HISYAM SAMSUDIN - A VICTORY MORE PRECIOUS THAN A TITLE BELT

When I first met Hisyam, he struck me as a very courteous gentlemen. He conduct himself admirably and speak with respect and politeness. Surely his parents have done the right things bringing up this young man.

With his friendly attitude, I was mildly surprise that he is an active fighter, not only in the ring but also in the cage. In boxing there's a certain amount of control and respect. But in MMA, you need that ferociousness and that killer instinct  to survive a fight, let alone winning it. Hisyam seems to be more fitting as a boxer than a MMA fighter, but he proof to be best at both.

Hisyam with AJ Pyro

Train under the watchful eyes of AJ Pyro of Borneo Tribal Squad in Kota Kinabalu, Hisyam has grown into the sports that he started as a way to lose weight. His successful story of overcoming an overweight problem in his teenage years has been widely cover in the media.

Growing up overweight during the formative years of a teenagers is certainly tough especially when teenagers are so occupied by external qualities. To be able to overcome this shows the first sign of the resilient of Hisyam.

Hisyam in his FMD3 fight (pix by Singapore Maven) 

His pro MMA career began in the land of Muaythai in Full Metal Dojo 3. Victorious against a Thai in their home ground is no small feat. Hisyam took home the debut win with a TKO in round 1. His second outing in FMD 7 didn't went his way as a bad cut in the early rounds affected his focus, he lost with a unanimous decision to a local Thai with a record of more than 200 Muaythai fights.

Given the fight name Zephyrus by AJ, Hisyam took to his nick name like the west wind itself. He train all year round and is always ready. In Feb 2016, taking up a short notice fight, he was one of the four boxers fighting for the Super-4 WBF Asia Pacific Light Heavyweight Title belt at Singapore Fighting Championship 2. Among the pro boxers were Singaporean hero Syafiq Samad and Filipino warrior Richard Corminal and Malaysian young buck Ridzuan Dahari.

winning the WBF Asia Pac belt

Being the lightest among the four does not bother Hisyam. He fought and won a  technical fight vs Richard and in the title fight, although both him and Ridzuan was out of gas, but Hisyam was able to dig deep and emerge as the Champion, becoming the first Malaysian to win a international boxing belt.

Hisyam is one of the coaches in Borneo Tribal Squad, but when he gets a break he would travel back to his home town Tawau in the east coast of Sabah. He love to hang out with his young nephews. They look up to him as a role model. Back home in Tawau he spends as much time as he can with his family.

The BTS fight team

His parents now supports him fully in his fight career. Initially they voiced their concern and worries as they can't bear the thoughts of their son getting hurt. Hisyam, through his dedication and passion to martial arts manage to convince his parents that he prepares himself very well before entering any fight, hence reducing the risk of injury,...infact he may be the one inflicting the injuries.

This year AJ has been busy planning and arranging fights for his stable of pro athletes in BTS. In Sept a deal was seal for Hisyam for his ONE Championship debut. Although fighting in the preliminaries card, it was certainly a high profile debut as his opponent is Muhd Aiman who's name is propel up in the MMA scene being the fighters that enter MIMMA 3 times and won it on his 3rd try.

Hisyam vs Aiman - (pix by Eddie Chan)

I was cage side during that fight. It was a barn burner. Aiman being more swift and all rounder, Hisyam seems to be running low on fuel after being tire out by Aiman's pressure on the cage. Hisyam's didn't give up. With his parents watching on the side, he dig deep and towards the end of fight, executing a reverse elbow that almost knocked-out Aiman, but the fight ended with a 3 round victory for Aiman.

After that debut in ONE, he took a short break in Tawau, spending time with his parents.

Then it was back to BTS to resume training, polishing his striking and brushing up on his ground skills In the process earning his BJJ blue belt from Prof Adam Kayoom last month.

with Prof Adam Kayoom

Time for him to enter the cage again, as AJ managed to get him a fight in the Jakarta cards of ONE Championship Total Victory. This time in the main card, going against Indonesian Jeremy Meciaz. Jeremy is Indonesia's national grappling champion. Fighting in Jakarta is a very intimidating experience as the war cry of Indonesian supporters are well known to unnerve even the most season fighters.

Hisyam was fighting on 16 Sept 2017. A significant date for Malaysian especially from the Borneon states as this is the date 54 years ago, that Sabah together with Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya came together to form Malaysia.

Also going into this fight, Hisyam carry on his shoulder the burden of erasing the memory of the hi-light reel lost of his coach AJ to Dutch Indonesian Anthony Engelan in Jakarta in January this year.

He also need to wipe out the image of being the nice guy, lacking killer instinct.

But Hisyam take all this with stride. Fight camp went very well for him and cutting weight was smooth, he was full of confident and eager to record a win in the oval cage.

