“It’s been such a huge help to have people like Coach Sayif (Saud) there, and Uriah (Hall), and all the teammates I have at Fortis that have been through this stuff,” said Brahimaj. “Being in this sport and talking amongst my peers who have been through several hardships — maybe not the same as me, and me not the same as them, but we all have hardship in common, so talking and helping each other through really goes a very, very long way.
“At the end of the day, you realize you’re not alone with what you’re going through, and everybody has faced uphill battles in one shape or another.”
As he reflected on everything he’s been through — the Contender Series heartbreak, the anxiety surrounding his surgery, the recovery process, his debut being cancelled through no fault of his own — Brahimaj had to catch himself a number of times, the totality of it all still sitting very heavy, making him emotional.
The uncertainty of everything in his professional life combined with the COVID-19 pandemic left him searching for ways to occupy his time as gym closures meant he couldn’t train and couldn’t teach lessons or work with clients. Rather than sit at home and allow his anxiety and disappointment overcome him, Brahimaj picked up a part-time job at Costco just so that he had a reason to get out of the house.
He also focused on his craft, entering a handful of grappling tournaments, including claiming victory in the blue belt heavyweight division at the 2019 IBJJF No-Gi World Championships.
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Now, back in Las Vegas, winding down his third set of preparations to compete inside the UFC Apex, the talented welterweight newcomer is slowly beginning to allow himself to get excited about competing once again.
“I can’t wait to smell my gloves on fight week. I can’t wait to grab my fight kit and see everything; that’s going to be like an early birthday present for me,” said Brahimaj, whose 28th birthday lands 10 days after his fight with Griffin. “I just really want to be in the moment.
