ONE FC: Title-contenders and Prospects

ONE FC: Title-contenders and Prospects

Published on June 27, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

ONE FC: Title-contenders and Prospects

People are still buzzing over ONE FC 4: Destiny of Warriors, and rightfully so. It was an action-packed night full of knockouts, submissions, and excitement. It seems as though ONE FC won’t be stopping anytime soon, with their next event happening in the Philippines at the end of August. But what did we learn about the fighters that night?

First off, we learned that Renato Sobral still has it, even after being out of the cage since his lost to Dan Henderson back in December of 2010. Despite being knocked down early, he caught Mizuno in his guard and worked a beautiful armbar off his back, forcing the early submission.

Eventually ONE FC will have their own championship titles, and one can assume that Renato Sobral is very close to a title shot, maybe only one fight away. At 36, this is probably his last chance at a run at a title shot; and with a performance like that he is off to a good start.

We also learned that Zorobabel Moreira is by no means a chump – he picked Roger Huerta apart, a seasoned fighter of the sport, in the stand up game and was not only able to hold his own, but quickly tired out Huerta.

The soccer kick Zorobabel Moreira landed will be talked about for a long time. It is one of the more controversial issues of the night, but no one can deny it brought back memories of Pride.

With his win over Roger Huerta, Moreira’s record improves to 7 – 1. It’s easy to see that he could fight in either the lightweight or welterweight division, and be a force in the division. He probably isn’t that far away from a title shot either.

It would make some sense for Moreira to stay in the welterweight division, as his gym Evolve – highly considered one of the best in Asia by far – has Eddie Ng, Brian Choi, and Shinya Aoki in the lightweight division.

Adam Kayoom improved to 3 – 1 with his win over Brazilian prospect Gregor Gracie. While he probably isn’t as close to a title shot as some others on the card are, he certainly made a name for himself being able to hold his own off his back against Gracie, and absolutely dominated the standup game.

Eric Kelly maintained his unbeaten streak, improving to 7 – 0 with his closely contested fight against Bae Young Kwon. Kelly landed the cleaner, heavier strikes, and was still very active off his back despite being tossed around by the Judo expert.  He has established himself as a force in the featherweight division, and a title shot makes sense, seeing as he is the URCC Featherweight Champion right now.

Arnaud Lepont had probably the toughest fight he has had thus far against Brian Choi. From the moment the fight started, he went in for the kill and traded bombs with Choi before being taken down.

Off his back, Lepont was working for a kimura and at other point seemed to be looking to set up a guillotine choke. He was very busy off his back, but it looked as though Choi was going to walk away the victor.

In the third round, Lepont managed to come from behind and caught Choi in a deep rear naked choke, making it a spectacular comeback. His record improves to 9 – 1, winning four of his last six fights by submission.

Immediately after the fight he called out Shinya Aoki, and while the matchup seems unlikely, Lepont seems to really want this fight and it would certainly be a fight many fans would like to see. It would give Aoki a chance to avenge his teammates loss, and gives Lepont a chance to really make a name for himself.

Peter Davis and Mitch Chilson both walked away with quick wins, proving they are not in this short term. Peter Davis quickly took apart Kim Hock, winning by TKO in the first minute. Mitch Chilson submitted Malaysian prospect AJ Vaa by rear naked choke with almost no trouble at all.

The rankings of the fighters in ONE FC seem to be shaping up nicely, and you can expect title shots to be announced later this year, or early next year. Expect to hear the names of Zorobabel Moreira, Renato Sobral, Shinya Aoki, Eric Kelly, and Arnaud Lepont.

Quick Thoughts: Significance of ONE FC 4 for Malaysia from the Coffee Boy

Quick Thoughts: Significance of ONE FC 4 for Malaysia from the Coffee Boy

Published on June 26, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC

Quick Thoughts: Significance of ONE FC 4 for Malaysia

ONE FC 4: Destiny of Warriors was a spectacular night of mixed martial arts action, and while the Malaysian crowd was being exposed to a relatively new combat sport they seemed to love every bit of it.

