Issue 066

September 2010

The saying goes that some fighters are born tough, while others are a product of their environment. 26-year-old Afghanistan-born light heavyweight Siyar Bahadurzada (16-4-1) escaped the horrors of his home country to become a Shooto champion. The Golden Glory team member recently signed for Strikeforce and tells us why a fight is like a party to him

FO: You grew up in Afghanistan and left at age 15 when your family moved to Holland. What was your childhood like in the war-torn state?

Siyar: “I literally did not know if I was going to live until the end of that day. That makes you very nervous and causes a lot of stress, but it is also kind of exciting. When I came to Holland at first I was bored! When I discovered MMA I thought, ‘Well, this is perfect for me!’ It gives me that same excitement I had. If I don’t get this... I can’t live without it man – I need it.”

So what was a typical day as a child in Afghanistan, would you get up and go to school?  

“No, there is no school! My father used to pay a professor to come to our house and teach us because he was an intelligent guy and open-minded. That is why before I even came to Europe I could speak English. I speak about eight languages actually: English, Dutch, German, Farsi, Hindi, Urdu, Pashtun and a little bit of Spanish, but I haven’t been to university for a while.”

You fight out of Golden Glory in the Netherlands. What’s it like training there? 

“Well, today is Wednesday and we just finished the sparring. It’s the toughest day of the week but it is the day that everyone looks forward to the most. The first round was with Alistair Overeem, then I had Gokhan Saki, then it was Errol Zimmerman, and then it was Chalid Arrab. Then at the end we go in a round where the guy changes every minute, so I had these guys coming at me and switching over every 60 seconds – I remembered the order so my brain cannot be too damaged!”

Golden Glory has some very famous kickboxers, but a lot of Afghans are strong wrestlers. What’s your background and what is your preference?

“I prefer to keep the fight standing if I can. I don’t care if it does go to the floor, I am happy there, but if I have the choice I like to stand with my opponent.”

You’ve fought in Japan’s Sengoku four times now. What were your impressions?

“Fighting in Japan sucks, I really struggle when I have to go somewhere that is forward in time [difference]. The jet lag makes it really difficult for me to sleep. I didn’t show my best in Japan and I will not fight there anymore. That is why I want to fight in America. It’s easy to spend time in America, in Japan it’s so boring. If I have to spend longer than one week there I feel like cutting my wrists. I am a wild kind of character, I like to get out and party – in Japan I can go to Roppongi [the ‘red light’ district where gaijins – foreigners – hang out], but, come on man, I come from Amsterdam! There is nothing new for me there.”

Does it worry you that the American crowd watching Strikeforce won’t take to you because of the war in Afghanistan, and the fact that there are American troops fighting and dying out there? 

“Oh man, I hope not. I mean, as an Afghan I am very grateful to all the troops that are fighting out there to make Afghanistan a better place and to make it safe for the Afghan people. Afghanistan needs their help – I personally would like to thank all the troops that have been to Afghanistan to make it better.”

Afghanistan is reputedly a very wild and dangerous place. Is that the reality or do we only see a certain picture of it? 

“Let me tell you a story. There were two guys outside my house, they were [soldiers] with guns. They are talking to each other, and there is a guy in the distance walking along, far away from them. One of the guys says to his friend, ‘Hey, how much will you give me if I can put this guy down with only one bullet?’ So his friend offers him a prize, like ten dollars or something. The first guy shoots the guy in the distance and puts him down; his friend gives him his prize. Can you believe this? That’s absolutely true man, no bullshit. That is what it is like there. It’s crazy. It is not normal for children to see these things – well, in Afghanistan it is, this is the problem. 

“People there have seen so many things that they are not normal. They are emotionally unstable. I think that I am emotionally unstable, actually. One minute I am happy and laughing, the next I can be really angry or I will be sad and want to cry – it is very strange. I think this is all anger and the effects of my early life in Afghanistan. It takes very serious things for me to become upset in this way. And for that reason, when I get in the ring – man, I am telling you the truth – it’s kind of a buzz, like I am going to a nice party or something. I have never been nervous walking out to the ring or getting in the ring – I feel totally calm.”