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Wheelie
15-05-2010, 01:02
(http://mmavalor.com/2010/05/14/%e2%80%9csiyarthegreat%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-the-most-interesting-man-in-the-world/)Bron / Source: “SiyarTheGreat” – The Most Interesting Man in the world MMAValor (http://mmavalor.com/2010/05/14/%E2%80%9Csiyarthegreat%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%93-the-most-interesting-man-in-the-world/)


“SiyarTheGreat” – The Most Interesting Man in the world (http://mmavalor.com/2010/05/14/%e2%80%9csiyarthegreat%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-the-most-interesting-man-in-the-world/)


http://mmavalor.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/interview-pic4-259x300.jpg (http://mmavalor.com/)

Everyone knows the names, Wanderlei, GSP, Shogun, Rampage and so on. There are many great fighters who are all over the Internet, in your favorite magazine or on your TV. Fans enjoy watching them fight, how they promote the sport and represent it well. They discuss and dissect who said what before and after each fight, what they did during the fight and who will be next to fight. Although this is always great fun, to some fans its not enough to just watch the current “greats”, they want to discover them too. They want to be the first to know about the “new talent” in Mixed Martial Arts, to watch them grow, supporting them and dissecting everything they say or do. Well for those of you who are interested in always seeking out the next big thing in MMA, keep on reading.
Siyar Bahadurzada is an Afghan mixed martial artist who currently resides and trains at the Golden Glory gym in Holland. He is not a new fighter at all, just one who is not well known here in the US, Yet. But ask anyone familiar with MMA in Afghanistan or Holland and they will probably know who I am talking about. He is the 2 time Light Heavy Weight Shooto Champion and currently holds the title. Siyar is only 26 but he has already managed to pack more knowledge and experience in his life than many men twice or even three times his age. He knows several languages, holds an advanced degree and is a world class champion. A fast paced life for a fast paced sport.
Q: Tell a little bit about yourself and your background, you grew up in Afghanistan and later moved to the Netherlands, which is a big change. How did you adjust to the new lifestyle in the Netherlands? What was the hardest thing to get used to? You were born in 1984 which means you never lived in a country at peace before, what was that change like?
My name is Siyar Bahadurzada and I was born in the war torn Afghanistan. I lived in Afghanistan for 15 years without knowing how it would feel to live in peace. I just did not know how peace felt. After moving to Holland in October 1999, I got acquainted with peace. It was different for me as a person who has lived his entire life in war. I did not feel the excitement that I used to feel everyday in the war. I was safe, but bored. My body and mind were used to being under pressure and now, that pressure was gone, and my body and mind reacted strange to it. I was very bored and I saw the possibility of ending up somewhere where I did not want to go. So I started setting goals for myself in order to keep myself busy so I do not do anything, which I will regret later. I started to learn the Dutch language, which is a very difficult language, but since I was determined, I managed to speak Dutch well, in less than 6 months. This was the hardest period of my life… coming to a totally new culture with a very difficult language. But since we were raised open minded in Afghanistan, the Dutch culture was not like a shock to me. I expected it to be the way it was. I adjusted really fast to the Dutch culture because I went to school in Holland and the person that I am today, I have the best of both cultures.
Laughs.
Q: Is there an Afghan community where you live? Have you been back to Afghanistan to visit?
I do not live in an Afghan community, but about 50.000 Afghans live here in Holland and most of them know me, because I’m a big name among the Afghans. I am the only MMA world champion they have ever had in the history of Afghanistan and they give me a lot of respect and recognition for that. Especially last year, when I was back in Afghanistan after 10 years. They treated me like a hero and I was all over Afghan TV. The supermarkets/shopkeepers in Kabul would noteven take my money for buying something, because they said I was their champion and they were all excited to see me. That was great! Not because I did not have to pay, I paid them anyhow because I know they live in a bad situation, but the recognition for what I did. I fought for my war torn country and full of pride Afghans since day one. It was great to see that they appreciate my sacrifices for my country and for my people.
