No one imagined his return to the octagon. Even less the medical profession. “Doctors do not understand my level of fitness when I am supposed to be short of breath after climbing three floors,” says Tahar Hadbi. At almost 33 years old on August 18, the latter resumed the thread of his career in MMA and disputed, three days before his birthday, this Saturday evening, his 24th professional fight (14 wins, 7 losses and 2 no contests, without decision) at Stockholm, Sweden. Sixteen months after being close to death.
Monday April 1, 2019. The native of Algiers finishes his training at Obyfight, club in Vitry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne) where he is still licensed. “I had respiratory burns like heartburn. I got home, around 2 pm, and the more the day went by… I threw up several times, I was sweating a lot, I sometimes saw blurry. I called my attending physician who gave me an electrocardiogram as soon as I arrived at his office. Something was not clear. He contacted my cardiologist, who follows me for my career, sent him a photo of the exam. We had to call Samu right away and give me an aspirin because I was going into cardiac arrest. I’m not telling you what state I was in, ”says Tahar.
Direction Henri-Mondor hospital in Créteil, where the person concerned is immediately taken care of, immediately goes to the operating room for a heart attack. A coronary angiogram dissolves the clot that had blocked an artery. “I spent three days in critical condition because my heart was racing at the slightest movement, then ten days in intensive care before leaving for a month in rehabilitation at Chenevier hospital, still in Créteil, details the father of two young children. I returned to the sport very gradually, being very controlled. Once I removed the apprehension in my head, I increased the pace in training. Until being on the poster for the Swedish meeting on August 15, under the aegis of Brave Combat Federation, an organization owned by Sheikh Khaled bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Prince of Bahrain. “Before my physical problems, I was already linked to her, I was part of the Top 3 in my category (77 kg). I renewed my contract for one year and three fights. My cardiologist authorized me to resume competition. All the medical documents were also provided to the Brave which requires a battery of tests before validating our commitments, ”he explains.
“Fast Hands”, his nickname for his speed with his hands, is therefore back. At the same time, he held the post of administrative agent in charge of accounting at the Consulate General of Algeria, in Paris (XI). “I could live from MMA, earn more of the minimum wage per month by adding the bonuses of three fights per year”, confides this Ile-de-France who embarked on the discipline in 2009. But in tribute to his father Rachid, a deceased senior Algerian official in 2014, the former insurance manager wanted to lead this double life.
His goal remains sporting, however, with the desire to join the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the benchmark in MMA. For this, Tahar, already linked to the Rumblecom agency, in partnership with Fight Sport Management, which manages its image, signed a three-year contract with MTK Global. One of the most important management companies deals in particular with boxers such as the American Tyson Fury, WBC heavyweight world champion, or the French Nordine Oubaali, WBC roosters world champion. “It’s up to me to do what is necessary now, to win battles again”, concludes the one who has come back from so far.
