Ben Askren: By The Numbers

American stalwart Ben Askren needed less than four years to conquer ONE Championship and become the biggest star in the constantly-growing world of martial arts.

Known by the moniker “Funky,” Askren made an impact in his first two assignments in ONE Championship, submitting Bakhtiyar Abbasov with an arm-triangle choke in his May 2014 promotional debut before thwarting Nobutatsu Suzuki in the first round to claim the organization’s coveted welterweight crown three months later.

Askren is coming off a spectacular first-round submission triumph over Malaysia’s Agilan “The Alligator” Thani this past May, keeping his immaculate record intact and the ONE Welterweight World Championship belt around his waist

As he has morphed into a fully formed combat sports superstar, Askren has compiled his share of intriguing statistical data.

-------------------------



For nearly seven years, a prestigious gold-plated strap has been closely associated with Askren as he has never lost a world title contest since outpointing Lyman Good for the Bellator welterweight belt in October 2010.

Askren made history when he unified Bellator’s 170-pound’s top prize with the ONE Welterweight World Championship by pulling off a first-round demolition of Suzuki in August 2014.

“I’ve held two belts. I’ve never lost them, and I’ve held them for a combined six years, which is a very, very long championship reign by anyone’s account,”

----------------

photo from AWA website

Askren made the transition to mixed martial arts and has flawlessly translated his impeccable grappling skills into his growing skillset.

The 33-year-old American has been perfect in competition, amassing an immaculate professional record of 16-0 with 1 no contest en route to becoming the ONE Welterweight World Champion.

“16 is the number of times I’ve stepped in the cage, and I’ve never taken a loss. I think I am one of the best in the world, and I think it also says a lot about the consistency I bring. I bring a great performance every single time I step in the cage,” Askren explained.

In his eight-year run as a professional martial artist, Askren owns five submission victories and four knockout triumphs.

--------------------------------

photo from Bloodround webpage

Askren is highly regarded for his outstanding wrestling background that earned him two NCAA Division I national championship trophies and the privilege to represent the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

While many children were motivated to first pick up a basketball because of Michael Jordan or kick a soccer ball because of David Beckham, Askren was a little different.

Growing up in the Midwestern United States, a region traditionally known as a hotbed for amateur wrestling, Askren was motivated by the spirit of competition and wanted to participate in a sport where he could be the master of his own fate.

During his illustrious college wrestling stint, Askren won 87 matches in a row, which made him one of the best grapplers in the collegiate ranks.

--------------------------------

photo from Rappler website

Askren finished his collegiate wrestling career with a record of 153–8, with 91 of those victories coming by way of fall. Those 91 pins put him at third on the all-time NCAA Division I pins list.

Even though there are many combat practices in mixed martial arts, Askren stands firm on the notion that wrestling is the most vital discipline in the sport.

Wrestling has been often regarded as the best foundation in the sport as numerous wrestlers transitioned easily into the sport, including Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Daniel Cormier and Frankie Edgar.

Throughout the course of the sport’s history, wrestlers have shared the cage with other practitioners on numerous occasions.

In the current state of the sport, wrestling has become a necessary requirement for combatants to extensively learn.

“If you’re going to ask a lot of the mixed martial artists, they’re going to say that wrestling is the number one martial art to learn,” 

Askren stated.


------------------------------

Askren is universally recognized as one of the best welterweights today and one of the best professional martial artists in the world pound-for-pound.

The undefeated ONE Welterweight World Champion has been all over the globe, competing in countries such as the United States, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and the Philippines.

Since being part of the ONE Championship roster, Askren has travelled 108,000 kilometers for the promotion’s blockbuster events.

“I really enjoy travelling. My trips to Asia have been a pleasure for me. I always enjoy seeing new cultures and learning new things,” 

Askren stressed.

------------------------------

click to watch the video, Ben Askren by the numbers

--------------------------------

Askren will be entering a new territory on Saturday, 2 September when he defends his ONE Welterweight World Championship against Swedish contender Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam in the main event of ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI, which takes place at the 15,000-capacity Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China.

THE BORNEON TIGER RETURNS!

The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), will held its inaugural event in Shanghai, China, which is set to take place on 2 September, at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The bustling metropolis will play host to ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI, featuring the absolute best in local and international martial arts talent. 