Q: How many languages do you speak? Which ones?
I speak Dari and Pashto (the two official languages of Afghanistan), Farsi (similar to Dari), Urdu (Pakistani language), Hindi (Hindustani language sounds similar with Urdu, but you write it differently), Dutch, German, English and a little bit of Spanish.
Q: When did you first become interested in fighting? How did you fall into shooto?
After learning the Dutch language, I was looking for another goal in my life to keep busy and keep my body and mind challenged. So I decided to do Martial Arts. But growing up in Afghanistan among people who love all kinds of martial arts, I heard a lot from people saying wrestlers are better than boxers and boxers are better than wrestlers and all that kind of stuff. So I wanted to practice something that nobody can say: “I’m a better fighter”, no wrestlers and no boxers either. So I went to the local gym to look for some kind of martial arts and I met Martijn de Jong at the shooto gym in my city, my current trainer. Since the first day, I was in love with this sport. And this sport was all I was looking for. It was dangerous, extreme, and totally complete. It was over for boxers and wrestlers in my mind. (Laughing) But my real addiction with the sport started when I fought my first fight. I felt the same excitement in the ring, as I felt in Afghanistan, during my entire life in the war and I was so happy and felt like a fish in water again. This was the start of my career as a mixed martial artist and since then, I am determined to become a big champion in MMA. A fighter, who will be remembered for a long time. A fighter who stands for exciting fights, big heart and iron mentality.
Q: When and why did you decide to fight professionally and what keeps you going?
I never thought about fighting professionally, I just wanted to keep feeling that excitement that my body and mind needed and I was manhandling my opponents in my amateur career. After 9 amateur fights I went undefeated to my pro career and kept knocking people out. Fighting feels like my lifestyle that I was living in Afghanistan and it is a part of me. I can’t stop fighting… ever!
Q: You are not well known in the US yet, but you actually have an extensive and international mixed martial arts career. What was your hardest win/opponent? Favorite fight/win?
I am not well known in US, but I will fight hard to win the heart of the fans in the US. My hardest fight has to come yet and my favorite win so far has been my Shooto LHW title defense in Brazil with Leandro “batata” Silva.
Q: What made you want to fight in the US? Where will you be training at here? Who are you signed with and how many fights do you have coming up? Who are your training partners?
US is the place for MMA right now. MMA has become mainstream and it has grown dramatically the recent years in US. Besides, there are hundreds of thousands of Afghans in US and they have been waiting for a long time to see me fight in the US. When I’m in the US I train in Orange County at the Reign training center with King Mo, Mayhem, Babalu, Fabricio Werdum (http://mmavalor.com/2010/05/04/fedor-is-coming-to-san-jose/), Mark Munoz (http://mmavalor.com/tag/mark-munoz/)and many other good and talented fighters. But I also train in Holland with other Golden Glory fighters. I just signed a four fight deal with Strikeforce and I am looking forward to fighting in Strikeforce shows.
Q: What techniques are you working on improving now?
I work on everything, wrestling, muay thai, boxing, grappling. MMA is a complete sport you have to be well rounded to be successful in MMA.
Q: Who would you like to be matched up with to fight?
I will fight anyone Strikeforce thinks will make a great fight match up with me.
Q: Who are/were people that inspire you?
Kazushi Sakuraba
Q: What are the last three songs you downloaded?
“Big Booty Judy” (Money Montana), “My demeanor” (Money Montana), “oh let’s do it” (Waka Flocka Flame).
Q: What traits in people do you like? Dislike?
I like people with a wild character. People who live by the day and are carefree. Life is too short to be too serious… be a little bit serious, but not too serious. What I dislike about people is if they judge others by nationality, race, or background. We live in 2010 and we have to judge people by their character and personality.
Q: Worst injury?
Both elbows. Needed surgery!
Q: Why are so many people in Brazil named Silva?
Lack of creativity? Laughs

