The return of Fightstar Championship will also be the return of one of the most dominant amateur Heavyweights the UK has to offer, in returning Fightzone London’s FSC Heavyweight champion Shah Kamali.
Making his 1st title defence against MMA Factory’s Erwan Bresson. A battle of 2 undefeated warriors will no doubt shake the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre to its very foundations on March 11th.
I took a trip down to Fightzone London to speak with Shah, as he edge’s closer to his 1st title defence, and his long awaited return to the Fightstar cage.
Shah Kamali (4-0-0) is a Bangladeshi amateur Mixed Martial Artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division, representing Fightzone London. Shah has competed for Contenders, Full Contact Contender and Fightstar Championship.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for inviting me here to speak with you today Shah, and also congratulate you on your upcoming title defence at Fightstar Championship 23.
“Thank you, I appreciate it a lot man. My 1st defence was meant to be back in November, now I get to defend it in March so I’m excited.”
That was such a shock when I heard it was cancelled right at the last minute.
“The last minute, I was in disbelief.”
I can only imagine, but I’m glad it’s been all rescheduled for you know man.
I can see training is going incredibly well in the build-up to your return to Crystal Palace?
“Yeah man, it’s been going good. I came back from a trip to Bangladesh about 3 weeks ago, and I’ve hit the road running man, straight into camp, focused, staying sharp and staying ready.”
I saw your posts of your trip, looks like you had great fun training them guys up hahaha.
“Hahahaha, it was good man. There’s good kids out there, they wanna train and they wanna learn, just trying to start something there you know.”
Bet it filled them with confidence being trained by a monster like you hahahaha.
“Hahahaha.”
Your rise through the amateur division is an inspiration to many up-and-coming practitioners, total deconstruction of any who are placed in your path. Not only being crowned the FSC Heavyweight champion on only your 3rd walk to the cage at FSC 22, but also capturing your 2nd strap on your 4th most recently at FCC 32.
When taking your 1st step into the violent yet exhilarating world of Mixed Martial Arts, did you ever expect to have skyrocketed as much as you have in such a small space of time?
“I always feel like the best is yet to come, I just put in the work and the results speak for themselves, that’s the main thing. I just make sure I’m in the gym because that’s the only thing that matters for me, staying in the gym and working hard.”
You’ve definitely made big improvements since I last caught you out there, the speed of your finish at FSC 32 with the uppercut and that left, blink and you would have missed it.
“Yeah, literally. When I hit that shot, all of a sudden I realised he was on the ground, it took me a sec to realise it. I’m definitely keeping that power coming into this one.”
What a display that was man.
A returning champion is always a joy to see for the crowd that witnessed the capture. Unfortunately put on hold back in November, your return to the capital has been in high anticipation.
Can the Fightstar and FCC fans come to expect more from you as we kick off the MMA 2023 calendar?
“Most definitely, I’m looking to be very active this year. The 1st one’s only gonna be 3 months into the year, I’ll be looking to fight again in the summer, may/June/July time. And try to get another 2 in by the end of the year, so I’m looking to be very active this year, hopefully I stay healthy and duplicate late year.”
4 bouts, not a single one going further than the 1st round, you’ve become an extremely hard person to match. Last we spoke, you expressed your desire to test your skills on the grandest stages for amateurs, the IMMAF‘s, a place where there is no shortage of warriors from all corners of the globe.
Is this still on your radar further on in your quest for glory?
“Yeah, it still is. I wasn’t able to make the trip to the world’s this year, as I was coming back from Bangladesh. The timing was a bit sketchy, I wouldn’t have had the time to prepare myself. But it is something I am interested in, I think there’s gonna be another tournament at the end of the summer. So if I can set up my own team for Bangladesh, I’d definitely look to take part.”
It would be great to see you on that big platform bro, I wish you all the best for that goal.
Looking forward, you are set to make your 1st title defence on March 11th against Erwan Bresson. A warrior, like yourself, is blessed with finding the finish within the 1st minute of the 1st.
What do you make of Erwan in the build-up to your scheduled collision?
“This guy is a tough opponent, I’ve seen him out there, I’ve seen his style, he’s a good fighter. He trains out a good team at MMA Factory so I’m expecting a tough opponent, a strong opponent. He’s really gonna bring the fight which is what I want you know, I wanna challenge myself always, I think it’s a good fight.”
Always great to see 2 undefeated warriors clash in the cage.
Raj Singh and his team have once again assembled some of the fiercest Warriors the UK has to offer to piece together a prolific card, and prove once again why they are one of the finest regional shows in the country.
Many fighters have been announced to be matched up, as well as a few confirmed bouts ao far. Are there any confirmed fighter’s or bouts that you’re looking forward to witnessing out there in the build-up to your inclusion?
“I always look forward to watching the Somali guys fight, Imran, Sabir, Mohidin, They’re all on the card too so it’s gonna be good. And of course the Main-Event, Nathan Rose vs Stefano Catacoli. Also Kash Kahn, his younger brother is also gonna be on the card too. I always enjoy watching these guts fight because they bring their people, their people support me and vice versa, ao I know the atmosphere is gonna be good for this one.”
I completely agree, the atmosphere at Fightstar is absolutely incredible, so grateful to have been a part of it.
It’s always a pleasure speaking with you Shah, I wish you all the best for the remainder of your preparations, and I look forward to witnessing you out there once again man.
“Thank you very much for coming down to speak with me about the fight, man. I’m excited, I can’t wait, this one’s gonna be good.”
The pleasure is all mine man.
Last but not least, do you have a message for the fans that will be in attendance and anybody you’d like to give a shout-out to?
“For the fans, it’s gonna be a good night, with some good fights and I hope I can make you all happy once more. Big shout-out to my coaches and teammates at Fightzone, and to everyone who has supported me and helped me leading up to this fight.”
Catch Shah and many more phenomenal warriors take centre stage at what’s shaping up to be an incredible fight card on March 11th at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London. Tickets will be made available from the fighters as well as via the Fightstar Championship website here. If you’re unable to catch the action, Fightstar Championship 23 is also available on PPV with Fight Ticket for only £12.99.
Fightstar Championship are proudly affiliated with the English Mixed Martial Arts Association (EMMAA) who’s prime goal is To develop and promote the education, training and safeguarding of young people, competitors and coaches in MMA.
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