ONE FC MMA Fighter Raymond Tiew: The Underdog Among Lions

ONE FC MMA Fighter Raymond Tiew: The Underdog Among Lions

Published on April 7, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC, Opinion

Raymond Tiew: The Underdog Among Lions – ONE FC MMA Fighter

 Another Story from our thoughtful ONE FC insider: The Coffee Boy

In every organization there are young, up and coming martial artists working their way up the ladder of success. Among those young fighters, there are the submission artists, the knock out artists, the ones who barely get by, and then there are people like Raymond Tiew. People like him are fun to watch, fast-paced, and unpredictable – a recipe for an exciting fighter. That said, however, this young man still has a ways to go to be able to face the giants – well, relatively big giants – in ONE FC’s featherweight division.

The featherweight division is still growing, and new fighters will probably be signed throughout the year. So far, they have signed up and coming stars such as Honorio Banario, Mitch Chilson, and Bae Young Kwon. They have also signed elite featherweight fighters such as King of the Cage champion Donald Sanchez, and DREAM and Shooto hero Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Let me get right to it: What’s the right next step for Raymond Tiew. He is coming off a disappointing loss against SEA Games medalist and MMA newbie Victorio Senduk, losing by way of TKO due to a knee injury. The injury came as a result of both of them ending up on the ground attempting some sort of a leg lock (to be honest, it did look rather amateur-ish). He did demonstrate some very fast and heavy striking early on, like he usually tries to. But the question begs an answer: Whom should Raymond Tiew face next? It would be a waste to put him against an amateur, yet you certainly can’t justify him fighting the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri or Donald Sanchez.

I have thought it over, and here are three people whom I believe could bring out the best in Raymond Tiew.

Mitch Chilson

This man fights out of one of the best gyms in Asia over at Evolve in Singapore. He currently has a record of 2 – 1, his last fight losing against the URCC Featherweight Champion Eric Kelly by submission, after a very tough back and forth fight.

Mitch Chilson is pretty well rounded and has sets a good pace that could match the aggressiveness of Raymond Tiew. If there’s one area Raymond Tiew needs improvement on it is his ground game, and Chilson will be well prepared to take him down. However, if Raymond plays his cards right, this could turn into a slug fest and has the potential for a very exciting fight. I like this match-up mainly because I believe it will clearly show us what Raymond Tiew has in his arsenal, and where he is in terms of rankings in the featherweight division.

Honorio Banario

This reigning URCC Lightweight Champion dropped to the featherweight division when he signed with ONE FC. He currently stands at 6 – 1, losing his last fight to Bae Young Kwon. He has a good set of skills in his standup arsenal, and has a decent ground game, having submitted opponents by armbar, rear-naked choke, and a kimura.

Why this opponent? This champion definitely wants to get back in there and get back on a winning streak, but after losing his ONE FC debut, one doubts just how good he is, and what his record really says about the level of opponents he has had. Pitting him against Raymond Tiew is a good matchup because this gives Raymond a fighters chance to strike with this Team Lakay Wushu star, and it might give Raymond a chance to demonstrate how he has developed his ground game thus far, if at all.

Victorio Senduk

Why do I want a rematch? Simple: their first fight was close enough until they both locked each other in an amateur move and Raymond walked away with a bum knee. Senduk has a professional record of 1 – 0, his only win being against Raymond. Senduk did look comfortable standing with Raymond, and while he did come off a little stiff, he was able to hold his own.

This rematch would give us the opportunity to see what would have happened had Raymond not get taken down – while he was in a dominant mount position by the way – by Victorio’s unorthodox leg hooks pushing the front of Raymond’s body backwards. I believe the fight will go more or less the same, with Raymond ending up on top again, but this time not getting caught in an embarrassing rooky situation. And this time, we’ll get to see what kind of ground and pound Raymond possesses, and how Victorio Senduk has improved since his win.

We don’t know whom ONE FC has signed besides the ones listed on their website, but if I had to pick from just that list, it would be these 3. They are tough, they are fresh, and they are hungry to win, make an impact, and put on an awesome show for the biggest MMA stage in Asia right now. Whatever happens, I hope they give Raymond Tiew a game opponent – someone with a good set of skills, and not someone for him to walk over.