Leeds MMA Fighters Win Best of Awards
Mixed Martial Artists Malik Basahel and Elijah Butler have received the professional and amateur best fighter 2025 awards respectively at their gym AVT in Morley.
AVT’s Mason Yarrow is also an award winner having been chosen as Male Fighter of the Year by the prestigious South Yorkshire based BMF Promotions.
Former Leeds University finance student Basahel, 24, is from Saudi Arabia and took up MMA aged 14.
He said: “I’ve been in England for five years. A friend introduced me to AVT. I’ve fitted in well and in my first year as a professional I’ve won my three bouts.”
Rothwell’s Elijah Butler, 18, is loving the life of being trained while coaching others at AVT.
He said: "I won my four bouts on BMF last year including one by submission. It remains my aim to join the professional MMA ranks possibly within a couple of years.
"I’m described as ‘obsessively active’ and I’ve trained at AVT for 11 years now. In total I’ve won six of nine amateur bouts.”
Mason Yarrow, 25, is a former member of the national Taekwondo squad but switched to MMA in 2022. v
"AVT is the best MMA gym around which is why I drive up from Doncaster several times a week. My coaches have helped me make rapid progress and I’m proud of my award. I’m in the squad for a tournament in Serbia in February and depending on opportunities might pursue a career in professional MMA.”
AVT coach Jay Furness commended the award winners. “The common thread here is having big goals and thoroughly committing to achieving them through a strong work ethic.”