Ahmad Ibrahim realizing full-circle moment in CFFC Muay Thai 2 headliner: 'I am fighting to validate myself'

Ibrahim returns to his hometown and scene of his final amateur bout seeking gold on Saturday, June 15.

While CFFC Muay Thai is still in its infancy as a promotion, Ahmad Ibrahim believes the organization already feels like home. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Ibrahim attended several of the promotion's MMA shows in his formative years and clamored at the opportunity to be a part of CFFC's growing muay Thai events.

He wasn't able to get a matchup at January's CFFC Muay Thai debut, but now he'll headline the company's second effort, set for Saturday, June 15 at Philadelphia's 2300 Arena.

"I used to go to the MMA shows and I was like, 'This show is so sick,' and I found out they started doing muay Thai, and I tried to get on the first one, but as the promoter knows, it's kind of hard to get matchups at my weight and my experience, and I'm just really happy to finally have a fight and for it to be for the CFFC belt," Ibrahim said. "I constantly think about how the belt looks because the MMA belt is so sick, so I'm like, 'I can't wait to just go in there and touch it.'"

Ibrahim squares off with Matt Munoz at CFFC Muay Thai 2, where the two will compete for the promotion's inaugural 125-pound title inside Philadelphia's 2300 Arena. While Ibrahim attended several CFFC shows in the past at other locations around town, he's actually competed inside 2300 Arena before during his days as an amateur.

"It's funny, my last amateur fight was at 2300 Arena in 2016," Ibrahim said. "That was the last time I fought in Philly, so that was eight years ago.

"The last time I fought there, I won by TKO, and it was my last amateur fight, and the place was electric. I'm just happy to go there as a professional, full-circle, and just see how much better I've gotten since then."

The short answer would seem to be "quite a bit." 

Now a proud gym owner and trainer, as well, Ibrahim has collected belts from around the globe as a competitor, and he is currently the reigning WBC Muay Thai USA champion, a title that qualifies him as the top 125-pound muay Thai stylist in the U.S. right now. While that belt may not be on the line at CFFC Muay Thai 2, the reputation is, and "The Palestinian Golden Boy" has no plans on letting Munoz take any shine.

"This fight, the camp has been more so like wake up at 5 a.m. even though I don't have to – do things when I don't want to, and really, really pull that older self that I used to be before I owned a gym and before I started coaching a bunch of people," Ibrahim said. "Back when I was living in Philly, my uncle used to tell me to wake up at 6 a.m. and run or it doesn't count. You can easily run at 10, but run at 6 because if you can't lift the blanket, you can't fight a person, and that mentality has been the staple of this last camp, and knowing that Matt Munoz is going to come to me, I need to do more than him. 

"I know he's training hard. I know he knows that I am the bigger name. I know he knows if he wins this fight, it's huge bragging rights. I know that he has everything to gain, but at the same time, I am fighting to validate myself and to know that I still am the best 125-pounder in America. I haven't lost to an American fighter in about five years, and I plan on keeping that for a long time."

Ibrahim knows the challenge isn't an easy one. Munoz is also considered one of the top 125-pound Thai boxers in the country, and winning the CFFC title over Ibrahim would make a huge statement for the Texas native.

"I think he's very, very tough," Ibrahim said of Munoz. "He's definitely going to bring it. He's got heavy hands. He's got a lot of aggression. I've watched a couple of his fights and like, I think I've seen people throw the kitchen sink at him, and he just ate it, so he's definitely tough as hell."

So Ibrahim enters a familiar building, fighting under a familiar banner, and standing in a familiar position – needing to prove himself on the big stage. It's a spot in which Ibrahim has shined before, and as he enters this full-circle moment, he intends to deliver once again.

"The way I see this going down is I'm going to live in Matt Munoz's head after round 1, and then after that, I can do whatever I want," Ibrahim said.

CFFC Muay Thai 2 streams live exclusively on OnlyFans.