Arshia Ebadi is a young man who has taken New Zealand kickboxing by storm. At just 19 years old, he is already the reigning 68kg King in the Ring champion, as well as an amateur WKN World title holder, in addition to a two-time WKA New Zealand champion.

He steps up in weight at the upcoming 75kg King in the Ring tournament on March 20^th in Auckland, to take on arguably the toughest line-up in the promotion’s history.

Ebadi started training four years ago at PARS Academy where he spent two years under Mohsen Rafei, before moving to Beyond Muay Thai for six months under Lee Koloto, now training out of Kings Academy since March 2019.

Fight News’ Harry Greenfield caught up with Arshia ahead of his upcoming eight-man King in the Ring tournament.

Hi Arshia. How surreal was it to win the 68kg King in the Ring? Did you expect to be the King?

“Man let me tell you, to win three fights in one night against the best NZ has to offer, especially at such a young age and with little experience, is always surreal when I think about it.

“But when you're training with the best team in NZ and have the best coaches, like Chris Martin, Richie Nola, Eli Reupena, Yordniyom Yuttakangumtorn, Steve Oliver and Vahid Unesi, anything is possible.

“Of course, I expected to be King; if I didn't, I wouldn't have been there on the night. I believe I'm different to all these fighters you see now with all the same basic style.

“The new wave is coming, and everyone will be put on notice real soon.

I remember you stopped your first opponent (in the 68kg KitR) with a left scissor knee out of nowhere. Is this a move you had drilled in the gym?

“That's just one tool from the hundreds of weapons I have in my armoury. My team study each opponent and then discuss what tools we need to bring out. I sharpen my tools every day, can't leave them blunt.”

What happened in your fight against Liu Lei at Kings vs Legends?

“I'm no judge, nor have I had experience judging fights, so I can't really voice my opinion on it but I believe I did enough to bag round 1 and 3.

“The people thought I won it too. The fight game wouldn't be the fight game without all this drama and misconceptions but I'm just happy I got to the fight the best and did enough to beat the best.

“Gaining experience and knowledge against a high-level fighter is equally as good as getting your hand raised.”

You are set to compete in the upcoming 75kg KitR. Is this a new weight class for you (i.e. have you been putting on weight) or is it just a one-time thing?

“Yes, this is my first time fighting at 75kg. I don't care about the weight or the opponent, I just want to test myself against the best and show people I'm not here just for the fun.

“I'm here to stay. Anyone at any weight can get it. This will be a nice little gamble.”

Besides Blood Diamond, who is the toughest fight in the tournament?

“Have you seen the lineup? This is the hardest KitR in its history.

“Every fighter in the line-up is a threat. They’re on there for a reason, but with the work I've been putting in day in, day out, you’d best believe we walking out that stadium Mr Two Times.”

Tell us about the team environment at Kings Academy.

“Kings Academy is more than just a gym, it's a family. You'd walk in for the first time and after your first session, it would feel like you've known everyone for years.

“Without the support the team here at Kings provides, we wouldn't have half the success we have now.

“Everyone has their own unique style and knowledge of the game and when you mix that together between everyone you have a super team.”

Who is on the hit-list in 2020?

“Listen, I'm ready for anyone. I don't care who you are I just wanna fight.

“I love going deep into the trenches, so if you want some, hit my people up and let's go. I'm just trying to make it and if you're going to get in my way best believe it's gone be a murder.”

That is terrifying, haha. Thanks for the interview, Arshia!

You can follow Arshia Ebadi on his Instagram: @arshiatwotimes. Fight News will keep you updated on King in the Ring in the weeks to come. For tickets, visit the Eventfinda website.