Muhammad Ali’s grandson signs major MMA contract

Legendary heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes to grace professional sports, and now his grandson wants to begin his combat sports career with a different path than his grandfather.

Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of Ali signed an amateur contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) on Wednesday to begin his MMA career.

The promotion released a video of Ali-Walsh training at his home gym of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas to announce his contract signing.

OFFICIAL: @BiaggioAli1234, Muhammad Ali's grandson, Signs Contract with the Professional Fighters League! pic.twitter.com/UUQB6EpXO1

— PFL (@PFLMMA) September 14, 2022

He released a statement to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, saying that this choice to continue the family legacy of combat sports was made in large part due to his grandfather’s lasting impact on him as a child.

“I want to thank Professional Fighters League for their support and confidence in me,” Ali Walsh told ESPN. “I have a legacy to live up to, a legacy that my grandfather began, that my brother and I continue. 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.

“My grandfather had a huge impact on my entire life,” Ali Walsh added. “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.”

Walsh formerly played football at the University of California, but ultimately decided to transition to an MMA career in 2020 after transferring to UNLV.

To this point, he has a 1-1 amateur record in MMA, but according to a release from the PFL, he is expected to make his professional debut at some point in 2023 with the PFL promotion.

[ESPN]