In the main event, ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren of the United States returns to the ONE Championship cage to defend his title against challenger Zebaztian Kadestam of Sweden.


Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: 

“China is one of our biggest markets, and the focus has been to really bring the rich cultural history of martial arts in China to the forefront. It is a delight to finally announce our inaugural event in the beautiful city of Shanghai. We are coming at you live and ready to showcase the world’s most authentic display of martial arts. With an exhilarating main event prepared for our fans in Shanghai, Ben Askren is ready to defend his ONE Welterweight World Championship against Swedish challenger Zebaztian Kadestam. 

The interesting clash of styles should provide fans a solid matchup. Moreover, we have an amazing card planned for fans all across the world. This is a live event you would not want to miss!”

Featuring on the prelim card is Sabahan Marc Marcellinus, who is making a come back, after a 3 year hiatus from competition.

This is not Marc first fight in ONE Championship. He debut his pro career at ONE Championship 11 in 2013. Then after a year, he fought in Kuala Lumpur at ONE Championship 21. Both fight was a loss to him, but Marc is not a type of person that let pass results dictate his future. He will enter the Oval cage again for the 3rd time, this time facing Vietnamese new comer Tran Quang Loc.

This fight will also be Marc’s way of paying tribute to his late aunt that loss her life to cancer recently. Stepping into the cage is Marc’s way of continuing her fight, and to send a message that life is a continuous fight. 

Born to a Kadazandusun family in Kampung Tondulu, in the district of Tambunan 85 km from Kota Kinabalu. His village is a hilly and tranquil place surrounded by beautiful paddy fields lush forest. Marc childhood years was filled with outdoor activities such as setting traps in the jungle, hunting, fishing and playing football.

"I was very fortunate to have the 'kampung boy' type of childhood, which is so rare these days. It was really a simple life growing up in Tambunan, with no internet or TV, so we played outside a lot. We spent a lot of time setting traps for small critters and animals, and stealing fruits from my uncle's fruit trees (he didn't mind!). We were also very involved in helping with the daily household chores - I remember going to the 'kebun' ( farm ) with my Mum to help her plant and tend to her veggies." 

Tambunan is also a village where a resistance force fought against the Japanese occupation during World War 2. Armed with the martial arts of Silat Kuntau and the warrior spirit carried down from their head hunting ancestors, Marc’s grandfather was one of them. He is also the one that gave Marc the first exposure to martial arts when he was only just 8 years old. His grandfather instills discipline and the indomitable spirit of a warrior in Marc and his brothers.

Marc will never forget his Silat roots

When he was 15, tragedy struck. Marc lost both his parents. His father died in a car accident and his mother to cervical cancer. It was a dark time for a growing teenager. He went into a period of depression. But he always remember his father’s words. 

“ He taught us to be strong as a family , to help and support each other. Not relying on relatives or other people.”

His elder sister took up the role as parent and took care of him & his 6 other siblings. Meanwhile Marc himself would take up odd jobs after schools to help support his family. To further continue his studies, Marc had to leave his village to attend boarding school in Kota Kinabalu’s SMK Likas. Being alone away from his family was initially tough. 

Boarding school is also where bullying occur. But equipped with the martial arts spirit taught by his grandfather and remembering his father’s words, Marc managed to overcome this.

In 1998, Marc packed his bags to leave Sabah to Shah Alam. He attended Universiti Teknologi MARA to study sports science. During his uni days, Marc continued his martial arts journey, earning his black belt in Shotokan Karate. 

This was also the time he had the first introduction to Muay Thai. This was at a trip to Malaysia’s northern state of Kedah where Muay Thai bouts are common. Marc was fascinated by the moves and fell in love with the arts of 8 limbs.

After he graduate Marc took up jobs as fitness trainer and continue to train and compete in Muay Thai. He was actively fighting in the Malaysian scene and also fought a couple of times in Thailand. Amassing a records of more than 50 fights. During this time Marc ferocious fighting style got him the nick name Borneon Tigers, given to him by his Thai trainers.




