Muhammad Ali grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, is making his MMA debut – and is also a model

06/02/2022 01:20 PM

Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, will make his fighting debut this weekend, but not in boxing. Ali Walsh is making his MMA debut on Fusion Fight League’s Rumble Under the Rims card this Friday, June 3 and he follows his brother, Nico Ali Walsh into combat sports. Ali Walsh [left] is looking forward to his big debut Nico Ali Walsh has made a bright start to his boxing careerGetty Nico, 21, is 5-0 with four knockouts as a professional boxer as a middleweight. He is trained by Tyson Fury’s trainer, Sugarhill Steward. Biaggio is 23 and after finishing collegiate football, his long standing passion for MMA guided him towards the cage. “I have been training MMA for a total of about two, two-and-a-half years now. COVID hit shortly after I began training so there was obviously a little delay but I worked out in the garage during that time. “After college football I felt very lost and didn’t like where my life was heading. Pursuing MMA makes me feel more emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally positive,” Biaggio told FITE. The Ali Walsh brothers with grandad, Muhammad Ali When your grandfather is the late, great Muhammad Ali, there will always be pressure attached to your name. Ali is commonly regarded as one of the greatest to ever put on a pair of gloves, but also one of the most influential fighters in the history of the sport. Biaggio says he grew up around boxing and that makes him a bit of stand-up striker in the cage, but there’s more to him than that. “I would say that growing up in the world of boxing would make me a striker but I do find myself pretty well-rounded. I began training with no specific base and started learning all the disciplines at the same time. Biaggio Ali Walsh with Ali in his elder days Muhammad Ali holding Biaggio as a child “I did no previous combat sports before MMA. I was always just a huge fan of martial arts and boxing,” Ali Walsh said. Interestingly, Ali Walsh has also made a living out of modelling in recent years. One might think that isn’t very conducive with fighting in a cage, but Ali Walsh says he’s focused on fighting. Although, if a good modelling gig came up, he’d see how he could make it work. “There is no balance between modelling and training because I am rarely ever modelling. My last modelling job was in 2020 so those type of gigs do not happen so often. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Biaggio (@biaggioaliwalsh) “I am solely focused on finishing college and getting better in the gym. If a paid modelling job were to come up, I want to make sure it works around my school and gym schedule.” So what are his goals in MMA? The 23 year old from Chicago is a member of the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas and he just wants to become a champion – something which is firmly in his blood. “I want to become a champion. To be it doesn’t matter the organisation or promotion. I just want to make a name for myself and continue the tradition of fighting in my family.”