Since One Fighting Championship’s inaugural event back in September of 2011, they have been lauded as the premier mixed martial arts promotion in Asia, boasting a roster full of up-and-coming prospects and ex-UFC/Strikeforce fighters. With the network of gyms and promotions ONE FC has created, it’s no wonder they are taking over the world of Asian MMA in extravagant fashion.

One was curious to see how the Malaysian crowd would react to this level of “violence”, as one young fan called it. What was surprising was the fact that the crowd wanted more and more, which made for a memorable night of MMA.

Martial arts have been an integral part of its culture for a very long time now, and the sport of mixed martial arts will prove to be pivotal for the growth of martial arts in Malaysia to reach a whole new level.

The boys from Muayfit – widely considered the best MMA gym in Malaysia, and one of the best in Asia – went a perfect 3 – 0 at the event. This is not only good marketing for the gym, but a confidence booster for other young fighters who are looking to get into this beautiful sport.

Malaysian fighters Peter Davis and Adam Kayoom received the loudest applause, and their wins secure them as local heroes in this country.

What set ONE FC 4 apart from other events they’ve held is the fact that not only did this help the growth of the sport in this part of the world, but that it was the first card where every fight was exciting and had people on the edge of their seats.

For Malaysia’s first stadium-held mixed martial arts event, it was a crazy night of action, comebacks, submissions, and one nasty soccer kick to the head knockout. MMA is going to go mainstream in Malaysia very soon.

ONE FC is on the right track.

ONE FC The Official Results and More

ONE FC The Official Results and More

Published on June 24, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC

ADAM KAYOOM AND PETER DAVIS BRING THE GLORY OF ASIAN MMA TO MALAYSIA AT ONE FC DESTINY OF WARRIORS

24 June 2012 – Malaysia: Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) scored a successful debut in the heart of Kuala Lumpur with ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors. The largest ever event held in Malaysia proved to be explosive with a series of world-class MMA battles at Stadium Negara. Local heroes Adam Kayoom and Peter Davis fought their way to victory in front of a roaring home crowd.

MMA fans were treated to the sensational return of Renato “Babalu” Sobral in the cage tonight as he wasted no time in displaying his submission skills against DREAM Light Heavyweight GP Finalist Tatsuya Mizuno in the highly anticipated main event. After an 18-month hiatus, it took Sobral all of 31 seconds in the first round to secure an unexpected armbar and prove to his fans that he is back with a vengeance.

The packed Stadium Negara was treated to a night of action as Brazil’s Zorobabel Moreira took the Knock Out of the Night bonus with a perfectly timed soccer kick to the head of Roger Huerta. Huerta started off the fight with impressive combinations aimed at Moreira’s head and tried to drive the pace of the fight to secure an early finish. Despite Huerta using his infamous dirty boxing to control most of the first round, Moreira came out swinging in the second and connected with a solid knee in the early part of round two. A visibly exhausted and stunned Huerta went to the mat and Moreira capitalized with a soccer kick to the head of Huerta, knocking him out cold.

Malaysian fans witnessed a milestone in the history of Malaysian MMA as local fighter Adam “Shogun” Shahir Kayoom’s scored an epic win against Gregor Gracie by unanimous decision. As the underdog walking into this fight, Kayoom gave his heartfelt thanks to the home crowd and said in his winning speech in Bahasa Melayu, “If you believe you can do it – you can!” As a well-known celebrity in Malaysia, Peter Davis did not disappoint the crowd as he beat his Singaporean pro-MMA fighter Quek Kim Hock via TKO.

The results of the other fights that took place tonight are as follows:

Marcos Escobar defeats Rodrigo Praxedes by submission choke.

Mitch Chilson defeats AJ Mansour by submission, rear naked choke.

Arnaud Lepont defeats Brian Choi by submission, rear naked choke.

Eric Kelly defeats Bae Young Kwon by unanimous decision.

Leandro Issa defeated Masakazu Imanari by unanimous decision.

For updates, visit www.ONEFC.com

ONE FC Destiny Of Warriors A Rousing Success

ONE FC Destiny Of Warriors A Rousing Success

Published on June 24, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC

ONE FC Destiny of Warriors Delivers in Kuala Lumpur

(Kuala Lumpur 5:00am Sunday-It’s been a long exciting night!)