MMA was still a new thing in Malaysia during those times. It was through Rayner Kinsiong, whom is also a ONE Championship fighter that eventually Marc met Melvin Yeoh ( Malaysia’s pioneer in MMA ) and Melvin exposed him to MMA and Marc began to learn some grappling. As both Rayner and Melvin are active in MMA those days, Marc decided to give MMA a try too and got his debut in Singapore in 2013. 

"I am very grateful to Melvin and my good friend Rayner Kinsiong, who introduced me to MMA and actually got the ball rolling for me with ONE by putting me in touch with the right people."

After fighting two times in ONE’s oval cage, Marc decided to turn to coaching and set up his own gym. 

" I finally got the chance to start up my own martial arts school in Kota Kinabalu – Borneon Tigers MMA (BTMMA), focusing on spreading the art of Muay Thai and BJJ to our community 2 years ago. 

I am also very blessed to have been able to start up 'TEAM MY MUM', a team of young people who not only train to fight/compete but also pay special tribute to the mum's and families who have sacrificed and paved a way for them to get where they are.

Our motto is "No-one fights alone" and I hope to instill strong family values and discipline in my students so that they approach each fight in and out of the ring with respect and confidence. "


How has the experience as coach been for him. 

“One of my coaches used to tell me that there is no use having a lot of knowledge if you aren't able to pass it on. That inspires me to in turn hopefully inspire my students to be better versions of themselves. 

Marc overseeing a striking class in BTMMA

As a fighter, I always think of my Dad who was very firm about one thing: whatever is thrown at you, you never back down or give up. That has been the bottom line for me throughout my life, that even when the circumstances were hard or unfair, giving up was never an option. "

Marc: " the BTMMA logo of the Tiger holds a lot of meaning for me. The eyes of the logo are made of two angels - paying tribute to both my parents whom I strive to make proud everyday

BJJ is also being taught at BTMMA

What is his most memorable experience as a coach.
"Seeing my students start with absolutely no martial arts experience and pressing on to later compete in both Muay Thai and K1. We have had people join us with absolutely no experience so it has been a rewarding journey moulding them and passing on the knowledge that I have managed to pick up over the years. 

Mixing it up with some outdoor training

One of my students came to us painfully shy and grossly overweight (105 kgs!) - I worked closely with him and he is now a healthy 65kgs and fights under the 'TEAM MY MUM' flag. Sometimes its not always about the fight in the ring, but also the confidence you are able to restore in others. I believe that it is not enough just "knowing" if you aren't able to pass on what you have learnt."

Marc further elaborates on TEAM MY MUM.
“Sometimes as young people grow up, they get preoccupied and take their parents and elders for granted. I lost my parents when I was really young and to this day I live my life to honour them and What they have invested in me. 

I try to teach my students that we are living in the sacrifice of our parents (and whoever has paved the way for us). With Team My Mum, We lead by example and spend as much time moulding young minds as we do in physical training. It's important that our students are properly grounded with good family values."

pix by Celestine Photography

For the pass two months, Marc has switched back to the role of students as he prepares for his Shanghai fight. His previous two time venture into MMA did not brought him success in the oval cage, but mentally it toughen him up. 
“ Through everything I have been through in my life, I have learnt not to let anything keep me down. They say you either win or you learn, and that you don't actually fail until you stop.” 

I have worked on different aspects of my game and I believe this 2 Sept fight in Shanghai will be an interesting one!"


Those two loss to Marc was a great learning experience and which also made him realised that he needs to up the ante on his ground skills. This is where Anthony Perosh comes in. Marc’s BTMMA is affiliated to Anthony’s Sinosic Perosh Martial Arts (SPMA) in Sydney. Anthony is a BJJ specialist and an accomplished MMA athlete that has competed in UFC.

Marc with the towering Anthony Perosh

Fighting at featherweight, Marc is preparing his Shanghai fight at SPMA. 
“The bulk of my fight prep was closely monitored by Coach Anthony. As he is based in Sydney, it made sense to complete the training there. 

Coach Anthony is tough! I would finish what I thought was a 'good' sparring session and he would call out to me "Marc, come over here. These are the areas where you need to improve." 

I am usually wearing the 'coach hat' for my students so I appreciate it so much that Coach Anthony is doing that for me."

going through strategy with Anthony Perosh

Ask on how is the SPMA fight camp like...
” This fight camp has been tough! I train 3 times a day focusing on both striking and groundwork. Stand up/striking has sort of always been my comfort zone, but the goal this time was to very much take a holistic approach to the game plan." 

