Cape Town – A Cape Town sensei, head coach, psychologist and founder of Fightertz MMA and Wellness Academy has been nominated for the Forty under 40 Award.
The award is aimed at identifying and honouring and celebrating the nation’s most influential and accomplished business leaders who are under the age of 40.
According to Forty under 40 Awards, they are striving to give entrepreneurs a platform: “To recognize and celebrate 40 emerging leaders under the age of 40 who demonstrate or impact the world personally or professionally through their exceptional leadership.”
Over 140 national entrepreneurs in education, professional services, event management and planning, fashion and many more are being recognized.
The award ceremony is set to take place in September during a gala dinner.
Sensei Fidaah Edries, head coach and founder of the Fighterz Inc. MMA and Wellness Academy and a qualified counsellor has been nominated for Sports.
Edries, who just turned 40, is behind many successful MMA fighters in the Western Cape and his gym managed a Flyweight MMA SA champion for two years consecutively, a Junior MMA Champion and a three-time silver MMA SA championships finalist.
Among his successes Edries’ academy developed the first Muslim female South African National Boxing Organisation, Silver medallist in 2023, a few Western Province kickboxing champions, a Kickboxing Champion and a local boxing tournament Champions.
Edries said he has been inspiring young sports enthusiasts in MMA, karate and kickboxing for years and has never been looking for the limelight but welcomes awareness on his works.
“What I am doing is to be a benefit to humanity, that is my purpose, not for recognition,” he said.
“If I am able to get a platform to inspire other people and to motivate them, to make a larger difference.
‘I was nominated by students in the gym, who thought I could be a good candidate.”
Edries grew up in Woodstock and during his childhood he battled with depression.
He began reading books to help himself heal and listened to podcasts, watched videos on psychology and overcame his depression and strengthened his mind in order to help others.
At the age of seventeen he became a motivational public speaker.
He obtained Honours in Psychology and became a qualified registered counsellor and has been dedicated to his for twenty years, focusing on youth and childhood development.
With his parents, Abdullah Edries and mother Fouzia Edries, who were both involved in community work by assisting the less fortunate, Edries began showing interest in humanitarian work.
“I volunteered at various NGO’s as a student, at orphanages for abused children, NICRO (National Institute for crime prevention and reintegration of offenders - 5 years), Brawam Siswam (An NGO on campus teaching life skills in impoverished communities), pioneered the establishment of an NGO on campus in honours’ year, named Students for Positive Social Change and I became the Chairman of this NGO and went on to initiate a life skills/mentorship program at the School of Sports.”
Growing up, Edries always had a passion for sport which moulded him into an athlete.
His father introduced him to boxing at the age of ten by spending time together watching boxing matches.
Edries trained at four different gyms to master each respective discipline.
Edries is a second Dan black belt Sensei in Kickboxing, a qualified Muray Thai Coach and has a blue belt in jiu jitsu.
“In 2014 as the Youth and Mental Health Manager, I was called to take on the role of teacher when asked to relay my knowledge of kickboxing to the children at the centre.
“I realised that Kickboxing and martial arts could be instrumental to the empowerment of troubled youths.”
Edries first classes were held out of his garage: “When I started out, we didn’t have much and many of the student’s I trained could not afford to purchase their own equipment.”
Zaakir Parker, an MMA Fighter, also a student of Edries said he had a huge impact on his life.
“When I first came to coach, I was an angry person and when I began seeing him, I would watch how he would carry himself and it made me want to be like that,” he said.
“It taught me discipline and patience and many other traits.”
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