At the young age of eighteen, Najai suddenly became the man of the house, when his mother passed away. He then had the additional responsibility of taking care of his younger siblings.
The means streets of his Philly neighborhood had recently dealt Najai another obsticale when he was carjacked at gunpoint and robbed of several hundred dollars in cash. Frustrated and thinking of revenge, he suddenly had a change of heart when the acceptance package from The Contender arrived at his door. Seeing his participation in the show as an opportunity to prove himself, Najai strongly believed it was a sign from God and “He was letting me know he had my back the whole time.”