Training at SPMA

"We were also a lot more disciplined with my diet, focusing on eating whole foods and cutting out oil and sugar. I have eaten soooo much grilled chicken and steamed broccoli this time around! "

"I am dying for a big plate of 'Pisang goreng' ( banana fritters ) Haha! The diet has really made a difference in my training - with ONE's new weigh in policy the 'waterload' is not allowed so it is important to eat right weeks before the fight and I really feel the difference."

Being away from home for months certainly left Marc homesick. He misses his home town Tambunan. As this year is Visit Tambunan Year, he is hoping to bring back ONE Championship medal to Tambunan to inspire the youngsters there. 
“Tambunan will always be my ‘kampung’ ( village ). I love that it is still so green and pristine, almost hidden away from the rest of the world. In modern times, it is still authentically a beautiful town where the simple life is still authentic.

I really like the Tuhau ( preserve wild ginger, a traditional delicacy of the Kadazandusun of Sabah ) from Tambunan, it takes me right back to the days when I was still a kid."

At 37 and after 3 years absence from competitive MMA, Marc not only wants to inspire the youngsters but also wants to send a message to his students,
“No matter how the odds are stacked against you, never back down from a fight. There is strength in never giving up."

Warriors of Borneo supports Marc Marcillenus in his ONE Championship : Shanghai fight.

ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: ALLIGATOR VS SHARK

Agilan “Alligator” Thani of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be making his return to the ONE Championship cage following his first shot at a world title opposite reigning ONE Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren in May this year.

His is of a name now rather well known among casual sports fans. Agilan name first became known when he bulldozed through the welterweight division of amateur tournament MIMMA ( Malaysian Invasion MMA) to became it's 2nd season Champion.

MIMMA 2 Welterweight Champion

As a champion, media attention on him increases as his is a story of young kid overcoming adversity. Growing up in Sentul, an area in KL known to be the Bronx of Malaysia, Agilan had to deal with crime prone enviroment, racism and classism which was rife in his neighborhood. Also constantly bullied and overweight when he was a child, he decided to pick up martial arts to defend himself & loose weight. he never looked back since.

ONE Championship signed him up for his pro debut fight in Mac 2015. Agilan again bulldoze through all his opponent in fights that never went the distance, picking up 6 wins by stoppages. Which sets him up for a title fight against Ben Askren. 

The undefeated Askren is a high level wrestler and many consider the best welterweight in the world. Although Agilan had dominated his opposition in the past with relentless takedowns, stellar submissions, and unforgiving ground-and-pound, the tables were turned on him. He experienced his first-ever loss courtesy of the American Olympic wrestler, who took him down and submitted him via arm-triangle in the first round.

For “Alligator,” it was a devastating setback, and a wake up call. Despite appearing to possess unbreakable self-belief, the Malaysian was mentally shaken, and “starstruck” just by the mere glimpse of the legendary Askren. That night, he learned a valuable lesson.

The aftermath of the loss, media attention swarmed on him like never before. Due to some press coverage with press headline that seems to put down Agilan's effort in that title fight, the public and some fans began to reacted angrily. Many questioning the lack of support from the government due to his ethnicity.

Agilan was dissapointed with this situation as he never like begging for assistance and always practice self reliant. He never blamed anyone for that lost but himself.

But this quickly turn around as positive community supports began pouring in. Malaysian Indian Congress gave him recognition and some financial supports. Radio station & the major media began covering him on a better light as a high caliber athlete.

Although Agilan fell short of victory against Askren, he gained a great amount of experience as a result and has emerged as a more seasoned combatant.

 

Agilan with coach Samir and his Monarchy MMA team

Usually Agilan will spend his fight camp in the gym he grew up in, Monarchy MMA, under the guidance of Samir Mrabet. For his tonight's fight vs Sherif Mohamed of Egypt, Askren is taking his training up a notch. He travel to US, to learn from some of the best in the business

"I went to the US in mid June and came back end of July. I trained at Team Quest at Temecula, California. (Team Quest is founded by three American MMA legend, Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, and Dan Henderson)

I met Dan Henderson and he gave me some tips in training. I also helped UFC's Sam Alvey prepared for his fight vs former UFC's light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans. I was one of Sam's main sparring partners. 

