Madadi makes boxing comeback after retiring
Iranian-Swedish fighter Madadi, who retired in May to focus on coaching, has decided to make a comeback in response to Iran ordering Saeid Mollaei to lose in this year’s Judo World Championships in Japan to avoid facing Israeli Sagi Muki.
Iran is now banned from taking part in judo competitions. Mollaei refused to quit, but said he feared for his safety and has since defected to Germany.
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“I cannot travel to Iran any more, but I must break this taboo before saying goodbye to the world championships,” said ex-UFC fighter Madadi, who was born in Tehran but lives in Sweden.
“The story of Mollaei’s experience at the Judo World Championships semi-final against Israel’s Sagi Muki made me take this step and end the story once and for all.
“Stockholm is going to have an important message that religion and politics should not interfere with sport.”
The fight will not be an official UFC match, but Madadi said the outcome is irrelevant.
“The reason I am returning is to show the world that two professional athletes can compete with each other despite cultural, religious and political differences – and then leave the gym like two friends,” he said.
“I have great respect for the athletes who will provide us with the basics of this competition.”
