After years of a successful sporting career, Nigeria’s four-time kickboxing gold medalist, Jibrin Inuwa Baba, pays homage to his town Kano where he meets his coach at the Dambe boxing arena. His hope is to see young athletes equally succeed in their boxing career.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 In this fighting tradition,
00:05 greatness demands sacrifice.
00:07 (upbeat music)
00:10 - Jebrin Inuababa is a highly decorated MMA fighter.
00:16 A four-time national kickboxing gold medalist,
00:19 he has conquered rings
00:20 both domestically and internationally.
00:23 (horn blaring)
00:24 But amidst the glee,
00:26 his roots lie in the gritty Dambe Arenas of Nigeria's north.
00:31 (upbeat music)
00:33, so we are, you know, a lot of people come and compete,
00:38 you understand, to show their braveness, you understand?
00:40 And just like any other combat sport, you understand?
00:44 Yeah, everybody comes here to win.
00:48 After I fought a little bit,
00:50 then I realized that, okay,
00:51 let me take this to the global level.
00:54 I think if we can hit each other here and, you know,
00:56 break our faces and we get some little cash,
00:59 let me go and get the millions there.
01:01 (upbeat music)
01:02 But despite Jebrin's MMA success,
01:05 he has not forgotten where he came from.
01:07 Today, Kano's brother Wilson is coming home.
01:10 (upbeat music)
01:13 - This is my old neighborhood
01:14 and this is where I used to train, here.
01:16 I used to skip here, I used to do footwork.
01:19 And then on that wall, I used to put my pad,
01:21 my brother holding it, me punching.
01:24 I miss this place, you know?
01:25 I miss this place, I'm telling you a lie.
01:27 I miss this place.
01:28 You know, competition takes me away,
01:30 but I feel peaceful when I come back here.
01:32 (upbeat music)
01:33 - The sweetness of reunions can only last so long.
01:37 Jebrin's training regimen is unforgiving.
01:39 And early the next morning,
01:41 it's time to get back to the job.
01:43 He hones his skills under the guidance
01:45 of coach Abdellahi Trigasali,
01:47 who introduced him to kickboxing.
01:50 - More speed, Jebrin.
01:51 (upbeat music)
01:52 Jebrin, his background came from Dambe.
01:56 His fighting style, actually, he's a toe-to-toe fighter.
01:59 His toe-to-toe fighter means he comes,
02:01 he's standing in front, you beat him,
02:02 he beats you, and see who's gonna go down.
02:05 Jebrin is very good in that kind of fight.
02:07 - Jebrin has decided that on this trip home,
02:10 he will step back into the Dambe ring
02:12 to take on a challenger.
02:14 He thinks the game can be integrated
02:16 into modern combat sports.
02:18 And despite his years of competing in glitzy, far-off arenas,
02:22 he doesn't want to see his fellow
02:23 Northern athletes left behind.
02:26 - As much as my career now is moving forward,
02:28 I mean, I'm succeeding,
02:30 I really want my young ones to succeed,
02:32 you know, here in Kanubi.
02:33 You know, this is how I get myself to that level.
02:36 So I have to come back, and since I can do it,
02:38 I believe that these young kids,
02:39 these young guys can do it too.
02:41 They can do more than I do, you understand?
02:43 And that's why I'm always here.
02:45 You know, I will always be here,
02:46 as long as I'm alive, to, you know, to build the sport here.
02:50 (upbeat music)
02:53 (speaking foreign language)
02:57 - I'm here with myself, my wife, our daughter,
03:02 Kerat, who's three years old.
03:04 Then Amina, my wife's sister,
03:06 and then Mustafa, my younger brother.
03:08 Sometimes when I come back from competition,
03:14 my daughter used to ask me, "What happened to your face?"
03:17 This sport needs a lot of commitment.
03:19 Your money, your health, your time, everything.
03:23 You know, you have to use supplement,
03:24 like whey protein and all that stuff,
03:25 to keep yourself fit, to be strong.
03:27 You know, you have to use all your time to train.
03:30 You have to pay the coaches.
03:31 If you only focus on only fighting,
03:34 to take care of your family,
03:35 it will be very hard for you to do that.
03:37 (upbeat music)