Written by Pari Aryafar for the United States Muaythai Federation
On October 2, the first Freedom Fighter Promotions show will be held in Hockessin, Delaware. The promotion brings together athletes from across the United States, including New York, Virginia, California, Texas, and many more, to compete under USMF-sanctioned rules. Several USMF athletes are featured on the card, including youth fighters Summer Bronco and Preston Sroeuy.
Rami Ibrahim, owner of Rami Elite in Philadelphia and head coach of USA Muaythai, created the Freedom Fighter promotion to keep athletes busy during COVID. As a former fighter, Ibrahim has been involved in the community for decades now and has experienced many of the struggles that today’s athletes face. His goal is to “treat fighters like stars and give them what they deserve without them having to ask for it.”
“For the past three years, I’ve been thinking about starting my own promotion, but I’ve been very busy with my gym, my fighters, and my travels for the USMF as head coach. When I saw things slowing down for fighters in Muaythai due to the impact of COVID in 2020-2021, I thought it was time to give our fighters a home to turn to in order to stay active.
My event, Freedom Fighter Promotions, is different from others in my region because Freedom Fighter is the only official Muaythai promotion to host professional Muaythai fights from the start, right from the first show.”
Ibrahim has years of experience competing outside of the United States and knows high-level competition from his time coaching at IFMA international tournaments. He believes it’s important for the USMF to sanction the event simply because “everyone will see great officiating. I want the Muaythai world to see how good our USMF officials are and to recognize the consistency of their rules, officials, and scoring. I want only the best to be involved in our show, and that starts with the USMF.”
With several elite athletes on the card, Ibrahim wants to give a chance to those who’re hungry and eager to get back in the ring.
“There are other great promotions out there. But as a fighter and coach, I believe my knowledge sets my promotion apart from the others because I can give athletes everything I wanted (but could never get) as a fighter. I also make sure to stay away from things that I believe are hurtful to the sport, while maintaining the business aspect of the promotion. This is important for Muaythai and will help us all continue to grow.”
To support the promotion and your local fighters, you can purchase tickets directly from the athletes or by calling 215-669-3499.