Words by Ed King
Erdington MMA fighter, Mo ‘Terminator’ Zubair’, is competing for his first professional title on Saturday 12 April – facing off against Mike Jurik from the Czech Republic at the Northamptonshire County Cricket Ground.
Promoted by Battle Arena, Zubair and Jurik will be the headline bout in the featherweight category, with a total of 28 fights, both professional and amateur, on the evening’s bill.
Standing at 5ft 7”, and with fights both the Featherweight and Bantamweight class, Mo ‘Terminaror’ Zubair entered the world of professional MMA in March 2024 – where he beat Spain’s Nestor Santana by corner stoppage after the first round.
Mo’s next fight, the following June, saw him step up last minute to fight Darlington’s Liam Thomas, beating the established British in only 12 second with a ferocious first round knock-out.
Video of the fight went viral on social media and got the Erdington fighter on the radar of promoters across the sport.
The spectacular first round KO also drew platitudes from other MMA stars – including the former UFC Welterweight champion from Aston/Erdington, Leon Edwards, whom Zubair shared a gym with as part of Team Renegade.
Subsequent fights would see Mo Zubair defeat the UK’s Maro Pina by unanimous decision and finish off Sweden’s Martin Fouda with a Guillotine Choke in the first round.
Dedicated to his rising MMA career, Mo previous told Erdington Local: “I train twice a day, I go home and do the same the next day. I don’t go to any nightclubs, or any of that. I want to fight in the UFC.
“That is where the action is and I will not settle for anything less, it is the Premier League of MMA.”
Talking about Leon Edwards, Mo added: “Leon is a big inspiration to me, he has been really supportive. He has let me join him in training camps and join him on the circuit.
“He proves what can be achieved. We are alike, we both came from the streets and just turned up to the gym and changed our lives.
“And it would be great to have two fighters from Erdington as champions. It can be done.”
Mo ‘Terminator’ Zubair fights Mike Jurik at the Northamptonshire County Showground on Saturday 12 April. For further information and links to online ticket sales visit www.facebook.com/mma.battlearena
Click on the links to follow Mo ‘Terminaror’ Zubair on Instagram and Facebook.