OK this is the big one Malaysia has never seen an MMA event of anything approaching of this size.

A big crowd is fully expected to create one heck of a buzz, I mean one heck of a buzz! The Stadium Negara has been transformed into a stadium fit for the fastest growing sport in the world.

The crowd mingling outside were looking expectant already wearing shirts showing the latest MMA labels or the MMA Gym or indeed MMA fighter they were supporting.

We got there early it was not due to kick off until 8:00pm and already a fair-sized crowd was mingling around outside, even some of the fighters were there still chatting to friends and fans.

Once we got inside the full-scale of the show became clear. It’s a nice stadium certainly on a par with the Singapore stadium that ONE FC inhabits when on home ground.

Today would be a big test, how would the Malaysian crowd respond to this event, after all to Malaysia this really is the dawning of s new sport. Before today’s show a few worthy local gyms had run smaller shows laying valuable ground work for the event to come tonight, but, this was the big one.

Sport has a great habit of bringing people together with its drama and excitement and tonight an  expected 8000 plus people are going to be brought together to cheer on their fellow countrymen and witness some of the many international fighters who train in Malaysia plus of course some top quality international fighters including an amazing six fighters from the home of MMA, Brazil.

This is a show that probably less than two years ago no MMA fan in Malaysia would have even dreamed of seeing happen in their own country and yet amazingly here it was and it was real.

The ONE FC machine has become increasingly slick from event to event and this was looking smooth from the entry.

Their were sponsors stalls outside and plenty of people to visit them and outside it was approaching evening on a delightfully sunny KL day. It was nice to enter the stadium to access cooler air.

Soon though that air would be charged as warriors entered the cage to do battle.

First order of the day was to meet the fighters they were introduced one and at time and stood circling the cage, an impressive site.

Sadly the fight between Alamurad Kurayev and Roldan Sangcha-an was cancelled due to medical reasons. A real shame Alamurad deserves a stage of this size especially a he trains in KL with the Muayfit Team and this would have been like his home town, we look forward to seeing him in a future ONE FC event.

Bout 1:

Queck Kim Hock – Peter Davis

It’s the Singaporean youngster vs the more experienced Malaysian.

It’s nice to see that ONE FC is now allowing the fighters from all teams to approach the cage with a full size entourage as it makes a much for fun spectacle for the entrance.

But of course the real action happens in the cage.

Round 1:

This was a different Pete Davis to the one I have seen fight at MFC and ONE FC from the start he was more composed and aggressive and a spinning back kick early in the round unsettled Hock and Davis then started an onslaught of knees and punches before the referee stepped in to save Hock from serious beating, as it was it looked like he might have lost the odd tooth (or three)!

Bout 2:

Marcos Escobar – Rodrigo Praxedes

Escobar a Brazilian based in Kuala Lumpur and at 36 starting his MMA career at a late stage.

Praxedes a fellow Brazilian is not much more experienced on the MMA stage. But don’t be fooled both these guys are top quality black belt BBJ practitioners.

Round 1.

These two went straight for it for the first 30 seconds or so exchanging punches and kicks before Praxedes took it to the floor. The main damage at this stage though was probably from the Elbows of Escobar from the ground which unsettled Praxedes. When they returned to their feet Praxedes caught Escobar with a kick on the way up. They soon circled again and Escobar went for a take down which he achieved easily enough and although Praxede looked less mobile he soon got up but was almost immediately taken down again and as Escobar took control for the rest of the round, unleashing knees and ground and pound till the rounds end.

Round 2.

Escobar looked the fresher of the two men, Praxedes actually looked gassed. Escobar was looking in control although their was a stoppage as Escobar kicked Praxedes in the groin.

When they resumed Escobar immediately took control. Then with two minutes of the round left they exchanged punches and Escobar went down with Praxedes following for a short while he had control but then they stood up again and Escobar agin took Praxedes down and was in total control, the ref must have been seriously considering stopping the fight but Praxedes managed to hold on although he did not look too good going back to his corner.

Round 3.

