Muhammad Ali 'Would have loved MMA' says grandson

Ahead of his PFL debut on Friday, Biaggio Ali Walsh has claimed that his grandfather, Muhammad Ali, would have been a big fan of MMA.

Ali Walsh, who competes on Friday night's PFL show in Atlanta, currently holds an amateur record of 4-1 in the sport.

However, when speaking to the BBC this week, the Nevada-based fighter has aspirations of creating a legacy similar to that of his infamous grandfather, "Every fighter wants to create their own name and legacy. I'm no different to any other fighter, I just have a famous grandfather but I'm trying to do the same thing".

Ali Walsh comes from a family steeped in sporting prowess. As well as his legendary grandfather, Biaggio's brother, and Blockasset athlete, Nico is a professional boxer. His aunt Laila Ali was also a world champion boxer in two weight classes.

Despite starting out as a promising American Football player, Biaggio felt destined to compete in combat sports, and he feels his granddad would have been a huge fan of MMA, "[Muhammad Ali] did do a cross martial arts fight [against Antonio Inoki] in the '70s, and just the idea of doing that back then, it was a brand new idea. I think he would like MMA".

Ali Walsh then referenced Conor McGregor's showmanship, which he feels would have particularly appealed to his charismatic grandfather, "when Conor McGregor was at his peak at featherweight and everyone loved him. He had the great trash talk, he won two belts. I think my grandfather would have really loved the sport at that time."

Biaggio Ali-Walsh takes on compatriot Travell Miller at lightweight in Atlanta, Georgia this Friday.

Muhammad Ali's life and career has been immortalised by world-renowned artist Dosbrak in the Blockasset Legends digital collectibles series. You can purchase your athlete-verified Muhammad Ali NFT here.