When Muhsin Corbbrey steps into the cage next week it will be a step into the unknown for the Elite XC and WEC veteran. Corbbrey's twentieth MMA fight is taking place at Martial Combat 4 in Singapore and will be the first time that this well rounded veteran has fought outside of his native US.
Martial Combat is fast gaining a reputation as the leading MMA event in South East Asia. While there are other more established events in the region, Martial Combat is the only one which has the backing of ESPN Star Sports and as a consequence, it is broadcast to a potential viewing audience of millions.
Despite its impressive media credentials this show is very much in its infancy and Corbbrey's signature represents something of a coup for the Martial Combat matchmakers. Had recent circumstances not conspired against Corbbrey there is no way that he would have found himself fighting in Singapore.
After back to back wins for Elite XC's feeder show the now defunct organization was sufficiently impressed by Corbbrey to give him a shot at highly regarded UFC and Pride veteran Nick Diaz.
The record books will reflect the fact that he lost via a late stoppage in the third and final round, what they will probably not reflect is the fact that Diaz missed weight by an astounding 9 lbs.
Corbbrey is philosophical about this potentially career defining moment.
"That fight was scheduled for 160 lbs. I weighed in at 158 lbs so I was well underweight. They told me he wasn't going to make weight but I had spent months training and I had sponsors and I wasn't going to turn the fight down. It was a chance to fight on the big stage and I'm glad I took it, I wouldn't change anything."
When the two men stepped into the cage, Diaz had at least a 20 lbs weight advantage. Despite the substantial size difference, Corbbrey did enough to convince many ringside observers he had won the first two rounds.
"It took him two rounds to get me down but he finally got me down in the third round. I think the referee should have let it go because there were 30 seconds to go when he stopped it, and Sherdog had me winning the first two rounds."
Had Corbbrey been awarded the decision he would have immediately established himself as one of the top lightweight fighters on the planet. Instead his next fight was against Jason Nicholson, who once went three rounds with Pat Militech, for the lightly regarded ICF lightweight belt. Corbbrey defeated Nicholson by first round KO and the WEC were sufficiently impressed to snap up his signature soon after.
Corbbrey made his WEC debut last October but was beaten by Anthony Njokuani at WEC 43 after a second round stoppage many felt was premature. Zach Micklewright then inflicted a third consecutive loss on Corbbrey in December, winning a debatable decision at WEC 45.
A career, which had promised so much appeared to be in free fall but Corbbrey is no stranger to adversity. He grew up in poverty and was encouraged to start boxing purely in order to be able to defend himself.
"My Dad put me into boxing when i was a kid in order to protect myself. We grew up in the inner city, we were not very wealthy and circumstances weren't great."
Prejudice joined poverty as a potential obstacle on Corbbrey's path when midway through high school, he moved to Alabama to live with his Mother,
"I went from a school where it was 99% black kids and Mexican kids to a school, which has five black kids who were almost slaves. They would just say the word nigger like it was ok, and I got in a lot of fights and hit a lot of people. My mom was white and my dad was black and people in Alabama definitely looked down on her because of it."
Corbbrey was forced to abandon boxing due to the absence of a local boxing club, but he was not ready to walk away from martial arts altogether and instead dedicated himself to Taekwondo and Karate. These classes also provided him with a refuge from the racism he was experiencing on an almost daily basis,
"That's something which definitely attracted me to martial arts. No matter where you are, most martial artists will rise above things like racism. In my gym now, we have underprivileged black kids, rich white kids, Arabs, Iranis all working out all doing the same thing, and the one thing which brings them together is MMA."
Corbbrey, who has an impressive professional boxing record of 6-2-1, is still an active boxer. He believes MMA is currently not as accessible to youngsters from impoverished backgrounds as boxing traditionally has been and this is an issue he is looking to redress at his gym in Savannah, Champions Training Centre.
"A lot of boxing gyms are in inner cities and it's run down and there are a lot of kids trying to use boxing to make their way into a better situation. In MMA there are a lot of people finishing up a collegiate wrestling career and looking for the next step. A lot of MMA fighters are educated because it's a little harder to get into, your average kid from a low income neighbourhood cant afford $160 a month for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. That's why at our gym, we are offering scholarships."
Having already successfully fought himself out of poverty Corbbrey must now fight himself back into MMA lightweight contention. The first step on that journey will take place on June 17th at Resorts World Sentosa. Corbbrey, who is preparing for the fight at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, will be up against against unbeaten Chinese fighter Wu Cheng Jie. He knows little about his opponent, but he is looking to get back on track with an emphatic win.
"I want to show that I am one of the best in the sport and I am going to crush this guy from start to finish. I don't want to leave fights in the judges' hands anymore, and the crowd can expect an exciting fight. Sometimes you have to take a loss to know where you're at, and I know I'm good enough to beat the best guys out there, I just have to show it."
Corbbrey is still under contract to the WEC and if his South East Asian adventure goes according to plan he is likely to be back on the big stage before too long. In the meantime he is excited to have the opportunity to showcase his skills on the international stage and is hoping to make an immediate impact at Martial Combat 4.
