Abdul Azim Badakhshi
Afghan-Indian mixed martial artist (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abdul Azim Badakhshi (born 20 August 1995) is an Afghan-Indian former Professional Kickboxer and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) athlete.[1]
Mashhad, Afghanistan
| Abdul Azim Badakhshi | |
|---|---|
Badakhshi at Matrix fight Night in 2024 | |
| Born | 20 August 1995 Mashhad, Afghanistan |
| Native name | عبدالعظیم بدخشی |
| Nickname | The Afghan Lion, The Knockout Man of Afghanistan |
| Nationality | Afghan-Indian |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) |
| Division | Lightweight (2013–2018) Welterweight (2018–now) |
| Style | Combat Sambo |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Mumbai, India |
| Team | MMA Matrix Gym |
| Trainer | Nangialai Nikzad |
| Years active | 2008–now |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 11 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Early life and background
Abdul Azim Badakhshi was born on August 20, 1995 in the village of Mashhad in the Kishim District of the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan into an ethnic Tajik family. He has a brother, Abdul Karim Badakhshi who is also an MMA fighter. From a young age, Badakhshi participated in sports, starting with kickboxing. Over the years, through consistent performance, he became recognized as one of Afghanistan's top athletes.[2][3]
Career
Badakhshi initially started with boxing and soon transitioned to Wushu, where he began participating in professional competitions. His performance in Wushu competitions led to his inclusion in the Afghanistan national team. As a national team member, he represented Afghanistan in several international competitions.[4]
In 2013, after numerous professional boxing and wushu matches, Badakhshi transitioned to mixed martial arts (MMA). Competing in the 76 kg weight class and standing at 180 cm tall, he achieved significant success in various competitions.[5]
With a professional record of 14 wins and 4 losses, he has competed in various global organizations, including Super Fight League (SFL), AFC - Afghanistan Fighting Championship 3, SFL 2017: Semifinals - Ultimate Showdown: Delhi Heroes vs. Goa Pirates, and ACB 86 in Moscow. Through these platforms, he has continually proven his prowess in MMA.[6][7]
Controversy
In 2023, Badakhshi was set to compete on May 27 at Road to UFC in at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai.[8] He was unable to attend because he was incarcerated after fracturing his jaw fellow fighter Srikant Sekhar after in a brawl inside the cage at Matrix Fight Night 9 in New Delhi.[9][10] Badakshi was accused by Sekhar of sucker punching him and fracturing his jaw. Badakhshi was imprisoned for one year in Indian Tihar jail.[11][12] He claims the Indian was insulting the Afghan fans.[13] In response to the incident, MFN issued a statement banning all Afghan fighters from competing in the promotion.[14]
Personal life
Badakhshi is a devout Muslim. In a 2023 television interview, Abdul Azim Badakhshi confirmed that he is engaged to Krishna Shroff, the daughter of Jackie Shroff and sister of Tiger Shroff, one of the actors in Indian cinema.[15] He is also involved in human rights activities.[16][17]
Mixed martial arts record
| 20 matches | 15 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 11 | 2 |
| By submission | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 3 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 15–5 | Artem Buloychik | Submission (anaconda choke) | Indian Fight League: Hyderabad vs. North East | 8 August 2026 | 1 | 0:19 | Hyderabad, India | Return to Lightweight. |
| Loss | 14–5 | Nadyr Aliev | Decision (unanimous) | Matrix Fight Night 17 | 2 August 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Greater Noida, India | Catchweight (150 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 14–4 | Sanjeet Budhwar | KO (punch) | Matrix Fight Night 14 | 9 March 2024 | 2 | 3:18 | Noida, India | For the vacant MFN Featherweight Championship. Budhwar missed weight (149.3 lb) and was stripped of the title. Only Badakhshi was eligible to win the title. |
| Win | 14–3 | Park Hae-jin | KO (elbow) | Matrix Fight Night 13 | 28 October 2023 | 1 | 0:18 | Noida, India | |
| Win | 13–3 | Fabricio Oliveira | Decision (unanimous) | Matrix Fight Night 8 | 1 April 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | New Delhi, India | |
| Win | 12–3 | Marcelo Guarilha | KO (slam and punches) | Matrix Fight Night 7 | 10 December 2021 | 2 | 3:25 | Hyderabad, India | |
| Win | 11–3 | Agshin Babaev | TKO (punches) | Brave CF 47 | 11 March 2021 | 1 | 4:23 | Arad, Bahrain | Return to Featherweight. |
| Loss | 10–3 | Akhmed Magomedov | Decision (unanimous) | Brave CF 45 | 19 November 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Riffa, Bahrain | Catchweight (170 lb) bout. |
| Win | 10–2 | Bakhtiyar Arzimanov | TKO (punches) | Snow Leopard FC: Fight Night Afghanistan 9 | 18 October 2019 | 2 | 0:50 | Kabul, Afghanistan | |
| Win | 9–2 | Mukhammad Sangov | TKO (punches) | Truly Grand FC 3 | 19 October 2018 | 1 | 4:56 | Kabul, Afghanistan | |
| Loss | 8–2 | Denis Kanakov | KO (punches) | ACB 86 | 5 May 2018 | 1 | 4:04 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 8–1 | Sascha Sharma | KO (knee) | Super Fight League 2018 Semi-Finals: Bengaluru Tigers vs. Delhi Heroes | 10 March 2018 | 3 | 0:07 | Mumbai, India | |
| Win | 7–1 | Manas Daimary | KO (punches) | Super Fight League 2018: Gujarat Warriors vs. Delhi Heroes | 3 March 2018 | 1 | 0:25 | Mumbai, India | |
| Win | 6–1 | Ognjen Salatic | TKO (knee to the body and punches) | Super Fight League 2018: Delhi Heroes vs. Tamil Veerans | 23 Feb 2018 | 1 | 2:57 | Mumbai, India | |
| Win | 5–1 | David Moon | TKO (punches) | Super Fight League 2018: Delhi Heroes vs. U.P. Nawabs | 11 Feb 2018 | 1 | N/A | Mumbai, India | |
| Win | 4–1 | Mukesh Gora | TKO (punches) | Super Fight League 2017 Semi-Finals: Delhi Heroes vs. Goa Pirates | 18 February 2017 | 1 | 2:56 | Delhi, India | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 3–1 | Sajjad Mohammadi | TKO (punches) | Afghanistan FC 6 | 24 November 2016 | 2 | 2:20 | Kabul, Afghanistan | |
| Win | 2–1 | Mohammad Fazil Dler | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Afghanistan FC 5 | 1 October 2015 | 1 | 4:32 | Kabul, Afghanistan | |
| Win | 1–1 | Ismail Haidari | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Afghanistan FC 3 | 5 March 2015 | 1 | 3:07 | Kabul, Afghanistan | Featherweight debut. Won the inaugural AFG Featherweight Championship. |
| Loss | 0–1 | Narender Grewal | Decision (unanimous) | Super Fight League 19 | 7 June 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | New Delhi, India | Bantamweight debut. |