Muhammad Ali's grandson Biaggio Ali Walsh revealed that UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is the mixed martial artist he looks up to the most.
Ali Walsh is making his MMA debut in Fusion Fight League’s Rumble Under the Rims card this Friday, June 3. He will follow in the footsteps of his legendary grandfather and his brother, Nico Ali Walsh, as he embarks on his own combat sports journey.
Asked about his greatest influence in MMA, the 23-year-old revealed that 'The Last Sylebender' is the fighter he has been "watching and studying" the most. During an interview with BroBible, Ali Walsh said:
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"Lately, I've been watching a lot of Israel Adesanya. He's just amazing, you know. Watching him, it's like watching Leonardo da Vinci paint. So he's one of those guys that I've recently watching and studying."
Check out Biaggio Ali Walsh's interview below:
Biaggio Ali Walsh wants to become an MMA champ like Israel Adesanya
A former collegiate football player, Biaggio Ali Walsh only started taking up MMA at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While he's relatively new to the sport, Ali Walsh has made it clear that his goal is to become a champion in one of the top organizations.
"But with the sport, I don't care where I go," Ali Walsh stated. "I wanna go somewhere. I wanna make a name for myself, become a champion somewhere. I don't care whether it's in Bellator, UFC, PFL, LFA, ONE. It doesn't matter to me. I just wanna go somewhere."
Being a grandson of the iconic Muhammad Ali comes with its own pressures. Ali Walsh acknowledged that expectations of being related to 'The People's Champion' is something that he and his brother have always had to deal with.
Nonetheless, the Chicago-native, who currently trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, said he always strives to honor the tradition of greatness set by his grandfather for the family. He will get the opportunity to do just that when he goes face-to-face against fellow upstart Devin Rothwell.