Escobar took Praxedes down easily and with less than 1:05 of the round gone Escobar succeeded in submitting Praxedes with a choke hold.

Bout 3.

AJ Lias Mansor v Mitch Chilson

It’s AJ from Borneo against Evolve team member the American Mitch Chilson.

AJ came out too rapturous applause.

During the early stages of round 1 he quickly and easily took Chilson down but Chilson soon sprung up again and then he took AJ down, from there, Chilson was in control with a series of takedowns and then he got AJ’s back and at 1:39 he completed a rear naked choke and AJ had to tap.

End of the Prelims

Bout 4.

Brian Choi Vs Arnaud Lepont

Round 1.

These two didn’t bother with any niceties then went straight for it from the bell exchanging brutal blows and kicks before Choi got Lepont down about two minutes in and he controlled him for the best part of the next two minutes and then they spent the last-minute on their feet exchanging blows right at the death Arnaud from his back attempted a submission but it was too late as the bell rang.

Round 2.

Tehses two started the second round with a tap of gloves and then a hug and then another tap of the gloves much to the crowd’s delight.

Choi looks the fresher of the two at the start and the second round goes much like the first to start with Choi succeeding with a number of take downs and controlling the fight on the floor.

Round 3.

Lepont looks really tired but is not willing to give an inch, Choi again takes him down and commences to ground and pound but Lepont managed to escape and then from nowhere Lepont did what he has done so many times before and pulled a couple of submission attempts before finally getting a real tight rear naked choke which finished it as Choi had no option but to tap. A Lepont special.

Bout 5.

Bae Yong Kwon Vs Eric Kelly

I must admit that here at MMANewsAsia there is more than a little love for Eric “The Natural” Kelly and we were so pleased when we heard that he was back in the cage, it’s been too long.

This was not going to be an easy fight though and so it turned out as they exchanged heavy blows  from the First round,  Kwon also took Kelly down on a few occasions and looked to have him in trouble with a few solid submission attempts but Kelly survived.

Round 2.

The second round was another close fought battle with both fighters having their fair share of effective punches and kicks and submission attempts but although a close round Kwon got given a yellow card for an illegal elbow.

Round 3.

Again we had the same scene a very close fight and both fighters had their chances but then with just two minutes left Eric Kelly got his favored Rear Naked Choke on and it looked all over for Kwon, but somehow he managed to escape and Kwon was on top of him for the remainder of the round although not really in an effective way.

This was a very entertaining fight and the winner really earned his W tonight, the loser deserves another chance for sure.

Eric Kelly won with a unanimous decision much to the happy relief of the MMANewsAsia team.

Bout 6.

Grogor Gracie vs Adam Kayoom

This is a Gracie, the most famous name in MMA, against local hero Adam Kayoom. This is a fight that will make the crowd go crazy if the local boy wins.

But don’t forget he is fighting a Gracie it won’t be easy, but if he does it will be epic. Gracie is by far the younger at just 25 years of age against Kayooms 34.

Kayoome enters to Michael Jackson,s Don’t Stop To You Get Enough which got the crowd going even more.

Round 1.

A few early kicks from Kayoom but before the first minute is out Gracie has his first take down. He made best use of it and started to go to work on Kayoom, But being put on bis back by MMA royalty did not make him panic he remained calm and defended himself. With about 1:30 left Gracie took his back and started to pound him all the while I am sure looking for an opening for a rear naked choke but the clock kept ticking on and although Gracie stayed on top Kayoom made it relatively unscathed to the rounds end.

Round 2.

The round started with Kayoom throwing a few kicks unfortunately one of them hit the Gracie crown jewels and the fighters had a rest.

Kayoom again continued with kicks and when Gracie took him down Kayoom did his best to neutralize the situation and Gracie really struggled to make the best of it beyond being in top position

When the ref stood it back up Kayoom made Gracie pay and worked him, Gracie looked tired.

Round 3.

Kayoom did his best to keep the fight on its feet where he was definitely the boss, But of course Gracie took him down a few times, even so Gracie again really failed to do much beyond control Kayoom on the ground. The fight actually finished with Kayoom on top of Gracie and he really pounded him and when the fight finished Gracie did not get off the floor without help.

