Muhammad Ali's grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh forging his own legacy in the MMA cage
Muhammad Ali's grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh is carrying the weight of combat sport's most beloved name on his shoulders as he returns to the cage this week in New York.
The Las Vegas native is going about his MMA career in an unprecedented fashion, playing out his amateur career under the full glare of media spotlight, competing in the sport's No.2 promotion PFL as he learns on the job. He's not rushing his way to the paid ranks, but is forced to learn every lesson live on ESPN in America and DAZN in the UK.
His brother Nico had the luxury of just under 30 low-key fights before turning professional in the boxing ring, where he has an undefeated 8-0-1 record under Bob Arum's Top Rank banner. Meanwhile, Biaggio came to MMA late after a strong career in American football as a youth.
"There's a lot of expectation on Biaggio and his brother Nico in boxing," explained UFC legend and PFL analyst Randy Couture, whose gym Xtreme Couture is the amateur's training base. "He's very smart and very articulate and diligent. He trains with us, I see him in the gym all the time and I talked to him a few days ago.
"He's a fantastic kid, whether Muhammad Ali's looking down on him or anyone else connected to that family they have to be very proud of the way they've stood up to all that pressure and scrutiny. He's represented the family name very well, both he and Nico have amazing futures ahead of them, they're smart young men that are applying themselves.
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"They're not resting on their laurels, they want to go out and earn everything themselves, both of them. I think they both have bright futures and I can't imagine in my amateurs, if that existed when I started, having that pressure walking out there - I've been very impressed with Biaggio. I don't see any cracks, he's doing all the right things and he's going to be great and successful."
From the second he laced up the gloves, there was pressure on Ali Walsh. And while it may have overcome him in his amateur debut as he suffered his first and only loss by way of submission in the second, he has gone on to blast out his three opponents in the PFL within less than three minutes each.
"I don't believe any amateur in the world is getting this kind of experience," Ali Walsh insisted. "I'm 4-1, looking to be 5-1 and I'm fighting on a big stage in the PFL at Madison Square Garden on ESPN. I'm super blessed and I'm grateful because I remember when the PFL initially came to me and wanted to sign me.
Biaggio Ali Walsh has won all of his PFL fights by first round knockout (Cooper Neill / PFL)Are you excited to see Biaggio Ali Walsh return to the cage? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"They reached out and said 'hey we want to sign you and develop you as a fighter and I was at the time 1-1 and I was very nervous, maybe even overwhelmed. I'd just got my first win after my first fight was a loss, I felt like 'this is kind of moving fast, isn't it?' This is not a sport where you want to be moving too fast.
"I was very overwhelmed but who could say no to this opportunity? It's the opportunity of a lifetime and I just took it, went with it and I'm super lucky."
And he is looking to have at least one war before turning professional, adding: "It kind of makes me insecure, even though I'm blessed and grateful to win, because I know that I haven't really gone at least in the last two or three fights past the first round. I want to get tested and go through adversity.
"For me, fighting is all about overcoming adversity, and I think a great fight is when it's back-and-forth where I'm whooping your a** and you're whooping my a**, to me that's what a great fight is and it makes me kind of insecure knowing that I haven't really had that yet."
Biaggio Ali Walsh takes on Ed Davis on the PFL Playoffs in New York this Wednesday. UK viewers can watch from 11pm on DAZN
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