under Professor Cody Donovan. After immigrating to Denver, CO from Afghanistan at age 9, Abbas began training BJJ less than a year and a half ago at HAMA and very quickly moved from the beginner children’s classes all the way up to the advanced adult classes. Typically, all adult classes have an age limit, but special exceptions are sometimes made for younger students like Abbas who show strong potential and put in the work to earn their spot in the higher-level classes. He is a sponge. He absorbs information at an unbelievable pace.
Abbas and his family drove to Long Beach, California so he could compete at SJJIF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships. He won gold! Just 8 days later, Abbas competed and won his first professional BJJ fight by decision in the Fight 2 Win Pro 205 card and was promoted yellow belt on stage by Coach Robin. We met up with Abbas to talk about his reflections on his big win and his future in BJJ and MMA. HAMA is honored to be a part of Abbas’ journey. We are beyond proud of our World Champion and teen professional BJJ competitor.
How did you end up at F2W Pro?
“I won [Colorado] State Championship and the World Championship and a bunch of other tournaments which I won so I guess that’s how I qualified for it… I had to submit my Instagram and all the videos and stuff from my competitions too.”
Editor’s Note: F2W Pro is not a tournament where anyone can sign up and compete for a medal. There is a lengthy application process and a wide pool of applicants hoping to get a chance at their first professional fight. The promotion seeks to “create an experience closer to a Las Vegas boxing match than a traditional BJJ tournament,” so they choose fighters who are both incredibly talented and entertaining to create the most entertaining matches possible. They also provide big screens, a “32-foot catwalk for fighters”, and an elevated mat to give both the fighters and the audience the most exciting possible conditions for a BJJ match. The fights are also livestreamed to thousands of viewers all over the world on Flograppling.com, adding yet another element to the intense atmosphere. Abbas is very humble here. He had to work incredibly hard and win many tournaments to be selected as a grey belt for this promotion.
What weight class and division did you fight in and how did you prepare for this fight? Did you do anything differently for this event compared to how you normally prepare for other competitions?
“I fought in the 13-15 [age group] for grey and yellow belts. I focused on taking as many no-gi classes as I could during the week and on Sundays I would spend a lot of time drilling with Coach Robin. I also would do Landow’s Performance Institute every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to help with speed and conditioning. My World Championship fight was in California like two weeks ago, which helped too. I was already in good shape from that. I had to focus on drilling upper body stuff because the World Championship doesn’t allow leglocks and stuff so I just kept training that because Fight 2 Win doesn’t allow those either [at my age]. So I didn’t have to prepare very much.”
How did F2W Pro compare to other BJJ competitions you’ve done before?
“Fight 2 Win was obviously way harder, and I was more nervous because like everyone was around me. And I was up on a stage and surrounded by a bunch of people and it was for my professional record. I also only had one opponent rather than three or four or more so for one you can like give it your all, go as hard as you can, then you’re finished. But other [competitions] you have to like control how much energy you use.”
How did you feel about how the fight went? Obviously, you won, but what are some of your reflections of your performance and of your opponent in retrospect?
“So I could have worked and did some stuff better like my wrestling and like finishing my submissions. But I also felt like I controlled him a lot and he couldn’t get away. And I was only in a bad position for like 10 seconds but yeah, needed more control of him. I had two rear nakeds [chokes], a kimura, and an armbar which I should have finished. I was so close to finishing the armbar but he just slipped out. I also swept him the same way about three times from open guard which I had been working on with Professor Cody. But overall, I felt good about how it went but I wish I had won on a submission.
Who do you credit for your success in BJJ from such a young age?
“I would give credit to Professor Cody, Coach Robin, Coach Ryan, all the people from Landows, and my dad and family back at home. They have supported me and helped me get better. I’ve only been training for a year and a half. When I lived in Afghanistan as a kid, my dad and I would watch lots of videos of Afghani fighters and I didn’t really like it. Once we came to the US I was always wrestling my brothers and other kids in the neighborhood so my dad put me in boxing. I did that for like three months then after that we came here [High Altitude Martial Arts] and I started Jiu-Jitsu.
What is it about BJJ that makes it so special to you?
“I have a lot of pride about being a martial artist from Afghanistan and representing my country. It is a very weak country but the people there are very strong and have a lot of respect for fighters because they are strong too. They are very admired and I want to carry their flag as a fighter here. My family, friends, and fans back home are very supportive. My grandparents watch every fight of mine, so I always know they are watching. My grandma gets so nervous before every fight. It’s like life or death for her.
In the short-term, what’s next for you in BJJ?
“I want to do as many tournaments as possible and get as much experience as I can at the highest levels possible. I also got promoted at the end of my Fight 2 Win fight to yellow belt so I am really looking forward to competing in the yellow belt division in tournaments now. I was not having a lot of trouble at grey belt and I really want higher level competition. I’ve already competed in some yellow, orange, and green belt divisions and won but some tournaments are strict about that so now I will always be able to compete in at least yellow.”
Where do you see yourself ending up in the long term with BJJ and martial arts in general?
“I want to become a UFC fighter. When I turn 16 and get my blue belt I want to do ADCC and do a lot of MMA fights and hopefully get into the UFC. I’ve already been doing some MMA classes here at HAMA with Cory Sandhagen which has been really fun.
