Dreams get colours when they are realized with the live moments. Indeed, it is a proud moment for Bahrain for All, and the Kingdom of Bahrain as whole when His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa supported Mohammed Buhaza to realize the latter’s lifelong dream at the opening ceremony of Brave International Combat Week 2018.
Mohammed Buhaza’a has a life story that will be an inspiration for not only the Kingdom of Bahrain but for countries all around the world. His dream realization once again shows the kingdom’s determination to include all, despite colour, caste, gender and ability in their system.
Mohammed Buhaza’a is a 19-year old Bahraini boy with different abilities. Born with Down syndrome, his role model is His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, founder of the KHK brand including the Brave Combat Federation, and amateur MMA fighter. Mohammed, a hard-core MMA fan, always cherished the dream to train martial arts along side his hero.
Mohammed Buhaza’a journey to realise his dream during began at a summer camp. Organized by ConsultNivs/BHR4All in collaboration with Spartan Fitness in Saar hosted a Special Health and Wellness Summer Camp in July 2018 for a group of differently abled students. The owner of Spartan Bahrain, Mr. Faris Kooheji sponsored the camp with qualified instructors to train the students for five weeks in a fun and effective way while keeping them engaged throughout the sessions. Who knew that young Mohammed Buhaza’a was being guided towards his dream?
At the camp Mohammed Buhaza’a openly challenged his hero His Highness Shaikh Khalid to a fight. Active social media users in Bahrain brought this wish to the attention of His Highness. Without any hesitation, His Highness Shaikh Khalid accepted the challenge to make Mohammed’s dream a reality. In preparation for the exhibition fight, Mohammed Buhaza’a was invited to train at the KHK MMA gym to be ready to face his Hero at the inauguration ceremony of Brave International Combat Week 2018.
Buhaza’a trained for weeks with coaches who train fighters in promotions, including Brave Combat Federation, UFC, Bellator and ACB. Some days were harder than other, but Mohammed never gave up and his dream kept him going. Lightweight fighter and Head Coach of Bahrain National Team, Eldar Eldarov and trainer Alaa Issa Hamzah put Buhaza’a through a tough daily routine specifically for the combat.
“I have muscles now, because I train at KHK MMA gym” Mohammed Buhaza’a proudly said in one of the videos released by KHK Heroes.
In the meanwhile, as a true sportsman, HH Shaikh Khalid went through a gruesome weight cut before facing Mohammed Buhaza in order to follow the MMA rule. He dropped down to the weight of Mohammed at 70 kg as done in Mix Martial Arts.
“We are grateful to HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad AlKhalifa for giving the opportunity to showcase the talent of differently abled students in Bahrain. This is Mohammed’s dream and it’s phenomenal that it has even happened to face His Highness in a proper MMA fight. We’re grateful that Mohammed was able to train in His Highness’ personal gym. It’s something that we will never forget and I’m sure that it is something that Mohammed will remember for the rest of his life.
His Highness by doing this is showcasing the abilities of differently abled people in Bahrain. It’s a message to the world that they are able to do anything and can participate at any level. We look forward and hope for many initiatives like this.” KHK Heroes MD /BH4All founder, Nivedita Dadphale.
Mohammed’s dream finally came true on Sunday, 11th November 2018 at 7:30 pm during the launch of the Brave International Combat Week 2018 at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town.
Faris, Nivedita, Eldar, Alaa, Basma Buradha and Mohammed’s friends walked Mohammed Buhaza to his all-time superhero and role model HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad AlKhalifa.
HH Shaikh Khalid and Mohammed Buhaz’a met in the Brave cage for a friendly sparring bout. The event was attended by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, IMMAF President, Kerrith Brown, Jose “Shorty” Torres and the athletes competing in the IMMAF World Championships 2018.
As HH Shaikh Khalid gracefully tapped out to declare Buhaza’a as the winner, the audience was left in tears by the show of sportsmanship from both fighters. The joy of Buhaz’a having his arm raised for the first time in his MMA career and embraced by his hero in front of a cheering crowd in a heart-melting moment was beyond words of description.
Mohammed’s dream realization sent out the message of inclusivity and inspiring global compassion from the Kingdom. His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa launched the global initiative, KHK Heroes by bringing forward Mohammed Buhaza’a to the prime focus of attention of the inauguration ceremony.
“Today was a day that I will never forget, and I loved the day so much just because I saw the happiness in Mohammed’s face in his fight against me and he had a great win!” HH Shaikh Khalid wrote on his instagram page after the event.
KHK Heroes, aims to strengthen the social commitment of KHK MMA and Brave by empowering the initiatives to support those with disabilities and opening new avenues of opportunities for individuals. KHK Heroes received overwhelming support from the athletic community with many athletes, including Brave CF World Champions and fighters, including Jarrah Al Selawe, Hamza Kooheji, Abdul Kareem Al Selwady, Jose Shorty Torres, Stephen Loman, Jeremy Pacatiw, Velimurad Alkhasov, Lucas Mineiro, Luan Santiago and Benjamin Bennett. KHK Heroes sends out a message to society to create awareness and a much-required change in perspective when it comes to inclusivity of people with special needs.
“KHK Heroes is an initiative that speaks for itself. Social commitment and compassion are the ultimate mark of success of any project. With KHK Heroes, Kingdom of Bahrain aims to transform lives of youth and those underprivileged in the society who strived for so long. The initiative by His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa will bring individuals to the forefront of the society and will motivate them to achieve more,” said Mohammed Shahid, President of Brave Combat Federation.
The dream realization of Mohammed Buhaza’a will be marked in the athletic history of the Kingdom and will remain as the testimony for the great leadership of HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Alkhalifa, and for visionary initiatives like Bahrain for All and KHK Heroes.