It was no surprise to anybody when it was announced Kayoom was victorious with a unanimous decision.

The crowd rightly went crazy this is a historic victory in Malaysian MMA a Malaysian fighter beating a member of the famed Gracie family.

Bout 7.

Leandro Issa Vs Masakaza Imanari

Ashikan Judan is what they call him Master of Leg Locks and with good reason, Imanari not only tells you what he is going to do to you, but then he does it, he does it with such astonishing speed that even though people expect It they seem powerless to stop it. It’s a special kind of magic. So Issa is really going to have to work hard.

Round 1.

Imanari is such a showman he just circles coolly and attempts a few spinning back fists this goes on for a full three minutes Issa does not really know what to do with him. I’m not sure if it was a punch or a kick but Imanari went down. Once on the ground Issa pounces and quickly grounds and pounds but Imanari is calm and it soon comes down to him beneath Issa but not really suffering too much damage.

Round 2.

Round 2 is much the same as the first until Issa does a great leg kick that takes Imanari down, but he gets up like nothing happened. Finally Issa get Imanari down and seems to be in control until about the last 15 seconds when they stand up again. Another blow from Issa and Imanari is down but stands up easily as the bell rings.

Round 3.

Same as the first two until on the three-minute mark Issa took Imanari down and again was controlling him, the feared leglock seemed just a rumor. With 1:40 to go they stood up but a few seconds later and Issa had Imanari down again. With a minute to go they again stood up. With 30 seconds to go Issa again had top position this must be his fight.

This fight goes to the judges and it’s Leandro Issa who is the winner by Unanimous Decision.

Bout 8.

Roger Huerta Vs Zorobabel Moeira

Round 1.

This was another fight that started full of hard-fought action with a tough and even first round probably with honors roughly even.

Round 2.

Moeira took control and started to really work Huerta over and many times he had him rocked before finally throwing him to the ground and holding him down and h\throwing an amazing football kick to the head of  an already dazed Huerta knocking him spark out in the most brutal fashion.

A superb display from Moeira and his third straight win in a ONE FC cage. Who can stop him?

Bout 9.

Renato Sobral Vs Tasuya Mizuno

Who could have believed it was true two such top quality fighters in a cage in Malaysia?

And anybody anywhere who knows MMA knows the name Renato “Bablu” Sobral he is literally as big a name as there is in MMA. God only knows how One FC managed to get him, but we here at MMANewsAsia are mighty glad he did, let’s just hope he can reach our expectations………………

And it was over before it began Mizuno threw a few big bombs and then from off of his back Zobral threw up an armbar and it was over. He did not disappoint! His speed was astounding.

So that was it a full night of incredible bouts. ONE FC really hit a home run with this show. It was slick and professional.

The MMANewsAsia team would like to thank ONE FC for looking after us.

Malaysia’s Biggest Week Ever For MMA

Malaysia’s Biggest Week Ever For MMA

Published on June 19, 2012 by The Editor in ONEFC

Malaysia Prepares For Asian MMA’s Biggest Spotlight

This is the week many Malaysian MMA fans have been waiting for plus of course the hundreds I am sure who will cross the border from Singapore plus others from all over Asia.

This is ONE FC week in Malaysia as for the first time Asia’s biggest MMA organization are holding an event in KL and what an event.

An international cast of warriors including six from the spiritual home of MMA, Brazil. Some local boys and some locally based international fighters will be walking to the cage in front of a crowd that is estimated depending on your choice of media at anywhere from 8 – 12,000 fans.

And my recommendation is if you can get to KL and see it live do it.

Yes, it will be shown on TV in Malaysia at some time in the future but be aware that once the faceless jobsworths  at the Malaysian censorship office get their hands on it you will lose a lot of the action based upon what I witnessed last night on the Kix HD channel. They aired a Bellator event. The censors cut out decisive moments, it was like watching football and seeing the ball heading to the net and then the next thing you know the players are celebrating. You just have to guess what happened. Madness, you can watch all sorts of violence on a nightly basis on Malaysian TV but not during a sporting event seen world-wide.

