Abdul Azim Badakhshi


Abdul Azim Badakhshi is an Afghan-Indian former Professional Kickboxer and professional mixed martial arts athlete.

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.

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.
In 2013, after numerous professional boxing and wushu matches, Badakhshi transitioned to mixed martial arts. Competing in the 76 kg weight class and standing at 180 cm tall, he achieved significant success in various competitions.
With a professional record of 14 wins and 4 losses, he has competed in various global organizations, including Super Fight League, 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.

Controversy

In 2023, Badakhshi was set to compete on May 27 at Road to UFC in at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai. 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. Badakshi was accused by Sekhar of sucker punching him and fracturing his jaw. Badakhshi was imprisoned for one year in Indian Tihar jail. He claims the Indian was insulting the Afghan fans. In response to the incident, MFN issued a statement banning all Afghan fighters from competing in the promotion.

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 most famous actors in Indian cinema. He is also involved in human rights activities.