A day with “No Pain”
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan got to spend the day with Pakistani MMA fighter Shah “No Pain” Hussain in his hometown of Slough outside of London fifteen minutes from Heathrow airport. Over a traditional English meal Shah told Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan how he became a fighter, his future goals and hopes for MMA in Pakistan. Later on Pak-MMA got a chance to check out Shah’s training camp under UFC veteran David Lee.
Shah Hussain is doing what many of us are afraid to do. I am not talking about getting into a cage against an equally dangerous opponent and facing off, although that is definitely part of the equation. What I mean is that Shah is not afraid to follow his dreams and do what needs to be done in order to get where he wants to be. And where he wants to be is at the top of food chain, first in the UK, then in Europe and then when the time is right be ranked among the worlds best fighters.
Shah didn’t take the road most fighters do on their way to the top by fighting at an amateur level first. He went straight into the deep end going pro for his very first fight. After weeks of preparation he arrived at the venue to find out that his opponent had backed out. Shah was shattered, he could deal with the frustration of having had to put all those hours of training at the gym for nothing but he couldn’t get over the thought that all the people who had to come to him for support, his friends and his family would have to drive home disappointed. At the last moment however, someone elses opponent ALSO dropped out but this person was one weight class higher than Shah and it was not his first fight. Seeing the opportunity to give back to all those who supported him, Shah took the fight, lost a war but found out that pursuing a career as a Mixed Martial Arts competitor was what he wanted to do.
It was at that moment that the priorities in Shah’s life changed. He was always fascinated with combat sports such as boxing and martial arts but to live the dream was another story. However, when starting out a career as a professional athlete, one realizes that training like the pros takes time and money. And so Shah trains as a professional Mixed Martial Artist while at the same time running a successful personal protection business (aka Bodyguard). He has protected individuals ranging from the latest Bollywood stars to American singers like Mariah Carey. He trains out of team Cross Face under UFC fighter David Lee. David Lee debuted in the UFC against light weight contender Tyson Griffin and is one of the top fighters in the UK today.
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan got a chance to check out one of David Lee’s training sessions and they are a non stop barrage of strikes, take downs and sprawls. There is no rest as fighters take turns churning out a grueling pace for over 30 straight minutes. Despite the cold, the training room felt like a sauna. Needless to say, conditioning does not seem like it will ever be one of the weak points in Shah’s game. Shah trains daily, taking care to fine tune both his technical skills as well as his physical tools.
Shah hopes that Mixed Martial Arts in Pakistan will take off as he echoing many other Pakistani’s state that Pakistan has the raw talent for MMA. Mixed Martial Arts the sport just needs more exposure and believes that the Fite Selektor reality show will prove to be very beneficial in this regard.
After getting a chance to spend the whole day with Shah Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan came away feeling like the sport of MMA was going to catch on among Pakistanis youths both living within Pakistan and those who are located overseas. It will be fighters like Shah “No Pain” Hussain who are going to be paving the way for future champions.
Be on the look out for more updates on Shah “No Pain” Hussain coming soon!