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UFC’s Amir Albazi on ‘culture shock’ after fleeing Iraq: ‘I didn’t have money for the bus’

A lifetime of adversity has equipped Amir Albazi with the tools required to thrive in combat sports.

Albazi (13-1) caught up with Bloody Elbow following a short notice first-round submission win over Malcolm Gordon at Fight Island on July 18. “The Prince” reflected on his early childhood in Iraq and fleeing with his family to Sweden.

“It changes your mindset. You have to grow up quick to deal with different things. It all started in Iraq. I grow up there and since I was young, I knew politically something wasn’t right. You had to be quiet.