The grandson of boxing icon Muhammad Ali will make his Professional Fighters League debut at the PFL World Championship at New York’s Madison Square Garden on November 26.
Biaggio Ali Walsh, 24, is a former American football running back at the University of California, with an amateur MMA record of 1-1.
He will fight lightweight Tom Graesser on the undercard to the headline acts which include double Olympic gold medallist Kayla Harrison and Australian light heavyweight Rob Wilkinson.
Watch the 2022 PFL World Championship featuring Rob Wilkinson and Kayla Harrison on November 26, streaming ad-free, live and exclusive on Stan Sport
“I have a legacy to live up to, a legacy that my grandfather began, that my brother (boxer Nico) and I continue,” Ali Walsh said.
“I chose to continue that legacy here in the Professional Fighters League. My one and only goal is to one day become a PFL world champion.”
Ali Walsh fell in love with combat sports in 2020 while using it as a training tool to keep in shape for football.
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“My grandfather had a huge impact on my entire life,” Ali Walsh told ESPN.
“As a little kid, I would go to restaurants and movies with him, everybody would stop what they were doing and start clapping. As I started to get older, I started to figure out who he is and what he did and the impact he had on the world. As far as who he is as a person, his confidence, mental toughness, man – it’s just always inspired me.”
The PFL will hand out six $1.54 million purses to the champions in each elite division.
Harrison claims dominant PFL victory
American superstar Harrison is attempting to become the first person to win three PFL titles when she meets Brazilian knockout artist Larissa Pacheco in the lightweight final.
Tasmanian Wilkinson will fight Russian Omari Akhmedov after punching his ticket to the final in August with a vicious first round knockout of Brazilian Delan Monte.
“He’s a decent striker, but I think I’m gonna have the range and I think I’m a lot better striker,” Wilkinson said.
“Once I start hitting him, he’ll be looking to grapple, which is fine by me.
“I’ve said it a few times, just because I’ve had three knockouts this season, people forget my base was grappling. I used to wrestle, jiu-jitsu, that was kind of how I was winning a lot of my fights early on. I’m happy wherever the fight goes. I’m happy for him to shoot, maybe I’ll take him down. It’s gonna be a good fight. I’m excited for it.”
Former UFC star Shane Burgos will also make his PFL debut against Marlon Moraes.
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