"I'm gonna do what I do, for the city I'm from".
Since Mustafa Ali's debut for WWE in the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic tournament, he has felt that there has been this assumption of him made by fans although they barely know him. This stands true as Ali made his way to the ring in the tournament and was met with a few boos from fans, although he was supposed to be the "face" in the contest. Ali squared off against Lince Dorado in the first-round and although he fell short, he knew that he made a great impression.
"But in those five minutes, I was determined to show the world what I can do. It was a wild experience. I knew that's where my passion was," Ali told ESPN.
His tenure on 205 Live has been one that is all about changing the perception that the general public have of people who "look like him" and he is determined to go head strong at doing so.
"My name doesn't exactly shout babyface," said Ali, "Just take a look at anything you do. Go to the movies and you see a guy with a turban, he's a terrorist right? We're getting better, but we have so much more to do. I've been told that to see someone like me on TV, someone who's not the bad guy, but rather an American who comes out with a smile and high-fiving the fans is encouraging. It gives me hope."
Ali's journey of changing the world and making half of it his will culminate this upcoming Sunday at WrestleMania 34 as he and Cedric Alexander will battle it out to determine a new WWE Cruiserweight Champion.