Agy Sardari, MMA-kampioen uit Tilburg.Agy Sardari.Volgende
1/2 Agy Sardari, MMA-kampioen uit Tilburg.
“If you come from Tilburg North, many people expect you not to go far.” Two-time Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world champion Agy Sardari proves that you can achieve a lot and thanks the people around him. The 30-year-old martial artist hopes to be an example for the youth in the neighborhood. “I am a refugee and come from a problem neighborhood, but I have always fought for my dream. If you put your mind to something, anything is possible.”
Agy is a son of Iranian parents who came to the Netherlands about 25 years ago as political refugees. In his younger years he enjoyed playing sports. “I’ve done everything from badminton to tennis and from dancing to swimming. When I did karate, I felt that I could get the best out of myself there. Later I switched to MMA, very versatile, powerful and explosive.”
“I don’t necessarily like fighting.”
With MMA picked up ‘The Wolverine’ two world titles in the international organization Cage Warriors. And that for someone who actually doesn’t like dealing hard blows. “I don’t necessarily like fighting and I don’t enjoy knocking or kicking someone out. The challenge is to come up with a plan for each match and implement it. I have never been the fastest, biggest or strongest, but I am world champion.”
Collecting is no problem. “I’m not scared of a punch or a low kick. Martial arts are as normal to me as driving a car. Of course I sometimes have anxiety before a competition. Anyone who says it isn’t is lying. Once the cage closes, there is no room for emotion anymore and I am working on my plan.”
“Year in and year out it was survival.”
As a professional he won seventeen matches compared to four defeats. Reaching the top was not an easy path. “For example, at higher professional education I did not get top sports status. You have to make choices, ultimately I had to quit my studies.
You also have to make concessions in the social field. From the ages of 18 to 28 I lived on the minimum. Year in and year out it was survival. Always thinking that I would make it to the top. All those sacrifices were worth it.”
In the short term, the Tilburger hopes to make a financial hit. On May 4 he will start the MMA ‘Champions League’ in Frankfurt. “For 12,000 people, very cool. This tournament with 16 participants offers one million euros in prize money, of which 300,000 goes to the winner. If I win that, everything will change.”
“When I see that smiling face, I forget everything.”
The urge to enter the cage is as great as ever, but he has become a different person lately. He has even taken up an old childhood love again: playing the piano. “As a top athlete you have to be selfish, but we recently became parents of a daughter. When I come home and I see that smiling face, I forget everything around me. The nights are shorter, but I still do the same, just with less sleep.”
Its expiration date is said to be in five years. “I want to push myself to see how far I can go. For the future, I think it would be great to do more for the youth. I now try to attend sporting events regularly. There will always be people who don’t believe in you. By mixing with youth or people who dream of ‘unfeasible’ sports careers, I hope that sports dreams come a little closer. I also help young people with questions via Instagram and give them new hope.”
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2024-04-17 10:00:51
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