Anyway back to the event:

Just a couple of years ago if Somebody had told you that Renato “Babalu” Sobral one of the MMA worlds biggest names and a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion and UFC veteran would be fighting in Kuala Lumpur you would have got laughed out of the pub. This is no Bob “Tap” Sapp farewell tour of shame. Sobral is still relevent, he has just finished working in Brazil as one of the coaching team at the Brazilian ”TUF” series and he is not fighting a “gimmie” his opponent Tatsuya Mizuno is no mug. He certainly does not have such an exciting list of opponents as Sobral but he is on a two fight win streak and to beat Sobral would do massive things for his career.

That’s the Main Event and as you can see it’s as good as any fight anywhere.

But lower down the card are some local guys who will be hoping to make a real noise and gather an army of local fans as they appear on the big stage.

Malaysian Fighter Adam Kayoom tackles one of the sports famous Gracie family in Gregor Gracie. Kayoom is regarded as one the best Malaysian fighters, He has won titles in multiple fighting styles and now is aiming to make a name in MMA. He has black belts in three different martial arts and he is ready to make a big splash. His opponent comes from MMA royalty but in his recent fight in a past ONE FC event against Seok Mo Kim he struggled for three rounds to finally get a Unanimous Points Decision win. Kayoom against the same opponent put it all to bed inside less than one round with an impressive win. This fight should be very exciting.

AJ Lias Mansor from the Borneo Tribal Squad team is going to under go a really tough test against the American Mitch Chilson from the famous Singaporean Evolve team. Chilson was picked apart in his last fight by Eric Kelly and will be desperate to prove that he is good enough to fight at this level. Mansor will have the local support and his social media utterances sound like those of a young man desperate to put the result of his last fight behind him and make a name for himself.

Also representing Malaysia will be Peter Davis who will be making his second appearance in the ONE FC cage when he tackles Juggernaut Fight Clubs (Singapore) Quek Kim Hock “The Hulk” – Davis will be desperate to put of a great show, his last fight for ONE FC was a victory but was not the most sparkling display. The word is he has been training hard for this one. However, the word from across the causeway is that The Hulk has all the tools to tackle Davis. So look out for an exciting battle.

This is a big week also for Malaysian MMA gyms Muayfit, Leverage MMA and Borneo Tribal Squad they will all gather major press attention this week that will help drive their businesses forward as their representatives go to battle.

 ONE FC Destiny of Warriors Stadium Negra, Kuala Lumpur. June 23rd 2012

First fight 8:00pm.

ONE Week To Go – Destiny Of Warriors ONE FC – What Can Fans Expect?

ONE Week To Go – Destiny Of Warriors ONE FC – What Can Fans Expect?

Published on June 10, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC, Opinion

ONE FC 4 – What Can Fans Expect? 

         ONE FC 4: Destiny of Warriors will be the biggest mixed martial arts event to have ever been held in Malaysia, and they are certainly not holding anything back. What can fans expect of this pivotal moment to come in Asian MMA history?

         For starters, the card is stacked with seasoned fighters such as Roger Huerta, Renato Sobral and Masakazu Imanari, and a bunch of up-and-coming MMA talent such as Arnaud Lepont, Kim Hock, Adam Kayoom, and Eric Kelly.

         The matchups in the past few events have been somewhat suspect, and of course ONE FC brought on Bob Sapp that one time (and it was a total joke of a fight), but things have gotten better, and ONE FCseem to be really working hard to prove themselves worthy of the unofficial title “UFC of Asian MMA”.

         How good are the match ups, you ask? Well this time around, records of fighters seem to have been more closely examined, as well as their perceived level of talent. The good match ups include Eric Kelly (URCC Featherweight Champion) against Bae Young Kwon, Mitch Chilson against AJ Pyro, and Renato Sobral against Tatsuya Mizuno, just to name a few.

         Fans can expect a bunch of slick grappling fests, lightning-fast striking, and a whole lot of heart-racing excitement. Expect adrenaline-rushing fights from Arnaud Lepont against Brian Choi, and Roger Huerta against Zorobabel Moreira. Expect slugfest fights from Peter Davis against Kim Hock, and Eric Kelly against Bae Young Kwon.

