The tension reached palpable heights here at the Taj Palace on Thursday as Afghanistan's Abdul Azim Badakhshi came face-to-face against Brazil's Fabricio Oliveira at the Weigh-In Ceremony of Matrix Fight Night 8.
The two skilled MMA fighters are set to face off against each other at the MFN 8, which is sanctioned by the All India Mixed Martial Arts Association (AIMMAA), India's Largest and Oldest Governing body for Mixed Martial Arts in India, and Global Authority for Mixed Martial Arts Federations (GAMMAF).
Abdul Azim Badakhshi, who won MFN's first international bout at the MFN 7 against Brazil's Marcelo in Hyderabad in December, spoke at the pre-event press conference on the fight and said that he believes he will be able to come victorious.
"I have been working hard for the past three months. Throughout my camp, I have been going through tough phases. I have been training very hard. I have a feeling that I will be the champion in this fight, just like I have won all my fights. I trust my affairs to Allah, and hopefully, Allah will deliver me victory," Abdul Azim Badakhshi said.
Brazil's Fabricio also spoke about his opponent ahead of the big bout at MFN 8 and said, "I have studied a lot his game, I know that he is dangerous. But I have trained well for this fight and I am prepared to change everything in this fight.
"For me, this pressure is normal. I always train strongly and I always want to give my best. It does not matter even if this time it is a different opponent of great calibre, I am focused on my own training, and I am here to do what I do best," he added.
Meanwhile, Director of Operations, Alan Fernandes expressed his excitement about the upcoming fight night and said, "It's a fight all the time. It's the fighters' health conditions or the match-ups or the show itself, it's always a challenge. But we do what we have to do, and we do it the best. I am happy to be surrounded by a great team and great fighters who will show you what they can do the best tomorrow in the cage."
Krishna Shroff, co-owner of MFN, said, "I got fighters from some of the biggest promotions of the world, calling us and telling us that we are doing a good job. How our fighters are so phenomenal and they had no idea that fighters on this side of the world can do what they do. We are definitely on the right path I feel."
Ayesha Shroff, co-owner of MFN, further added, "I love the job I do. I love being surrounded by this incredible bunch of fighters. I watch everything all our fighters post on their social media. It is so incredible to see what all our fighters can do. It was very hard to put this together, but now at MFN 8, it was so worthwhile, because when I see the level of our fighters in India, it makes me so proud. All the challenges we faced were totally worth it."
MFN 8 will take place at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, Badminton Courts on April 1.
( With inputs from ANI )
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