I learn a lot during my stay here. I also met Sean Strickland, Chris Curtis and a lot more guys in Team Quest with a bigger record than me with more fight. The best part is getting to meet all these different people with more experience and vast fight knowledge & trying to pick up and learn from them as much as possible.

You were very motivated going into the fight vs Askren & you mentioned in pre fight that the pressure was on him & you were not intimidated by his reputation, but post fight you mentioned that you felt you lost the fight because you let him got into your head....why is that? Can u tell readers what happened?
"Well let me get things straight, I said I let the hype of the fight got into my head not Askren himself. Simply put it,  how many times in life do you get to fight for a world title against one of the best fighter not only in Asia but the whole world? 

Ben is rank no. 1 outside of the main promotion not only in Asia but the whole world. Going against him is certainly not an easy task.

It's just that moment when you see someone as big name and skilled as Askren u just get star struck.  And all the media hype plus all the nay sayer and haters, I just haven't got used to it . 

But ultimately the support from all the people from Malaysia has been a really big motivation going into that fight."

There's was lot of media attention after your fight & recognition comes in from various bodies. In fact I felt there was more coverage and attention to you after the fight. How did you deal with all the spot light? How does it makes you feel?

"I was surprised too. I have fought 7 times in my pro career before Askren and I have not got any of these. It was hard to accept at first because all these came from a loss.

But I have learned that blessings are supposed to be accepted the way it is and I am truly grateful to all the support and sponsors who got me back on track."

What's the biggest thing you learn from that Askren fight?

That everything around comes and goes and to fight someone good you have to truly believe in yourself before anyone else does.

Agilan's tonights opponent is Eygptian Sherif "The Shark" Mohamed. Plying his trade in his early MMA career in EFC, in which he won the EFC Ligh Heavyweight title. He is a big guy.

Sherif is a well-versed kickboxer and wrestler with all eight of his wins coming by finish. Of his total victories, Sherif owns four submissions and four knockouts, proving his versatility and well-rounded game. 

Fight Analyst and commentor Steve Dawson puts the disadvantage at Agilan for this fight. Commenting that Agilan's strong points has always been his strength and power. But going against Sherif whom has fought as a heavyweight before, Agilan will need to rely more on his techniques rather than strength.

Agilan don't mind being the underdog and he would love to proof Steve wrong. Spiritually he gain strengths from a Buddhist mantra that he chants each time before entering the cage. 

Mentally for tonight's fight, motivation is certainly not lacking as not only is he fighting in Malaysia's independence month, but he is fighting on his 22nd birthday! 

He wants to put on a good show and let Malaysian fans and himself have a great celebration afterward.

His girlfriend Amy usually prepares healthy meals for him during his fight camp, but with tonight's win fried chicken and pop corn will certainly be on the menu as these are food he crave during fight camp.

 

Agilan extending his thanks to all his sponsors & supporters for his fights

Click to watch Tune Talk video on Agilan's love

Warriors of Borneo wishes a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Agilan and may he be victorious in the cage tonight!

AGILAN THANI OUT TO DETHRONE BEN ASKREN

It started from a twitter war, as Agilan Thani emerged triumphant from ONE Championship: Thrones of Tigers in Feb, against his most accomplished opponent at that time, Taiwanese Jeff Huang. Agilan was on a 5 times winning streak going into that fight. Took him just 2 round to disposed of Jeff Huang in with his favorite move the rear naked choke.

Pix from The Fight Nation

From that victory, Agilan was pushing for a Welterweight title fight in ONE Championship: Kings of Destiny in 21 April in Manila, where Ev Ting was confirmed for a title fight against home town hero Eduard Folayang. 

ONE didn’t fullfilled Agilan’s wish at that time. They won’t have two Malaysian challenging for Championship title in one event. Agilan’s vs Ben Askren needs to be in the main card. The social media exchange began to intensify as Ben Askren responded and Malaysian supporters started to rally behind Agilan to make the title fight happen.

Now it’s already a reality. This is fight week. ONE Championship: Dynasty of Heroes happening in Singapore this Friday 26 May will be a chance for Agilan to bring back an MMA world title…a title which Malaysia missed out when Ev Ting lost in a 5 round war with Eduard.

