Bashir Ahmed is a name not many Pakistanis are familiar with, yet they probably should be. What began as an experiment for this Pakistani- American, soon laid down the foundations for an entire sport in the country.
It all started from a dream, that even Bashir was unsure would bear fruit. Hailing from an affluent family, Bashir migrated to America when he was only three years old, but reminisces how he always had a strong bond with his Pakistani roots. After training for jiu-jitsu in the States, he fell in love with mixed martial arts.
“My family always knew I was the odd one out. At the age of 11, I decided to leave the comfort of my own bedroom to move down in the basement with just a mattress. I lived there in the basement for several months, and that was Bashir for my family,” he tells me.
After graduating from George Mason University in Political Science, Bashir took a year off and left for Thailand to train in Muay Thai. He recalls how the trainings were rigorous and eight people lived in one small room. “We used to train twice a day, three hour sessions each. I used to run 9 km during the training sessions and then practice as well,” Bashir recalls.
After his training at Thailand, Bashir said the thought of opening up an MMA facility in Pakistan lingered in his mind, and he told his parents that he would be going there for a few months to see how things pan out. “I had some savings,” he tells Pique candidly, “They weren’t a lot; I had saved up the money doing several odd jobs in the States, but it was enough for me to pursue my passion.”
He came to Pakistan in 2009 and began his training sessions from his small apartment that he shared with his grandmother’s driver. “I just had a few mattresses in the apartment, and that doubled as our gym and training area,” he explains.
Bashir Ahmed is now the founder and owner of Club Synergy where he trains a cadre of young people from diverse backgrounds.
“I wanted to give something back to the youth of Pakistan. I believe that private citizens can contribute to real change if they are willing to go the extra mile. The best thing about my training facility is the diverse background of its members. From Nadeem, who is a carpenter and works at Peco road Lahore, to Mehmood Rehman who is a musician and husband of renowned vocalist Meesha Shafi’s husband. Everyone has the same opportunity,” he exclaims.
Nadeem, a carpenter who works in a factory located at Peco road Lahore, told me that he loved martial arts ever since he was a child. “I belong to Shamkor village, in Kasur district. Despite my work, I used to train regularly in my village, and when I was coming to Lahore someone informed me of Bashir Ahmed and his training facility here. Now I train every day at the Synergy club,” Nadeem said.
Another student from a leading institution of Lahore, explained his reasons for joining the club. “All I and my friends would do was to pick fights at college. After I found out about this club, I decided to join, and channelize all that energy in a positive way.”
When asked how people like Nadeem, who is a small time carpenter, manage to pay for the training, Bashir said, he didn’t charge those who couldn’t pay. “A few hundred rupees don’t matter to me. If I’m making a real difference in someone’s life, that’s what matters.”
What Bashir does is unique, especially in a place like Pakistan where sporting infrastructure is lacking and heavily bureaucratized institutions pay little attention to the needs of sportsmen.
At the end of 2011, Bashir got his ONE FC fighting contract. ONE FC is Asia’s largest fighting championship that features the best Asian fighters from 28 countries. On April 5th, he defeated Shannon Wiratchai, 24-year-old Thai fighter after a unanimous decision in his favour.
Wiratchai, started the match aggressively, taking Bashir down and throwing elbows, one of which opened a deep cut on Bashir’s forehead which began to bleed profusely. Despite the early setback, Bashir made a strong comeback to win the match for Pakistan. Yet, few people know about his victory in Singapore.
He admits that professional fighting hardly makes him enough money, and he has to rely on his gym and training facility to make ends meet. Given the deeply ingrained biases of Pakistanis to hand over their daughter to a sportsman, I asked how easy it was to settle down and get married in Pakistan.
“Well, my in-laws did have some qualms about what I did initially, but they’ve accepted it now. As for my wife, she has been very supportive throughout, but there are times, when I come back from a match in bad shape and she tries to talk me into giving up fighting. But all bruises heal, and once I start getting better, she also accepts the fact that I’m a fighter and will always be one,” Bashir says.
When asked why he prefers this life over a possible life of luxury in the United States, Bashir says that he was never really attracted to luxury, and always wanted to give back to the youth of Pakistan.
“MMA is doing rather well in the country and has in the last few years gained some much needed momentum. While it would be still early to comment on whether the sport has found mainstream recognition, it would be safe to say that it has now become a sub-culture in urban centres of the country,” he states.
“At the moment, there are two leagues operating in Pakistan, one is the Pakistan fight club and the other, being Vehshi Champions league,” he explained, adding, “There is a genuine interest of foreign fighters to come fight in Pakistan and we would soon be seeing this become a reality. I would say, somewhere in the next six months we can expect some foreign fighters to visit Pakistan for exhibition matches.”
Bashir Ahmed has however, not sought the support of the government in helping him expand the sport in Pakistan. “I avoid government support for the simple reason that there are scary people who are not interested in making things better in the sporting arena, but rather push their own vested interests forward,” he explains.
When asked if hypothetically speaking, Bashir is provided the funds to launch the sport in Pakistan on a grand scale what his priorities would be, he was quick to explain that he would like to build the necessary infrastructure initially.
“I have some very talented young fighters, with a lot of potential. If I receive funds, I would not be selective in sponsoring a few fighters and sending them abroad for training since that would result in raising the bar for a select few who would have little competition when they come back to Pakistan,” he said.
“Instead, I would like to utilize the funds to raise the bar of all my fighters gradually, by bringing in foreign coaches to build their necessary skills. This way I would be collectively raising the bar of all the fighters in the country. Most importantly, we need to build the right infrastructure and I would do so, with Lahore remaining the hub of the sport,” he adds.
No-one from the Ultimate Fighting Championship has contacted him to date, but he admits that he won’t be surprised if they do so. The UFC has its eyes set on Asia, and many sports analysts agree that they would be taking strides in promoting the sport in the region.
UFC president Dana White has also said they would soon be hosting a show in India. With India in sight, Pakistan could be next in line to receive endorsement from UFC. If that materializes, the country will have Bashir to thank.
“Pakistan is a country with a lot of potential. You need to tap the potential of the youngsters and build the right infrastructure to encourage them to pursue sports in the country. The case of Lyari is one, which due to the interest of individuals and authorities has yielded some brilliant boxers. Our youth need an outlet for their frustrations. Sports is the best way, they can channel their energy in a positive manner. I have set the foundation of MMA in Pakistan, and I know that my students will be raising the bar in the years to come,” Bashir Ahmed says.
“One must learn from the lives of inspirational people and my inspiration is Mohammad Ali. Ali, was not merely a sportsman, but a social phenomenon who used the sport to send a positive message throughout the world. His fights were not merely fights, but statements in themselves,” Bashir says.
Bashir says he will continue to represent Pakistan in the international arena and hopes to take his record further by getting ‘some spectacular wins’. He attributes the success of MMA in Pakistan to his team who have worked tirelessly to take the sport forward.
“What we have achieved in a short span is a miracle and we hope to take it forward,” Bashir said with a smile, as he stepped out of his humble office to train a young cadre of fighters ready to take on the task of representing Pakistan internationally and making us all very proud.
The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad.
