Ten years ago this month, the combat sports world lost one of its most legendary figures in Muhammad Ali. Born Cassius Clay, Ali became a chief figure for many in various aspects of life. Ali was more than just a boxer; he was a showman, a prominent figure of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, and someone always willing to stand for his beliefs.

In the modern combat world, Ali’s grandsons have taken up the helm in active competition. While Nico Ali Walsh chose to follow his grandfather’s footsteps into boxing, Biaggio Ali Walsh is carving a path of his own in a different environment – the world of MMA.

The 4-1 Ali Walsh, a PFL fighter, is scheduled to compete at PFL Austin, taking on Gamid Khizriev. Throughout his journey in combat, Ali Walsh has understood the pressure he carries with his family name and legacy, but he balances it by controlling his own destiny and keeping a strong faith like his grandfather.

“You’re Ali’s grandson; there’s so much expected of you,” Ali Walsh said in an exclusive interview with Deadspin. “How I deal with the pressure really is my faith and my religion and belief in God. What I like to do and what helps me a lot is accepting the fact that I can’t control the outcome. The only things that I can control [are] how hard I train, and pulling the trigger in a decisive moment in the fight, right?

“I know my family will still love me. I know my fiancé will still love me. To me, the biggest thing is acceptance. Acceptance really helps me and takes that pressure off.”

‘Poppy’

Of course, for Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali wasn’t just the legendary boxer who had wars with some of boxing’s greatest heavyweights. He wasn’t just the Olympic gold medalist who’d go on to become one of the most influential figures the sport has ever seen. He wasn’t just a man who’d show people how to stand for what they believe in.

Above all of that, to Biaggio Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali was simply “Poppy.”

Born in 1998, years after Ali’s fighting days, Ali Walsh truly didn’t know just how much of an impact his grandfather had on the world. While there would be times where the family would be out in public – where, of course, there would be the moments of applause, autographs, and photos – it wasn’t until doing a project on his grandfather in the third grade that Ali Walsh got to understand just who exactly his grandfather is.

“I learned a lot about him and what he stood for on the civil rights, and just being outspoken for his political views and his religious beliefs,” Ali Walsh said. “But still, in third grade, you only kind of get a small grasp of the influence that he really made. At a young age, I would look him up and stuff and read about him and watch documentaries and stuff, and that’s kind of how I knew who he was as a person.”

Ali Walsh furthered his feelings by describing moments when he would be watching some of Ali’s most classic fights, with the older Ali in the same room. Ali Walsh would feel the incredulousness that the man he knew simply as his grandfather is one of boxing’s greatest figures.

“He’s like Superman to me…he’s very inspiring,” Ali Walsh said. “He still inspires me, and he’s inspired a lot of people.”

The impact of Ali on humanity at large was felt on another level by Ali Walsh, who was 18 when the boxing great passed away. Ali Walsh recalled looking at the community at large in Louisville, seeing all the people coming out for Ali’s funeral and celebrations of his life, cheering Ali’s name and championing a legacy that goes beyond the ring.

And for Ali Walsh, while he may not have been alive to see the bold and brash trash talker who could back it up – a promo style that has influenced many a boxer, MMA fighter, and pro wrestler today – his memories with the legend are far more personal.

Observing Ali as he was battling Parkinson’s, which would eventually take his life, Ali Walsh understood that the key to communicating with his grandfather would be through getting reactions out of him. To help with this, Ali Walsh and his brother, Nico, would turn to something that Ali loved – magic.

Using a Criss Angel Mindfreak magic kit owned by Nico, the brothers would perform magic tricks to elicit a joyful reaction from their grandfather.

Another favorite memory of Ali Walsh’s is watching Peter Jackson’s King Kong film alongside his grandfather and seeing a sense of anticipation in his grandfather as he anxiously awaited the title character’s appearance in the movie.

Finally, there was the traditional Ali Thanksgiving dinner that saw the close family ties on display as everyone gathered to eat and celebrate. There were times when Ali Walsh would even see his grandfather hit a heavy bag, mesmerized at getting a glimpse of his grandfather in action, in the flesh.

Lost Before Success

Coming from a prestigious family name in the world in general, let alone a name in the boxing world, Ali Walsh says there’s a major misconception that he had a silver spoon in his mouth growing up. While many might assume he grew up with wealth and an easy path to success, which included attending the prestigious Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Ali Walsh says it’s far from the truth.

When business went bad at the Chicago restaurant owned by Ali Walsh’s father, the family moved in a U-Haul to Las Vegas, restarting life from the ground up, with just $2,000 in the pocket of Ali Walsh’s father.

Ali Walsh says it was his parents’ sacrifices that made things possible for him.

“The only reason we were able to get through Bishop Gorman was my parents working double time, and a little bit of help from my grandfather’s wife for like a semester,” Ali Walsh said. “You hear these things, and it’s like, ‘Okay, this kid’s probably grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth and is a little arrogant or cocky, whatever,’ but it couldn’t be more far from the truth. But nobody knows this.”

A running back, Ali Walsh went on to play NCAA football at Cal and UNLV. Injuries, however, derailed his playing career, and experiencing what he described as the politics of the sport soured his experience.

The sudden end to his football-playing days led Ali Walsh into depression, with the young athlete feeling himself spiraling as he tried to figure out who he was and what was next.

