ROAD FC $1 MILLION TOURNAMENT OPENING ROUND

Mansour Barnaoui: Youthful confidence and wizened sense

One of the hottest prospects to come out of France, and arguably Europe, is Mansour Barnaoui. He burst onto the MMA scene by winning a tournament at only 19 years of age, and from there he went on to claim three more international titles. Barnaoui's record is littered with the names of those much more experienced than himself. Adding to this, he's never been knocked out or submitted in a fight, and his own finish rate is almost perfect.

Barnaoui is indeed a young standout in the world of MMA. 

When ROAD FC was searching for the best lightweights in the world to participate in the $1 Million Tournament, Barnaoui was an obvious scout. Watch any of his fights and you will see a wide range of skills, unpredictable techniques, and an obvious love for being in the cage. As if he was born to it.

“I was born to be a fighter. I was in such a hurry to start fighting that I often fought in the street.”

That couldn't have been appreciated by his family, especially since he has three other brothers who look up to him. When he channeled his passion into combat sports at 15, they were very relieved. Eventually that turned into something even more wonderful.

“Becoming a sport fighter and martial athlete has made me a wiser person. My family saw how the practice of martial sports changed me into a better man. They were so surprised to see such a great performance at my young age in my first tournament, and they were really proud.”

When he was young, Barnaoui earned the nickname “Tarzan” because of his high energy antics and crazy flexibility. When he started in the international circuit, it wasn't just his fight style but his appearance that caught the eyes of the fans. Here was this single-minded warrior traveling the world with a robust afro. And so he earned the new nickname of “Afro Samurai”.

“It was given to me by Japanese my fans. It came from a Japanese manga hero who look likes me and fights with a warrior's heart. I like reading manga. And skateboarding. When I win that $1 million, I'm going to buy the best skateboard in the world!”

When he's not skateboarding, Barnaoui still calls Team Magnum his home and spends most of his time training there. Recently he's had the opportunity to train at Canada's famed Tristar Gym as well. It can only level him up. The Tunisian-born Frenchman already has a plethora of skills to bolster his game, which he showed by winning is first ROAD FC fight in the International Trials. The crowd expected a stand up display, but when the tide momentarily turned, Barnaoui locked a slick submission on Ki Won-Bin.

“He was a hard brawler and powerful puncher. I'm a Muay Thai fighter and I love to use my knees. But my background is Luta Livre, which is a mix of catch wrestling and judo.”

Barnaoui is extremely focused on the task in front of him, and extremely confident that he will not fall short of his goal.

“At 18, I won the Lightweight world title in 100%FIGHT in France. At 19, I won the Lightweight Championship in BAMMA in the UK. At 22, I won the Lightweight Championship in M-1 in Russia. And when I was 24, I became the European Champion of Brazilian Luta Livre. But the ROAD FC title would be the most important one, and a truly a World Title.” 

If Barnaoui is successful with each fight, there will be stiffer and stiffer competition ahead who are equally as hungry for the $1 million prize. Barnaoui may still be young, but the gravity of the field is not lost on him. 

“This tournament has attracted some of the best fighters in the world. I've won a lot of fights just to get into this tournament, and a for all the sweat and sacrifices I've had, I am proud to reach this goal. I am a man of challenge, and I test myself by fighting the best. I fight to become a champion.”

Should he make it to the finals and then face ROAD FC Champion Kwon A-Sol, the last thing he will do is claim his prize and buy that custom, state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind skateboard. He may be a high level MMA fighter, but he's still a young man with a great deal of youthfulness about him.

“That $1 million is very exciting and attractive to me. I have never had this amount of money in my bank account!”

Next up at the opening round of the tournament, Barnaoui will face a massive veteran of the sport in Kim Chang-Hyun. Kim doesn't have the fancy belts to prove his experience, but he sure has the scars. The outstanding grappler from elite Team Mad has had double the fights of Barnaoui in a career twice as long. Barnaoui retains his sense and confidence about the match.

“My next fight will be a war. It will be very explosive and spectacular. Chang-Hyun, good luck, but beware because I am a very determined man. I am ready to beat you with the best that I have.”

Barnaoui certainly takes it one fight at a time, but his experiences lead him to look at the tournament as a whole. He chose the path of a professional fighter early in his life and the rewards he's garnered eclipse many of those who are much more experienced than himself. That's what makes him so exciting to watch: his youthful confidence coupled with his proven ability.

“To my fans, thank you. I will bring everything I have to win the tournament. I am coming to Korea to be the champ.”

Mansour Barnaoui meets Kim Chang-Hyun at the opening round of the 16-man $1 Million Lightweight Tournament: Road to A-Sol on July 15th, Xiaomi ROAD FC 040 in Seoul, South Korea.