Mahmoud “El Deep” Mohamed (4-4-1) long turned to martial arts to stay focused, and maintain a firm grip on his destiny.

The 38-year-old prefers not to get involved in the political affairs of his country, opting instead to focus on the things he can control. That, he believes, is the key to a peaceful existence.

“I love to live in quiet and silence,” he says about his life choices. Having that luxury is not always easy, given Egypt’s state of affairs. However, Mahmoud maintains peace by focusing on vocation and family. Those have seen him quickly rise up the ranks of Egypt’s competitive martial arts scene, where he is one of its most recognizable faces.

Seeds of Mahmoud’s work ethic in the gym were planted early in life. The patriarch of the family was also a military man. As such, discipline was the order of the day, every day. That early regimented lifestyle is something “El Deep” leans on during training camps.

Also, his father was the first to instil the importance of martial arts to his sons. Not for the purposes of competition, but for something more practical. “I learned from [my father] how to protect my family, and how to be a champion,” he explains.

Growing up in Cairo, the growing Mahmoud was constantly on alert for people looking to exploit any sign of weakness. That willingness to stand up for himself, coupled with his growing martial arts pedigree, gave him and his brother, fellow ONE athlete Sherif “The Shark” Mohamed, a reputation in the community.

“I lived in a highly-populated city, so all the time, I met more problems,” he recollects. “After a few years, everyone knew I had earned respect, so people started to respect me and my brother. I loved martial arts, but I did not know what I was doing back then was martial arts. I just knew it as self-defense.”

Mahmoud did not take to school like he took to training. As a student, textbooks simply were not engaging enough to maintain his interest. He thrived on the lessons learned from martial arts, however. 

The gym was also a welcoming place and a home away from home. Eventually, the Egyptian Top Team family were like kin to the Mohamed brothers.

“All the sports in Egypt closed the door in my face,” he explains. “The only door that was open was by my coach Mohamed Abdel Hamid and the Egyptian Top Team family. He gave me everything.”

Today, the brothers are some of the top martial artists in their country. They have a total of 21 bouts between them, including multiple trips to the biggest stage in Asia, the ONE Championship cage.

“El Deep” is currently preparing for his return following an 11-month hiatus from competition. At ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI on Saturday, 2 September, he faces a stiff test against decorated Muay Thai Champion Sagetdao “Deadly Star” Petpayathai (1-0).

While “Deadly Star” is no pushover, Mahmoud is aiming for an impressive performance to get his career back on track. He has come up short in previous trips to the cage, experiencing tough losses against the likes of Christian “The Warrior” Lee and Bashir Ahmad.

Mahmoud insists he has learned from those defeats, and that they have made him a much better athlete. A victory over a revered striker like Petpayathai in Shanghai will make those earlier setbacks worthwhile.

“I learned to surprise my opponents,” he acknowledges. “Now, I think it is my time. I want to do my best inside the cage.”