Malik Abdulmumin MMA Capital interview on Curtis Millender

Malik Abdulmumin MMA Capital interview with Rain Cruise covered his approach to facing Curtis Millender at UNF 36, why he intends to keep MMA Mafia in the Inland Empire and what he wishes he had done sooner as a fighter. Abdulmumin described the final two weeks of camp as a time to stay calm rather than push harder, and said a win over Millender would be a step in the right direction.

How is Malik Abdulmumin preparing for Curtis Millender at UNF 36?

Malik Abdulmumin said the final two weeks before his UNF 36 fight with Curtis Millender are about avoiding injury and managing his thoughts, not trying to gain fitness. With the fight set for November 7 at Commerce Casino, he sees little to be gained from adding more hard work so close to the event.

Abdulmumin said fighters can become too excited late in camp and hurt themselves when they should be careful. After weeks of physical training, the workload slows and the approaching fight becomes harder to put out of mind. In his view, some fighters respond to that pressure by overtraining.

His own schedule remains full. He trains in the morning and teaches at night, with a drive between the two rather than a substantial rest period. On the day he spoke with MMA Capital, his evening included a children’s class, another class and fighter practice.

For training, Abdulmumin named Sabre Martial Arts as his main gym and said he also cross-trains at Jackson's, Santo Studios and Dan Anderson's Athletic Center. He described drives of around an hour and 20 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes to the places where he trains, with the trip to Dan Anderson's Athletic Center taking roughly 40 to 50 minutes.

What did Malik Abdulmumin say about Curtis Millender?

Malik Abdulmumin said beating Curtis Millender would mean something because Millender has been in the sport for a long time and carries name value. More than a statement about one opponent, though, Abdulmumin sees the UNF 36 fight as a step forward in his own career. He also said Millender is retiring while he intends to continue fighting.

Rain Cruise raised Millender’s experience, including his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Professional Fighters League and Bellator MMA. Abdulmumin did not offer a detailed prediction or describe a specific path to victory. His answer focused instead on what the matchup represents for a fighter still trying to build his career.

Abdulmumin expects students from MMA Mafia to attend the fight. He said they usually come to his events and noted that Commerce Casino is an easier trip for them than Woodland Hills, where he had fought previously for Up Next Fighting.

What did Malik Abdulmumin say about coaching young fighters like Destiny Porter?

Malik Abdulmumin said his own fight experience helps him coach because he can recognize what a fighter needs in a difficult moment. Having been in those situations himself, including times when he felt he did not receive the help he needed, makes it easier for him to provide it to someone else.

Rain Cruise brought up Destiny Porter’s eight-second knockout and Abdulmumin’s reaction to it while asking about his coaching. Abdulmumin did not claim responsibility for the result. He explained his broader approach: past fights give him a clearer sense of what to say or do when an athlete faces a challenge he recognizes.

He also described himself as demanding with the fighters he coaches. Abdulmumin does not think a coach has to be a fighter’s friend to help that person improve. Sometimes, he said, the useful response is simply to tell an athlete that the work needs to be better, even if the message is difficult to hear.

That approach sits alongside the time he spends teaching. He said he trains during the day and returns to classes and fighter practice at night. The two roles are connected for him, but he did not portray the schedule as easy or suggest that he has found a fixed formula for balancing them.

What did Malik Abdulmumin say about MMA Mafia and his No Mercy nickname?

Malik Abdulmumin said his No Mercy nickname came from a vote, while MMA Mafia grew out of a plan he had held since childhood. He wants the gym to become a larger location in the Inland Empire, not a franchise or a business he moves away from the area after his fighting career.

Choosing No Mercy

Abdulmumin said he asked people on social media to suggest a replacement for his Smooth nickname. After receiving many entries, he put three options to a vote: No Mercy, The Assassin and The Sniper. No Mercy won by a wide margin. He said voters included people he had sparred or trained with, as well as students.

Opening MMA Mafia

The idea of owning a gym dates back to when Abdulmumin was about six years old, he said. He opened his first gym at 18 instead of moving out, closed it roughly a year and a half later, and opened his next gym at 25. MMA Mafia is based in Moreno Valley.

Staying in the Inland Empire

Abdulmumin does not want to franchise MMA Mafia. His goal is one much larger location that remains in the Inland Empire. His own long trips to training help explain the decision: he thinks about young people nearby who do not have cars and cannot easily make the same journey to a gym.

Rather than expecting those children to travel out of the area for serious training, he wants them to have a place within reach. He said the gym would stay in the Inland Empire when he finishes fighting, so a child who can walk there has the chance to develop without first finding a way to travel elsewhere.

How does Malik Abdulmumin teach children and run MMA Mafia during fight camp?

Malik Abdulmumin said watching children gain confidence is the most rewarding part of coaching. At MMA Mafia, he also relies on fighters to help teach classes during fight camp. He does his best to manage training and coaching together, but said there is no set rule that makes the schedule balance neatly.

Watching children gain confidence

Abdulmumin described children who arrive quiet and gradually become much more outspoken as they learn. He sees even a small amount of resistance to being told what to do as a possible early sign of confidence, while recognizing that teaching children requires a different touch from coaching fighters.

When asked whether adult students arrive acting as though they already know the material, he said that has not been much of a problem for him. He suggested the experience depends on who comes to a particular gym rather than treating it as an issue with adult beginners generally.

Classes and help from fighters

Abdulmumin said MMA Mafia offers kickboxing classes for adults and children. He also described another class offering for adults only, but did not clearly name it. He helps teach more classes when he is not in fight camp; while preparing to fight, other fighters at the gym help carry the teaching workload.

His answer to how he balances everything was direct: he does his best, without a rigid system. The help from those fighters matters when his own mornings are spent training and his evenings still include responsibilities at the gym.

What did Malik Abdulmumin say about starting his fighting career?

Malik Abdulmumin said he wishes he had committed seriously to fighting earlier. He did not initially believe he could do it and feels he spent too much time holding back rather than pursuing a career in the sport wholeheartedly. His advice to his younger self would be to try earlier.

He connected that hesitation to the pressure athletes can feel to maintain a backup plan. Abdulmumin acknowledged that such advice can be useful, but believes it can also make it harder to compete against people who have committed fully to their sport. He mentioned Jon Jones while discussing the level of commitment he thinks top fighters bring.

Abdulmumin also recognized the risk in his position: total commitment does not guarantee that a fighter will succeed. He said people can do other things after fighting, whereas the period in which they can compete as athletes is short. Abdulmumin summed up the tension this way:

I think you gotta be all in and it's hard cause fighting, you could be all in and you could still not make it

For him, the regret is not that he considered other ways to make a living. It is that he waited before taking his opportunity to fight as seriously as he now believes he should have.