Makwan Amirkhani understands the plight of refugees because, at one point, he was one.

When he was 5, Amirkhani and his family fled their native Kurdistan for Finland after the Iran-Iraq War. Now, the 26-year-old UFC featherweight is an advocate for other refugees, speaking on Finnish national TV about the plight of Syrians trying to cross into Europe.

“We will never solve the problem in our countries,” Amirkhani (12-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) told MMAjunkie. “We need to solve the problem where it comes from.

“I don’t like it when people run for their lives and they drown on their way.”

Amirkhani was referring to Aylan Kurdi, 2, whose death sparked uproar on social media and brought into stark focus the plight of refugees who are fleeing conflict zones. According to CNN, more than 2,600 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. Four million Syrians have been displaced by its ongoing civil war.

Kurdi’s death has increased pressure on the European Union to deal with the refugee crisis, though several proposed solutions have met roadblocks. Turkey’s government recently rebuffed $3.4 billion in aid, calling the EU’s offer “political bribery.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. government is pledging to accept 10,000 displaced Syrians over the next year while increasing the cap on refugees from 70,000 to 85,000.

Small as these measures might be, Amirkhani said help can’t only come from one place.

“It won’t change if just one country is doing good things,” he said. “It has to be the whole world.”

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Photos used in video courtesy of International Rescue Committee.

