Help Me Heal

My name is Mohamad, and I'm a pro MMA fighter from the ghettos of Ouzai, Lebanon.

From my youth, I already knew that I needed to make it out of the slums. If I stayed, my life would be defined by hard drugs, I would be recruited by the area's armed militia, and I would have died before I even knew what it meant to live.

Leaving Ouzai was life or death.

I had no education, no skills to work - so I used the only thing I knew how to do - the profession that life on the streets had taught me - fighting.

With unbreakable determination, I fought my way from dusty underground rings to formal tournaments, landing gold each time. The day I left Lebanon and landed in Dubai, I had nothing but a few dollars and a dream. I will fight professionally - I will make it to the highest ranks of MMA, I will be a UFC champion.

Achieving this dream became my only truth. I prepared my body physically by training endless hours, I trained my mind by reading, writing, and reaffirming my vision. In one year, I landed my first professional fight winning my opponent by KO in the first round. My second and third pro fight were won in the same way: KO first round. By the end of the year, I had amassed a pro record of 4-0 and started preparing for my next big fight. This is when my life changed.

After a grueling fight camp, and only one week away from the fight, I got hit in the ear which later became infected and resulted in a hard decision to pull out. I struggled mentally to stay on track and not let my disappointment sabotage my path, I was back few days later in the gym training like never before. Then after another 2 months of training, and a week away from my fight, I got Covid-19 and was forced to pull out again. After recovering, I decided to put everything I have left in me to pul myself together and be ready for the next scheduled fight. And this is when I received the worst news. After seeing a doctor for pain in my knee, an MRI revealed a torn ACL and bone contusion - no doubt the result of rigorous jiujitsu and wrestling sparring. The only way I can ever fight again is to do surgery on my knee.

I cannot afford the surgery, but it needs to be done or I will never step in the cage again.

This campaign is a call to help. Please support the dream of a boy went against the tide to choose success over failure - to choose life over death.

Donate whatever you can and my gratitude will be endless.