Sean Strickland trained alongside Biaggio Ali Walsh for nearly four years before discovering the identity of his renowned grandfather.
Strickland, a former UFC champion known for his outspoken nature, is a prominent figure at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas. This is where Ali Walsh developed his skills, progressing from amateur to professional fighter. Ali Walsh, now 26, competes in PFL and is scheduled to fight again in Chicago on June 27.
Many are aware that Biaggio and his brother Nico Ali Walsh are the grandsons of the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali. Surprisingly, Strickland remained unaware of this connection until recently, when he inquired about his teammate`s family background.
Strickland Took Years to Discover Ali Walsh`s Famous Kinship
Having trained together for years, Sean Strickland and Biaggio Ali Walsh have forged a friendship in Las Vegas. Despite this, their bond apparently wasn`t close enough for Strickland to notice Ali Walsh`s distinctive surname or question why he was featured on ESPN as an amateur.
“Sean talks a lot of trash,” Ali Walsh recounted in an exclusive interview. “In fact, we were literally done sparring yesterday [Tuesday] and he came up to me and he`s like `you`re Muhammad Ali`s grandson?`”
“I said, `Sean, you didn`t know that? Doesn`t the boxing make sense?`” Ali Walsh continued. “He started smiling and thought it was really cool… I`m in the PFL and I`m an amateur, that doesn`t really happen, right? I thought it was kind of funny. Xtreme Couture has got a lot of cool guys.”
Biaggio Ali Walsh Developing His Fighting Prowess in PFL
After participating in only two amateur bouts, Biaggio Ali Walsh was signed by the PFL in 2022. This opportunity allowed him to compete on a major platform while continuing his training. He completed five amateur fights before transitioning to the professional ranks last year.
Ali Walsh currently holds a 2-0 professional record and is set to face Ronnie Gibbs upon his return to his native Chicago on June 27. He commented on his performance under pressure: “I always felt like I was the best under pressure. That pressure is where I think I`m forced to be the best version of myself.
“That`s how I deal with it, but it`s going to get worse,” he admitted. “My third amateur fight was at Madison Square Garden as the curtain raiser for the world tournament for PFL. I can`t even tell you how scared I was for that.”
“I didn`t expect that; my third amateur fight being on this kind of stage,” Ali Walsh added. “I give a lot of credit to God first of course and also the experience I had with football growing up playing for Bishop Gorman here in Vegas with the lights and cameras.”
