MMA fighter Saad “Assassin” Awad has been in the game since 2006. In this time, he has racked up a total of 37 matches on record.
Now, Awad has plans to take his skill to the next level. To do so, he will move to Texas to train at Fortis MMA, under current coach and former MMA fighter Sayif Saud.
With multiple notable fights under his belt and a losing streak to break, Awad’s move signals a shift for the better for both him and Fortis MMA.
Saad Awad has had a long career to hone his skill
A veteran MMA fighter, Awad has 14 years on record. He has spent the last 11 of these years with Bellator MMA. Though currently in a losing streak, Awad’s record of 23 wins to 13 losses speaks for itself.
Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is a full-contact sport which draws on different disciplines, including boxing, wrestling, judo, Muay Thai, and karate. As such, it demands extensive cross-training.
Awad fought Ryan Couture in 2018, a quick victory in about 10 minutes total of combat
An analysis of Awad’s talent and rise as an MMA fighter
Awad has multiple notable victories to his name. In his second fight for Bellator, he managed to knock out his opponents only 31 seconds into the first round. Additionally, he boasts the first loss for Will “Ill Will” Brooks, the favored fighter in the match and undefeated at that point.
Later, Awad went on to win against Sergio “Pichilinga” Rios, also undefeated until he faced “the Assassin”. His last fight, on October 15th of 2020, ended in a “no contest” due to his opponent kneeing him below the belt.
Saad Awad fights for his family
In high school, Awad played soccer and wrestled, before getting into MMA. One of 12 siblings, he grew up in a Palestinian/Brazilian family. He remained in his birthplace of San Bernadino, California, until moving to Las Vegas for his MMA career.
Now that Awad has a family of his own, including young daughter Amaiyah and son Ace, he feels even more motivated to fight. Although he’s had a few back-to-back losses recently, MMA Fighting posits that this is simply lost momentum after a four-fight winning streak.
“Before, my bills were a lot less. Now, they’re a lot more. My fight pay was a lot less. Now, it’s a lot more. So all that stuff adds up,” Awad explains. “Realizing that, it makes me train that much harder. I believe I’m too good of a fighter to be on back-to-back losses.”
Saad Awad joins Fortis MMA for brighter futures all around
Due to a variety of reasons, including his daughter’s education and a lower cost of living, Awad has planned a move to Texas. His new “home base” will be Fortis MMA, a gym co-established in 2017 by veteran athlete and coach Sayif Saud.
According to Awad, the two “clicked” when they met and he is “looking forward to [joining Fortis].” Saud’s gym, Fortis MMA, now boasts 5 top 15-ranked fighters and growing.
Recenlty, Awad has been splitting his time between Bellator and Millennia MMA as well, in hopes of being able to diversify and solidify his training and conditioning. Due to the coronavirus, many fights were cancelled, including spring/summer fights for which Awad was on the roster.
“At the end of the day, that’s how we feed our families, and not being able to fight kind of threw a wrench in some things,” says Awad. Unfortunately, with a no-contest on his last fight and a resurgence in the coronavirus, the future is uncertain. But in the meantime, Awad will be training his hardest at Fortis MMA.
Watch a collection of Awad’s full fights on Bellator’s website here.
