BRAVE CF 40’s Shoaib Yousaf in dreamland with advice from idol Amir Khan: “It’s surreal”
Shoaib Yousaf had an unforgettable month of August. Not only he found out he would be featuring in his first-ever BRAVE CF main event, but “The Assassin” also crossed one of the main items on his bucket list: train with and get advice from none other than former unified Boxing Light-Welterweight world champion Amir Khan.
Yousaf detailed how the training at The Amir Khan Academy went and revealed it was a dream come true for him to get advice from one of the biggest names in British-Pakistani sports and said he hoped to follow a similar path, starting with a win at the BRAVE CF 40 main event, next Monday, against Mochamed Machaev, in the fastest-growing MMA organization fourth show in Stockholm in as many weeks.
“A friend of Amir Khan’s invited me to go train at the gym and I got to do pads with his main trainers which was awesome. We talked and Amir Khan is such a big part of the lives of British-Pakistani people it was surreal to talk to him and pick his brain. He’s an idol, definitely and I hope to be able to follow his footsteps but in mixed martial arts. I can’t wait for Monday when I get to put all of my MMA training into use and also some of his advice”.
Shoaib spoke about the impact that Amir Khan had in his life as a fellow British-Pakistani who has been involved with martial arts practically all of his life.
“You know, I’ve been training on and off since I was 7. It started as fun, but then it got serious when I was 14, and went to boxing and jiu-jitsu training. Amir Khan grew up 30 minutes from where I grew up and he set a path for myself and others. It’s awesome that I’ve been able to meet him and talk to him, he’s had a huge impact in my career and hopefully now even more”.
“The Assassin”, an amateur IMMAF world champion, holding a professional record of seven wins and only one loss, is seen as one of the top European prospects in mixed martial arts and will face off against Machaev with an eye to a Featherweight BRAVE CF title shot down the road.
BRAVE CF 40, the Sweden Finale, takes place in Stockholm, on August 24th, and will also feature the return of Anton Turkalj, who looks to make a statement against undefeated newcomer Ibo Aslan in the co-main event.
VIDEO: BRAVE CF 40’s Shoaib Yousaf training at the Amir Khan Academy
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Training in full swing for #BRAVECF40 . @shoaib_assassin_yousaf @amirkingkhan @amirkhan_academy