         So besides big names and great match-ups, what else does ONE FC 4 offer? These fights will make the picture a little more clearer in terms of how the fighters are ranked.

         It’s no secret that Roger Huerta wants to make a big impact at his ONE FC 4 debut. He is currently riding a three-fight losing streak, and with his talent here in Asia, he could make a case very soon to be a top contender for ONE FC’s welterweight championship. Before that though, he’ll have to get through the ever evolving martial artist in Zorobabel Moreira, who’s recent tear at ONE FC has been nothing short of impressive.

         Eric Kelly will also look to be making an impact at ONE FC 4.He hasn’t fought since September of 2011, back at ONE FC’s inaugural event where he absolutely dominated Evolve’s Mitch Chilson, and rumors are spreading that ties between him and the URCC are strained. ONE FC is Eric Kelly’s chance to prove he is a worthy champion, and that he can hang with the best of the Asian featherweights. Before he gets ahead of himself though, he needs to get past well-rounded Bae Young Kwon, an up-and-coming Korean mixed martial artist.

         And of course we have Arnaud Lepont, a French fighter representing Muayfit in Malaysia, who will be facing Brian Choi of Evolve in Singapore. Lepont is dropping down to the lightweight division, and will be making his debut for ONE FC. His last fight at DARE once again proved that even under tons of pressure, he manages to find the win. He is in one of the toughest divisions in ONE FC, which sports the likes of Ole Laursen, Felipe Enomoto, Eduard Folayang, and Zorobabel Moreira, so this fight against Choi will tell us where he stands in the division. Make no mistake though – Choi is fighting out of one of the best MMA gyms in Asia, and will present a lot of different problems for the French fighter.

         All in all, ONE FC 4 looks to be their best event, at least on paper. The match ups are riveting, the hype seems to have no limit, and ONE FC looks unstoppable at this point. Expect fireworks on June 23rd in Malaysia.

Adam Kayoom ready for Gregor Gracie

Adam Kayoom ready for Gregor Gracie

Published on June 9, 2012 by The Sandman in NEWS, ONEFC

The Sandman Interviews Adam Kayoom Ahead of His Bout With Gregor Gracie

The Sandman has found more time on his hands and decided to have a quick chat with Malaysian prospect, Adam Kayoom who will make his ONE FC debut in Malaysia at ONE FC 4: Destiny of Warriors on June 23.

Adam may be Malaysian born but he grew up in Australia and is currently training in Thailand with American Top Team (Bangkok). Adam is a well-rounded fighter, capable of making you tap and destroying you in a stand up fight. The BJJ black belt and expert in Muay Thai also has black belts in Karate and numerous other martial arts.

While he may not be young, the 34 year old’s career is just beginning. Adam’s record stands at 2-1-0, both wins via submission and his only loss was a split decision. Taking on a Gracie is a whole different ball game especially this early on in his career. Adam though, is ready for the challenge.

“Hey, you jump in and test yourself. When you have the opportunity, take it.”

Adam now will have the ultimate test of his BJJ ability, taking on a Gracie. The Sandman asked him if he’d want to go to the ground or stand up with Gregor,

“I think I will be okay in any situation but I like to stand.”

As The Coffee Boy pointed out in the podcast, Gracies really hate being tapped and Gregor may be reluctant to go to ground either which might turn this into a slugfest.

Being Malaysian born, Adam may hold the key to this fight – the crowd. Will he be able to take advantage of ‘home court’?

“I would like to and I think so but to me, it’s a fight in a cage and that is really it.

A UFC fighter once told me, “Adam, it could be on the moon or in Tibet; it’s (still) a fight in cage.”

If The Sandman asks very direct questions, the Kayoom answers very direct answers. When asked how he saw the fight going…

“Like anyone that has trained hard and sacrificed, the win.”

Okay, The Sandman applauds his focus on the W. Who next if you can get past Gregor?

“Anybody the ONE FC tells me to fight.”

Obviously he’s a fighter, not a talker.

for more rants and opinions, feel free to follow the Sandman at @MsianGooner on twitter.

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.