“I didn’t know what to do with my life,” Ali Walsh said. “I thought there was so much expected of me being Ali’s grandson that I might have disappointed my parents [and] the people that love me. To me, it was kind of like freedom, like I could now do whatever I want. And living in Vegas, it’s really easy to get distracted and go to the Strip and do stupid things and make dumb decisions. And I was doing that.”

As Ali Walsh settled into working at Adidas and as a strength and conditioning coach, he started to work alongside fighters. Looking to keep himself in shape, Ali Walsh came to the doorstep of Xtreme Couture – a decision that forever changed his path. Suddenly, it became more than just having a schedule; it presented a new opportunity.

“That’s when I Googled ‘Is 22 years old too old to start training?’” Ali Walsh said. “So I said, ‘You know what? Screw this, I’m gonna take MMA seriously.’”

After a discussion with his parents, Ali Walsh took on an amateur fight, losing his amateur debut in June 2022. However, one amateur fight turned to seven, and he ended his amateur run with six straight victories – as well as his 2022 signing with the PFL – turning pro in 2024.

“I just want to see how far I can take myself in this sport, and I want to be exciting too,” Ali Walsh said. “That’s how I got into the sport, and now we’re here, and I love it. It’s changed my life, really. It’s brought me closer to God.”

Fight Like Those Who Beat The Greatest

Ali Walsh sports tattoos of a butterfly and a bee as a tribute to his grandfather, paying homage to the iconic phrase that summarized Muhammad Ali’s fight style. And yet, Ali Walsh has found his own unique approach in combat, especially dealing with the cage instead of a ring.

Ali Walsh says he prefers a more pressuring, forward, aggressive style, and that he’s looked up to the likes of Mexican boxing legends, such as Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez, as influences.

When looking at his own style compared to that of his grandfather’s, Ali Walsh notes the irony that he fights more like the names that have given Muhammad Ali the most trouble in the ring, such as Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.

“I thought in my head, ‘Poppy was the greatest, right? Who beat him?’” he said. “I want to fight like the guys that beat him – the greatest. So that’s kind of how I developed my style.

“The cool thing about fighting is the style doesn’t even matter, it’s whatever works for you. I mean, you watch guys like Sean Strickland – he’s got a Philly shell on a tee, and a jab, and it works for him. I mean, he’s the current UFC middleweight champion, and people make fun of his style all the time, but he’s got the belt.”

Humility & The Wealth Test

Ali Walsh has now found success as a pro, currently sporting a 4-1 record after a quick finish of Dash Harris at PFL Chicago in April. And it’s not just Ali Walsh’s faith and acceptance that keep him grounded; it’s also about the biggest piece of advice he remembers his grandfather giving.

“Always stay humble,” Ali Walsh said. “Every touchdown that I’ve scored in my high school career, always handed the ball to the ref. I never celebrated, I never trash-talked. I was just the quiet killer kind of guy, but I was always humble.

“No matter how big I get, doesn’t matter. I will always be humble. I’ll always treat my fans good. I’ll always worship God, give to the needy, and be good to people.”

Ali Walsh, in fact, sees some parallels between him and his grandfather in the strong faith and humility that have played in their lives.

“I pray every day. I pray for the health of me and my opponent,” Ali Walsh said. “I try my best to be a good, righteous human every day, because at the end of the day…we’re all going to die. We’re not taking Lamborghinis and money with us when we do. I believe we take good deeds and how we treated people. Some guys, they get so big that they think they’re too cool for school, you know? They push paparazzi, they don’t sign for their fans. They’re even mean to their fans.

“When people get fame and wealth, it’s a test from God. Are you still going to be humble? Are you still going to treat people good? Are you still going to worship God? A lot of people fail that test. Guys like Poppy, I believe that they passed that test. He never said no to an autograph. He was so loving, and he loved people, and that’s why they called him the people’s champion.”

Now, Ali Walsh is preparing for his battle with Khizriev on July 18 in Austin, Texas. Ali Walsh is aware that Khizriev is going to present a unique challenge, courtesy of his grappling-heavy approach. He hopes to keep the fight standing and showcase the striking that’s helped him to multiple finishes throughout his PFL tenure thus far.

“He’s going to look to wrestle, but this is the type of fight that I’ve been training for since I started training, so I’m super excited,” he said. “The game plan is to do what I do and avoid the wrestling.”

Ali Walsh added that he spent a lot of time wrestling in one of his early pro fights, and while he got the win thanks to dominating position, the boos from the crowd influenced him to want to be an entertainer while he fights – something his grandfather is all too familiar with.

Muhammad Ali has left one of the most influential and famed legacies both inside and out of the ring.

“I want to show what it looks like when a fighter trusts God and their abilities. That’s who I want to be an example of,” Ali Walsh said. “When you come out there and you’re composed and you’re sharp as a whistle…I want to show that, and the reason it’s being shown is because of my faith in God.

“That confidence comes after that, right? I want to be an example in that way. ‘Wow, he looks so calm, he looks sharp, he looks this and this and that.’ Oh, well, then you hear him talk about his faith and his belief in God. ‘Okay, it makes sense why he looks so good and is so composed.’ So that’s the kind of fighter and example I want to give. Wins and losses, I don’t really care too much about. Obviously, I’m looking to go in there to win, but I want to be that kind of fighter where you set an example, and that’s the kind of example that I want to set.”