Interview with a MMA Warrior – Raymond Tiew

Interview With A Mixed Martial Arts Warrior – Raymond Tiew

Published on November 23, 2011 by The Editor in Opinion

Interview with a MMA Warrior – Raymond Tiew

The Malaysian MMA scene is really taking off with a series of small scale shows launched which have showcased some of the country’s best up and coming fighters. With Asia’s biggest MMA show, ONE Fighting Championship, scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur in April the race is on to see which local mixed martial artists will make their way onto the card.

One fighter who has been making waves is 22 year old Raymond Tiew. He has a background in Taekwondo and Sanshou and has impressed a lot of people in the process of accumulating a 5-2 amateur record.

He spoke to MMA News Asia about his reasons for getting into martial arts and his ambition of becoming a world class fighter.

When did you first start martial arts and why?

I first started when I was 7 years old and Taekwondo was the first martial art I learned. I got involved in martial arts because of my bad discipline when I was young. I got in my first fight when I was 5 years old and after that, I fought all the time, even when in primary school. The only reason I fought was because I was getting bullied but my dad saw the talent in me and wanted me to have more discipline, so he took me to learn martial arts.

What is your competitive martial arts experience?

I took part in my first competition fight when I was 15 years old, the Taekwondo KL open tournament in 2005. I won a bronze medal and then I joined a lot of Taekwondo competition, even the international open. When I was 19 I started to learn Chinese Sanshou kickboxing and in 2011 I won the bronze medal at the Hong Kong Wushu open in San Shou.

How would you describe your style?

I’m a stand up fighter, I like to strike more, and I am good at counter attacking and I always like to keep a distance. If I get taken to the ground, I will try to get away from the opponent unless I am on top of him and have a chance on ground and pound.

Why did you decide to start competing in MMA?

I decided to get involved in MMA because I love a challenge and want to fight with every martial art in the world, you can see every famous martial art in MMA like Muay Thai, BJJ, Karate, kick boxing, pure boxing, wrestling etc. I love martial arts and I want to get involved and learn and challenge myself against every martial artist I can.

How often do you train and who do you train with?

 I train 3-5 hours a day 6 days per week. I often train with my Sanshou Sifu Alex Loh in Puchong, he is the KL under 18 Sanshou coach and Peter Davis who is an MMA champion from the UK and I do condition and endurance training with Jasper Chai and Tiger from Muayfit.

Is MMA popular in Malaysia? Do a lot of people understand it?

MMA is not popular in Malaysia, yet, but its growing because of shows like Mayhem and Fight Night and because of One FC which is very famous all over Asia. People in Malaysia are not familiar with MMA yet but they are interested in Taekwondo, Karate, Boxing, Wushu and Muay Thai which is famous because of the movie ‘Ong Bak’ and because our country is near to Thailand.

People are used to the the punching, kicking and wrestling or throwing but don’t understand ground skills and BJJ so people in Malaysia still don’t fully understand MMA.  A lot of people have gone to watch the Mayhem and Fight Night shows which Muayfit have promoted and I think they are learning about MMA and are starting to really like it.

Do you have a full time job and if so how do you fit your training around it?

I don’t have a full time job, just a part time job as a fitness instructor in Muayfit. My time in my job is quite flexible so it is easy to arrange my time to train myself and spend time with my family as well. My family give me a full support in my martial arts career.

Is there a lot of excitement in Malaysia about One FC next year?

ONE FC will bring a big event with professional fighters from around the world to fight in Malaysia, they will introduce a new sport to Malaysia, it is very exciting. I saw the first ONE FC event and it was amazing, I can’t wait for this show to come to Malaysia.

How much have you enjoyed competing at the Mayhem and Fight Night events and how much do you think the experience will have helped you?

The Muayfit events, Mayhem and Fight Night, have given me a lot of opportunity to gain more experience. They don’t just have local fighters, there are also fighters from other foreign countries like Russia, Africa, Hong Kong and the middle east who have experience of fighting in their own country so I can study how they fight. Not only that but I get to use on myself in the environment inside a cage with an audience and pressure so I can learn how to focus and calm myself for every fight I have. I want to get involved as much as I can to make myself a better fighter, a world class fighter.

Who are the other MMA fighters to look out for in Malaysia?

The other fighters who you need to look out for are Adam Kayoom from Q23 Academy, Peter Davis from Muayfit and Jian Kai Chee from TNT kick boxing Gym who has an excellent standing fight style.