Looking back, Agilan’s martial arts journey is like a fairy tale. His is a story of an overweight boy who got bullied in schools. Growing up in Sentul, one of the most notorious area in Kuala Lumpur, with his father as a single parent, life was not a bed of roses. He picked up Karate to equip himself with self-defense skills and earned a purple belt. At age 16 he discovered the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jit Su from Monarchy MMA founder, Samir Mrabet and from there on he progress exponentially.

Watch the video on Agilan's early childhood life & his inspiration

Agilan took his first MMA match in a local Malaysian promotion, F3 Championship in 2013. Victory was swift as he took the win in round 1. Season 2 MIMMA was in 2014, and being Asia best amateur MMA tournament, Agilan quickly signed up. In between training, Agilan would be helping out cleaning the gym and teaching few classes. He even sleep in the gym. 

It took him 5 win to became MIMMA Welterweight champion. Disposing all except one of his opponents by submission or TKO. His talent was noticed by Victor Cui and ONE Championship signed him up in 2015. Agilan stayed very active, he fought 3 times last year. To date Agilan holds a 6 fight win streak. All six fights never go beyond round 2. 

Winning MIMMA season 2 catapult Agilan to MMA stardom in ONE

Agilan is not known for fancy striking. He plays smart, avoiding trading punches by staying close to his opponent and ever ready to go for take down and stick to them like a leech. From there he will constantly peppered his opponent with short strikes to loosen them and once a window of submission opportunity appear he will take it in lightning speed to finish the fight.

To date, Agilan considered his fight in MIMMA2 semi-finals against Norahmed Ali Zahreh to be his toughest, even though Agilan took the win with a submission in round 1, but that was the time he felt he was in real danger. 

Standing in Agilan’s way for ONE Championship gold is 32 year old Ben “Funky” Askren. Going against Askren is certainly a big step up the plate. Ben is touted as one of the most talented wrestler in MMA and considered the best welterweight talent outside of UFC. Ben achievement in wrestling has given him an undefeated record of 15 wins.

Funky ply his trade mostly in Bellator, which he fought 9 times. Winning the Welterweight title in 2011. But many have the opinion that Ben did not fight the best welterweight there is, whom mostly is in UFC. But Ben couldn’t see eye to eye with Dana White and so he took up the offer from ONE.

He first fought in ONE in 2014, then challenging for Nobutatsu Suzuki Welterweight title in his 2nd fight in ONE FC 19, which he won in just one round with a TKO win.

His 3rd ONE fight against Brazilian Luis Santos in April 2015 was disappointing, as it ended with controversy. His eye poke ended the fight in round 1 and the fight was declared a No Contest results. A rematch was scheduled in Nov 2015, but that too ended disappointingly as Luis didn’t make weight and the fight was call off. 

A championship fight against Vitaly Bigdash was initially scheduled in Bangkok but was called off due to Thai King's passing.

The last time Ben fought was in April last year, winning it by going the distance in 5 championship rounds vs Russian Nikolay Aleksakhin.

Agilan fighting style is similar to Ben. Their style may not be visually entertaining, but it is very effective. It’s the kind of styles that keep themselves from getting lots of damage.

“If he takes me down and submits me, I will retire.” said Askren. Not because he thinks it will happen, but because he is supremely confident that he won’t be schooled by Agilan. But the pressure is on him. There’s so much at stake for him, being undefeated and the title holder. 

Agilan being just 21 and an huge underdog has nothing to lose. He is hungry, driven and motivated to proof that Askren is defeatable as he sees that there are holes in Askren game that he will take advantage of. 

This Friday, on the main card will be Angela Lee also putting her Straw weight title on the line against Brazilian accomplished kickboxer Istela Nunes. To make things interesting ex ONE Lightweight Championship title holder Shinya Aoki will go against Gary Tonon in a special grappling super match. 

ONE Championship is pulling off all the brakes for this Friday 26 May show with many other local heroes such as Singaporean Female MMA star Tiffany Teo of Juggernaut Fight Club and newcomer 19 years old Amir Khan from Evolve MMA.
and many other regional heroes.

They planned to make an impact which will soften UFC's return to Singapore on June 17.