By Lamin Fadera
French-born Gambian Ibrahim Mane is passionate about becoming a professional Mix Martial Arts (MMA) Fighter at a very young age.
Due to his love for the fight, Ibrahim’s mother ensures her son has the proper professional training to become a good fighter.
“When I was young, I was stubborn and always fought with my friends. My mum always tells me to stop fighting, but I never stop. When she realized that I had the potential to become a fighter, she took me to school to train in Martial Arts. Now here I am, Alhamdulillah, I am now a professional Mix Martial Art fighter,”
Ibrahim is a winner of several MMA fights — competing in different parts of the world as a professional fighter. Since starting his professional career in MMA fighting, Mane has won 12 contests, lost 4, and drawn none.
Ibrahim’s last event came on March 9, 2023, when he beat Italian Leonardo Damiani with a timing of 2 minutes 49 seconds in a competition in Italy.
“Ibra Kumite,” as he is fondly called in France, has won his last four welterweight bouts. The young fighter looks forward to extending the winning stake later this year.
Mane is ranked 9th out of the 261 active pro-Welterweight professionals in the Middle East, 19th out of the 534 active fighters in Western Europe, and rated among the 8th best in his country of birth, France.
Following his successful exploit abroad, Ibrahim Mane said the support from Gambia would be very significant for him. He said he represents the Gambia globally wherever he goes and is proud to be a Gambian.
“I would love to have more support from the Gambia and Gambians, I am proud to be a Gambian, and wherever I go, I am proud to represent the country I am from. So I am seeking support from all Gambians, which I want,” Mane told TAT.
“If I have sponsors and moral support, it will be great because I think I am the only professional Gambian MMA fighter. I am an ambassador for the Gambia in the MMA arena, and I count on all Gambians to pray for me to win more fights in the future,” Ibrahim appealed.
At 34, Ibrahim has great ambition to help the Gambia in the not-distant future; Mane said he wants to build an academy where children will learn Mix Martial Arts in the Gambia.
“I have plans to bring MMA to the Gambia, to train young people who will become professional, make money for themselves, and represent the country in international competitions. This is what I want in the future,” said Mane.
