Growing up as Muhammad Ali’s grandson was a mixed blessing for up-and-coming mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Biaggio Ali Walsh.

Walsh, now 25, has many fond memories of his grandfather, the legendary boxer known as “the Greatest”, even though Ali was suffering from Parkinson’s disease when Walsh was a child.

He recalls Thanksgivings watching John Wayne or Clint Eastwood westerns, Ali doing magic tricks, drawing together, and reading books – usually about Ali, like on his legendary Rumble in the Jungle fight with George Foreman in 1974.

But while Walsh loved boxing and would hit the mitts and the bag at an uncle’s gym, and his brother Nico has become a professional boxer, he was never interested in seriously pursuing combat sports – he played American Football instead. And his grandfather never encouraged him to fight.

Nevertheless, being Ali’s grandson meant he got dragged into street brawls by people eager for bragging rights. He was even forced to box by a high-school senior at a friend’s house party when he was a 14-year-old freshman.

“We ended up boxing and I beat the p*** out of him,” Walsh told Al Jazeera with a laugh.

It was only years later, angry and depressed at the age of 22, that Walsh got into MMA and quickly excelled. He signed with the Professional Fighters League promotion in September 2022.

It’s been a steep learning curve for Walsh, predominantly a striker whose record stands at 5-1-0 and is now in training for a lightweight fight next month against Joel Lopez (3-0-0) on the undercard of the 2023 PFL World Championship in Washington, DC.

If Walsh wins, it could hasten his journey to becoming fully professional and fulfilling his dreams, which he says are not about belts but something more spiritual and altruistic.

“Getting into the sport, it’s changed my entire life; mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually,” he said, speaking to Al Jazeera online from Las Vegas, where he’s based.

“I’ve gotten closer to God because of the sport.”

Read the rest of the article published by Al Jazeera English here.