Mehmosh Raza‘s calling to mixed martial arts was powered by intrigue and a deep survival instinct. As a youth growing up in Pakistan, Raza’s first contact with professional fighting came via his cousin, who introduced him to the world of MMA with an epic fight between legends Wanderlei Silva and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
“Organized MMA was non-existent in Pakistan when I was a teenager. My cousin – staying in Canada – was exposed to it, and he then showed me videos of Wanderlei Silva, who instantly became my favorite fighter,” says Raza (10-5), who will compete at BRAVE CF 72 in an exciting featherweight bout against France’s Yanis Ghemmouri (11-1) in Riffa, Bahrain, on June 23.
“I became obsessed with watching fighting even though I didn’t train.” Not long after, Raza and his family left Pakistan and moved between England and Northern Ireland. While growing up there, Raza was the victim of racism and bullying – a reality that he quickly had to meet face-to-face and overcome.
“I was bullied from a young age, especially growing up in Northern Ireland. I faced a lot of bullying and racism there, being the only Asian kid on the block. It became so bad that I began defending myself every day. At one point, whenever people had looked for me, my sister would say: ‘Mehmosh is probably fighting someone again.’
“When my family moved back to Pakistan, I was further bullied for being too Westernized, spending so much time in England and Ireland. I realized that I am used to this, but never did I ever want to bully people because I am aware of how it feels. I always wanted to be nice, unless you treated me ugly,” added Raza.
Fast-forward to 2013, an 18-year-old Raza got wind of an unsanctioned fighting tournament on the rooftop of a combat sports gym in Islamabad, Pakistan.
“I found out about this unsanctioned fighting event in my area and was intrigued by it. I’ve been watching fighting non-stop since I was first introduced to it by my cousin, but I never realized that this fighting existed so close to home,” said Raza, who had faced enough bullies to feel confident enough to step into a cage with a trained fighter. “I eventually found the group responsible for putting on this event, so I messaged the Facebook Page stating that I’d like to fight even though I had not trained before. I will never forget the show’s name: ‘The Beat Down.’ The organizers implored me to come and gave me a specific date before asking for my weight and height. I thought I was ready, so I skipped mathematics tuition and took a taxi with my friend en route to beat someone up, but little did I know. I stepped into the fight and tried copying Wanderlei Silva’s unique style because that is all I could emulate. I eventually got beat up by this guy. I will never forget how alive I felt engaged in that fight. Everything felt so real. I started my official mixed martial arts training the very next day.”
From that point on, Raza flourished in MMA. The BRAVE CF featherweight has traveled the world training in China and Thailand. His base, however, remains in London after relocating back to the U.K. at the age of 19 years old. Fighting out of GB Top Team, Raza has forged a lethal reputation for himself, competing in more than nine promotions worldwide.
Raza is a pioneer of Pakistani MMA and had the privilege of debuting for BRAVE CF in the promotion’s first-ever trip to his homeland when BRAVE CF 17 took place in Lahore in 2018. There, he also secured the quickest BRAVE CF submission – at the time – when he locked in a guillotine choke over the Philippines’ Arben Escayo within 23 seconds of the first round – a moment he will forever cherish.
“I am truly so grateful to BRAVE Combat Federation for allowing me to fight in my homeland and be part of the first-ever trip to Pakistan. It will forever remain a big highlight for me, a great memory. I have always had to fight abroad in somebody’s home. I always stepped into the cage as the underdog when fighting guys in their backyard, yet I still managed to beat them,” adds Raza, who has competed in Bahrain, the Philippines, and Kazakhstan under the BRAVE CF banner.
“I was away from Pakistan for a long time, fighting on the road. When I finally made my debut there, I was not even sure if anybody really knew me, I was shocked by the love and support. I will always be indebted to BRAVE CF. I really hope we can do that again. There’s even more hype around MMA in Pakistan at the moment. I aim to recreate that magical BRAVE CF 17 moment on this upcoming June card when I face Yannis,” says Raza, who has become a staple of the BRAVE CF featherweight division, now looking to chase 145-pound gold with a win over one of France’s fastest-rising stars in Ghemmouri.
