‘Little Boy With A Big Dream’ – How Parham Gheirati Fought His Way From Humble Beginnings To ONE Championship
The Iranian ace reflects on his martial arts journey ahead of his return against Nakrob Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 48.
By Chris Mohan
Sep 28, 2026, 12:14 UTC
Parham Gheirati did not grow up with much. What he did grow up with was a father who believed in him, and it turned out to be more than enough.
The Iranian slugger faces Nakrob Fairtex in a bantamweight Muay Thai clash at ONE Fight Night 48: Erdogan vs. Elliott on Prime Video, streaming live in U.S. primetime this Friday, October 2, from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Before he steps back onto the global stage, here is the story of how the 22-year-old knockout artist, raised on very little, found his way to the global stage.
A Father’s Lasting Influence
Money was tight for the Gheirati family growing up, a reality shared by countless households across Iran during that stretch of time. His mother stayed home to raise him and his younger sister, while his father spent long hours behind the wheel, delivering drinks to shops all across Tehran.
Most kids around him gravitated toward freestyle wrestling, which is traditionally regarded as Iran’s national sport. Gheirati, however, never once felt the pull. His path led somewhere else entirely, and the reason traces directly back to the sole breadwinner of his family.
Gheirati said:
“My father was a kickboxer. And I was introduced to kickboxing by him. Everyone around me was doing wrestling – even in our schools, they taught us wrestling. But I never practiced it. It was kickboxing all the way.
“But actually, I never took it seriously at the start because I was only 6 or 7 years old. I was just in the gym for fun. But when I was 10, that was when I started taking it more seriously. I started training and punching properly.”
Indeed, for those first three or four years, kickboxing was little more than an activity he enjoyed – nothing deeper than that.
Football never called to him, wrestling never called to him, and while the other kids in his neighborhood spent their days outdoors, the young gun simply cycled between school, family time, and the gym.
Gheirati had no way of knowing it then, but the more time he spent inside that small studio, surrounded by hungry talent, the harder he fell for the sport.
He said:
“We switched gyms after, and at that time, the coach was my father’s friend. He had two or three gyms, but his son didn’t really like training. So he really focused on me. And from there, I always loved training.
“I never missed even one day of training, really. From the age of 10, I went every time. I grew in love with fighting. I grew in love with training. Just being in the gym, seeing fighters train and push themselves really hard, motivated me.”
A Champion’s Rise, A Rockier Path
That gym eventually gave way to another, this time under a new coach named Musa Nagizadeh, who Gheirati would go on to train under for the better part of half a decade as his career took shape.
Several coaches played a role in his development over the years, but none quite like Nagizadeh, the man Gheirati credits most when he looks back on his path toward turning professional.
He said:
“Musa was my last coach in Iran. I used to train with many coaches in Iran. All of them helped me during every different time of my career. I really have to [credit] all of them.
“But the one who really pushed me to become better at that time, to chase a professional dream, was Musa. I trained with him for like five to six years.”
Gheirati made the most of his amateur days on the national team, becoming Iran’s junior champion at just 12 years old. Unfortunately, when COVID-19 hit, his life narrowed entirely to training, commuting hours each day to work with Musa, stepping away from school, and picking up odd jobs alongside his father just to get by.
That sacrifice paid off, and he went on to become a gold medalist for the Iranian national team from 15 through 18.
Turning that domestic success into a genuine World Championship opportunity, however, proved considerably harder, not for a lack of ambition, but simply due to how difficult finding proper backing and sponsorship turned out to be.
He said:
“I had the chance to go to the World Championships during my last three or four years in Iran. I was dreaming to be a World Champion, I wanted to fight for my country, but finding support and sponsors was really tough.
“But also, at that time, some of my friends moved to Thailand, and I saw this as a good [way] to change from being an amateur to a professional very fast. So, I continued fighting, I got some money, and told myself, ‘I know it’s hard, but I will try to do it [and move to Thailand].'”
Doubters Everywhere, Yet He Pressed On
Leaving behind a close-knit family to chase a dream in a foreign country is never an easy decision.
For Gheirati, that choice came with an added layer of doubt. Almost everyone outside his own household seemed convinced he was making a mistake.
He said:
“Everybody told me, ‘Thailand doesn’t have money. Don’t go. You cannot survive, you cannot live.’ At that time, ONE Friday Fights wasn’t around yet, and we had to fight for smaller purses.
“But my response was simple. I always told them, ‘I wasn’t going for money. I was going to gain victories, try to be my best, and become a champion.’ That was the only thing going through my head, and I moved to Thailand anyway.”
For a stretch after arriving, those warnings felt uncomfortably close to the truth. The dream did not look anything like what the teenager had pictured in his head. He strapped on the gloves and endured a five-fight losing streak.
Still, he refused to let the rough patch cloud his judgment, driven in large part by memories of just how hard his parents had it when he was young.
Gheirati said:
“Although I was just losing a lot, I never thought about giving up or stopping the sport because I didn’t have any choice. I only knew kickboxing and Muay Thai all my life. So it never crossed my mind to change to a different career. I wanted to show them the little boy with a big dream can become special.
“Also, I always remember the hard life my parents had when I was young. So, I was always eager to help them. I haven’t seen my father, mother, and sister for five years now. But they are my biggest motivation. I’m always fighting for them.”
The ONE Championship Dream
Inconsistent form eventually led Gheirati to switch gyms once more, including a brief stint at Team Mehdi Zatout, before he finally found his home at Petchsaman Gym in Pattaya, Thailand. The environment suited him perfectly, and the results followed almost immediately.
He knocked out Samingnum M Ekachart in his promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 40 in November 2023.
The following year was his finest yet on the global stage. A five-fight winning streak, capped by a third-round knockout of George Mouzakitis at ONE Friday Fights 84, earned him the coveted US$100,000 main roster contract.
Gheirati said:
“The first fight in ONE Championship really changed my life. At that time, I had so many problems here, and I needed to pay for so many things. It was a difficult time. But I accepted the fight, and after that, everything was very good.
“Winning the contract later, it was like the most happiness I’ve ever felt in my life. I dreamed of having this contract and fighting on the biggest stage. It was the best feeling.”
His main roster debut, however, did not go according to plan.
A loss to Rambolek Chor Ajalaboon brought his lengthy winning streak to an end, though he bounced back with a second-round finish of Tyson “John Wayne Noi” Harrison at ONE Friday Fights 127.
An injury sustained before that very fight ultimately required surgery, keeping him sidelined since October 2025 as he focused entirely on getting his body right again.
Now, he returns against Nakrob fully healed and eager to continue his climb toward 26 pounds of gold.
He said:
“It’s been some tough period for me over the last two fights. I lost to Rambolek, and there were some issues with myself before the fight. I also had an injury before facing Tyson, and after that fight I knew I had to take some time off.
“It was tough. But I made sure I was back to full fitness before this fight. So, my body is now feeling very good.”
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