Get well soon!

MIXED martial artist and ‘the pride of Bahrain’ Hamzah Kooheji needed hospital treatment for an eye injury following his bantamweight battle against India’s Mohammad Farhad which he won by a unanimous decision.

The more experienced Farhad was riding a six fight winning streak but could not cope with the Bahraini star’s aggression or technique during the recent Brave 9: The Kingdom of Champions encounter in Isa Town.

“Hamza was hospitalised following an injury to the eye,” Hari Bhagirath of KHK MMA Bahrain told GulfWeekly. “He is fine and currently recuperating. The fight against Mohammad Farhad was one of the hardest battles fought by Hamza.”

As he recovered at home, Kooheji took time to tell his fans he was proud to represent Bahrain and that ‘winning was the only option’.

“I was overwhelmed and thanked Allah in a moment of prayer and thanked every Bahraini who supported me,” he added. “Their energy kept me going to decimate a tough opponent.”

The 24-year-old Bahraini has recorded six wins to one loss and is regarded as one of the leading bantamweights. The division, however, has some of the sport’s best fighters such as recently-crowned champion Stephen Loman, Gurdarshan Mangat, Frans Mlambo and Felipe Efrain.

There are ‘endless possibilities’, says his team, who describe Kooheji as a ‘history maker’ and one of the kingdom’s top athletes.