Amir Albazi quietly walked in without anyone noticing.
Now a Top 10 flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the 29-year-old Baghdad native will collide with promotional newcomer Alessandro Costa in a featured UFC Fight Night 216 attraction on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Albazi enters the Octagon on the strength of a four-fight winning streak. He last fought at UFC 278, where he put away Francisco Figueiredo with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their Aug. 20 confrontation.
As Albazi makes final preparations for his forthcoming showdown with Costa at 125 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. He was something of a prodigy.
Albazi made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 15 on Aug. 22, 2009, when he needed just 59 seconds to submit Pavlo Kulish with a rear-naked choke at a World Ultimate Full Contact show. He went on to fight four times as a teenager, finishing all four of his opponents inside two rounds.
2. Trinkets mark his ascent.
“The Prince” captured titles in the Ultimate Challenge MMA and FightStar Championship organizations during his rise through the regional ranks. Albazi laid claim to the vacant bantamweight crown with a slam stoppage of Niko Gjoka at UCMMA 44 in September 2015, then took home the bantamweight belt with a kimura submission of Dino Gambatesa at FSC 8 in December 2016.
3. He places a premium on preparation.
Albazi operates out of the powerhouse Xtreme Couture camp in Las Vegas, which offers him access to world-class coaches—Dennis Davis, Erick Nicksick and Jake Shields, to name but a few—and proven stablemates, from Chris Curtis, Cody Stamann and Mads Burnell to Francis Ngannou, Julian Erosa and Brad Tavares. He trained previously with the London Shootfighters.
4. Not all of his eggs were put in one basket.
The Iraqi-born Swede graduated from the University of Roehampton in London with a degree in sport and exercise science. Among the school’s notable alumni: Alize Lily Mounter, who was Miss England in 2011 and finished fourth in the Miss World pageant the same year.
5. He racks up the frequent-flier miles.
Albazi has appeared in nine different countries during his 16-fight career. He has competed in the Czech Republic, Portugal, Scotland, England, Sweden, Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
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