Faeez Jacobs will never forget the moment he was humiliated by bullies in front of his entire school in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town.
“I was standing in the line at school and these two big boys came running towards me with a rope. They cornered me. The rope pulled me in the air and they swung me and let go. I fell on the concrete. I had several injuries. My skin was torn and bruised and this happened in front of the entire school just before the teacher was about to address the school.”
“I felt humiliated but I got up, cleaned myself off and went to stand in the line again. I will never forget it.”
But this isn’t the only time Jacobs was beaten up by bullies.
“I was always the new kid at school. I was small and skinny and so I had a target on my back. Sometimes I was called a ‘white coloured’. I was a total outcast. I was afraid of standing up for myself and allowed most bullies to walk all over me.”
But it was these incidents that has today carved Jacobs into one of Africa’s most feared mixed martial arts fighters. The Mitchells Plain fighter is dominating the world of MMA and last weekend, the 23-year-old was the talk of the town, as he claimed the Extreme Fighting Championships Bantamweight Interim champion title.
He defeated former multiple division champ Nkazimulo “ZuluBoy” Zulu in an intense five-round bout.
Jacobs, known as “TroubleMaker” in the ring, has become the first MMA champion from Mitchells Plain.
Jacobs’ exploits in the MMA
world over the past few months has seen him become a symbol of inspiration and hope for the community of Mitchells Plain.
“It is a huge honour. That means the world to me because when I didn’t think it possible, I drew my inspiration from others who had done amazing things like Bruce Lee and Ali.”
“The people from the community love what I do and support me immensely, but what they really adore, is what I stand for. The community is proud of the message I’m putting out. I got praise for my post-fight speech.”
Jacobs believes his troubled past is what has helped him become the champion he is today.
But while the bullying made Jacobs a fearless person, it also made him reckless and heartless.
“I wasn’t a brave kid. I created this other personality for me. I took things that made me nervous and afraid and just did them to start growing a backbone to overcome fear.”
“I started vandalising things. I became dishonest and heartless. I didn’t want to be soft anymore. So I decided I would never be afraid again. I broke into the tuck shop, I stole the hand bell and cut the electronic belt.
“I got into a backyard brawl when I was 16 years old. The rules were to fight till first blood and we can only box with MMA gloves.”
“I won that fight and loved the idea of competing and went to train MMA, loved it, and made up my mind that this was what I was going to do as a career.”
He says he is hoping that his success in the MMA world will spur on youngsters in Mitchells Plain to chase their dreams. “I’m hoping it will get others to be true to themselves and believe that anything is possible.
“I want success for everybody and I pray that more kids follow my footsteps in reaching for their dreams rather then following the footsteps of gangsters and drug addicts.
“I’m so sick and tired of seeing how strong of an influence those negative lifestyles have on the youth.”