Wheelie
15-05-2010, 01:02
Q: How did your family react to your decision to be a professional fighter?
I kept my fighting career a secret until I became famous in Holland. One day my parents were reading the newspaper and they saw my picture in it. They came to me and asked me if it was me, not because they didn’t read my name there, but because they did not believe I was doing this dangerous sport and keeping it secret. And too bad, I could not deny it was me. The picture was as big as half the newspaper.
When I had fights in Holland, I would pack my stuff and give it a day earlier to my coach because if I packed my stuff the day of the fight, my parents would find out I’m going to fight again. I have always been fighting with the fear in my heart not to get hit. Because my parents would find out I was fighting. So I went out there and finished my opponents mostly in the first round. And it has become a habit now. I fight hard, aggressive, and very high pace.
Q: What is the funniest thing someone has said or done to you in the ring that people didn’t see/hear?
The funniest thing was when I fought a team mate and sparring partner of Melvin Manhoef, named Rody Troost. He is an A class Muay Thai fighter and when we fought I mounted him in the second round and started to GnP him. After some hard punches to his face he yelled at me like: “AUWWW NOT SO HARD, NOT SO HARD”. That was by far the funniest thing I have ever heard in the ring with a fighter. His face looked like a mess that night. After the fight I went to his locker room to thank him for the fight. I did not even know it was him sitting there. I asked where he was and he got mad and thought I was joking because his face looked cosmetically challenged.
Q: How do you feel right before a fight?
I feel very confident before the fight. I just wait for the bell to ring and test my skills! I want to feel that adrenaline rush and that surviving mode. The adrenaline rush attracts me the most about fighting. So I’m very excited before the fight.
Q: What is the hardest food for you to give up when cutting weight?
Rice. I hate cutting weight! But it has to be done, so I handle it professionally.
Q: How did you get your nickname “SiyarTheGreat”? What does it stand for?
As much of a trouble kid that I was in Afghanistan, I am a laid back and relaxed person right now. When I went to US a couple of months ago, Ryan Parsons the main trainer and coach of King Mo and Mayhem gave me the nickname “SiyarTheGreat”. And the full nickname would be “Siyar the great, the most interesting man in the world.” I have no idea why he gave me this nickname. It took a while till I got used to it, but now I like it actually. I’m “SiyarTheGreat” now.
Ryan Parsons: “It’s quite simple. Siyar is a Renaissance Man. He speaks 7 1/2 languages, he’s very intelligent and a loyal guy. He’s a great guy.”
Q: Any other nicknames besides “Afghan Killa”? What is that one about?
My first nickname “the killer” I got it when I was like 9 or 10 years old from my Grandfather in Afghanistan. Since I can remember I was around 5 years old and I used to take it on older boys who fought with my older brother and would beat the hell out of them. I grew up beating the older kids in the neighborhood for not listening to me while playing on the streets in Kabul. I made the rules as a kid and they had to play it according to my rules or we would fight. In other words, I was the boss among the kids. One day 3 of them boys gathered and turned against me. They didn’t want to play with me and wanted to play a different game. So I insisted to play my game and we started fighting. That was the day that I even surprised myself. I was like 10 years old and I fought 3 kids around 13 or 14 years old and I was killing them. I have this other side in me that when I get angry, I just become powerful and my emotions take the best out of me.
My Grandfather saw me from far fighting with these kids and ran to me to save me from these older boys, but by the time he was there, all those boys were crying to leave them alone. Since that day my Grandfather called me “the killer”. It is a nickname that means a lot to me, because it comes from the only man on earth that I looked up to. As a man, as a mentor and as grandfather. (RIP grandpa, I love you and I miss you every time I fight!)
Q: What do you think gives you an advantage over other MMA fighters as a shooto practitioner?
I started with Shooto and Shooto produces warriors and champions like Anderson Silva, BJ Penn (http://mmavalor.com/tag/bj-penn/), KID Yamamoto, Gomi, Sakurai, Rumina Sato and many, many more. I have been practicing MMA since day one and I am a complete and well rounded fighter.
Q: What are you looking forward to most in moving to the US?
To fight for the fans and party with Mayhem again! (Laughs)
Q: What is your ultimate goal as a fighter and as a person?
Be the baddest 170 lbs fighter alive. As a person I am a renaissance man and I will continue being that!
Q: Most useless class you took in school?
Mathematics (laughs) because I have talent for languages and Mathematics is a subject that squeezes your brain! Not cool!
Q: Best advice given to you as a fighter by another fighter or coach?
Shogun: Don’t put pressure on yourself to win. Put pressure on your self to do your best.
Q: Do you have any degrees after high school? If yes what in?
I have a Bachelor degree in International Business and Languages.
Q: Who do you call when you have a bad day?
Nobody. I run my emotions, not the other way around.
Q: What is your dream vacation place?
Island BORA BORA.
Q: Would you like to say something to the fans?
I would like to thank the MMA fans for supporting the sport and especially the fans who support me when I’m fighting. I am really looking forward to fighting in the U.S. and putting on some exciting fights. To the fans who do not know me yet, watch my fights and I will entertain you. For updates regarding my upcoming fights come follow me on twitter @SiyarTheGreat and on Facebook “Siyar Bahadurzada”.

http://mmavalor.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/interview-pic5-199x300.jpg (http://mmavalor.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/interview-pic5.jpg)
Thank you to Siyar for being open with us and doing this interview for mmavalor.com. We hope to see you soon so we can dissect everything you say and do. When it comes to MMA that is.

KO TKO
15-05-2010, 01:55
Leuk interview.

Justinian
15-05-2010, 10:14
Interessant interview, thanks!

micha
15-05-2010, 10:34
thanks

Kemal
16-05-2010, 00:00
Thanks Wheelie!