Siyar Bahadurzada has been appointed as the head coach at Evolve MMA. The UFC veteran has moved to Singapore to oversee a fight team that boasts the likes of Angela Lee, Christian Lee, Xiong Jing Nan and Shinya Aoki among its ranks.

Bahadurzada has been on the UFC roster since 2012 and his record currently stands at 24-8-1. The 35 year old is a former Shooto middleweight champion and the most successful fighter to ever emerge from Afghanistan.

“While coaching will be a completely different experience for me, I never back down from any challenge and I look forward to growing alongside the team of world champions and elite athletes from the Evolve fight team. I’m excited to pass on what I’ve learned from competing at the highest levels and training under some of the world’s top coaches,” he said.

Bahadurzada, who is a veteran of eight UFC bouts, will be taking a break from fighting to focus on his coaching commitments. Last Friday he was in the corner of Evolve MMA’s Maira Mazar who was submitted by Ayaka Miura at ONE: ‘A New Tomorrow’ in Bangkok.