His parents flew in to Jakarta to support him, getting themselves cage side seats to cheer on Hisyam. Thursday weigh in was done and he was happy to have his parent around, able to joke and have light moments with them to get his mind away from the pressure of the fight.

Then a message from his mother on Friday morning asking him to come to the hospital to see his father, broke his quiet morning. Hisyam did not expect anything serious. On the back of his mind, he was thinking that his father was perhaps exhausted from the travelling.

As he arrived at the hospital, the feelings changed. He was told of the sorrowful news that his father has pass on. What a shock this news was to his mind. His father was only 66 and without any illness,... Hisyam could not accept this lost.

His first thought was to cancel the fight, go home and be with his mother. But his mother knew that his father would not want Hisyam to give up. He came to see him win, maybe physically he is now not able to do so, but spiritually he is with Hisyam and the fight must go on.

The last photo Hisyam father the late Mr Samsudin  took on Thursday in Jakarta

Hisyam made the decision to keep all this news to him and his family only. The only one outside his family that he informed was coach AJ. He didn't even inform ONE Championship management, as he does not want pity and does not want to give excuse to cancel the fight.

His mother and family made arrangement for his father's body to be sent back and made funeral arrangements. They ask him to focus on getting the win in memory of his father.

No one knew how much pressure and mental anguish was in Hisyam's head when he enter the cage to face Jeremy. The sound of booing from the crowds as Hisyam name was introduced, was enough to discourage anyone.

AJ whom has seen him grow from an overweight kid to 'Zephyrus' was a pillar of strength, as he look into Hisyam eyes, without saying much, but it was enough to calm Hisyam down and allow Hisyam mind to focus on the task at hand.



They have studied Jeremy before from his first fight as he rushed his opponent. Thinking he won't do the same mistake, initially it surprised Hisyam that Jeremy followed the same game plan as he leap across the cage and charge at Hisyam trying to connect with a flying knee.

Both exchanged furious strikes, aggressively change position as both tries to exert control. The fight went to the ground and as Hisyam tries to escape Jeremy immediately uses his grappling prowess to attack Hisyam's leg. Locking in tight for leg locks and variations of heel hook. The crowd went wild cheering on Jeremy as he relentlessly trying to break Hisyam's leg.

Hisyam can hear his knee cracking, he tries to drown the noise of the Indonesian crowd with the thoughts of his father. He then visualized his father's face in front of him, he can hear his voice cheering him on, drowning out the Indonesian supporters noise.

Deep in his heart, he knew that he needs to stay calm and change position to release the pressure and buying time and wait till Jeremy tires up.

The plan worked, as soon as his leg was free, Hisyam took side control and rained damaging knees on Jeremy's head. A couple more impactful elbows to Jeremy's face finally urged the referee to stop the fight at 2:47 Round 1.

Pix by Singapore Maven - David Ash

What a triumphant win that was for Hisyam, as all the emotion now rushes to his mind, the sorrow of his father's passing mixed with the joy of bringing home the win.

In his victory speech, barely holding back his tears, Hisyam revealed to all present that the win was dedicated to his father that just pass away the day before. Viewers was taken aback and now understand that indeed a victory like this means more than winning any championship belt.

Hisyam does not have a specific special memories of his father, to him every moment with him was special. He wants to have more fights to established himself, to slowly climb up the featherweight category and to eventually one day become the Champion.

Hisyam meaningful win is a story that I hope will give motivation and inspire readers out there to never give up, to not have excuses, to fight against all odds.

with his beloved mother

He celebrated his 27th birthday yesterday 20 Sept 2017. Even though without his father by his side, his mother's and other family members celebrated with him and reminded him that the only way to make his father proud is to keep on fighting.

AJ and his BTS team members are always there too to support him all the way, and Warriors of Borneo will always be here to chart his journey of becoming a world champion one day.

Happy Birthday Hisyam!

Hisyam proudly wearing the BTS fight shorts ; sporting the ethnic native motifs of Sabah

HISYAM SAM: WANTS TO BE THE AGGRESOR

On 16 Sept 2017, Malaysia will celebrate it's 54 years of formation. On that day in 1963, Sabah together with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore came together to form the federation of Malaysia.

On this Saturday as we Malaysians celebrate the historic date, Sabahan Hisyam Sams will be on a mission in Jakarta to make that date not only a day to celebrate Malaysia day, but also a day for him to celebrate his first victory in ONE Championship oval cage.

Hisyam represent Borneo Tribal Squad base in Kota Kinabalu. He is trained by ONE Championship Malaysian national featherweight champion AJ Pyro. Hisyam debut in the oval cage last year Sept against fellow Malaysian, MIMMA champion Muhd Aiman. It was a 3 round hard battle which goes to Aiman.

Hisyam story of going against the odds from a overweight kid to a pro MMA fighter has captured many headlines and inspired many youth to believe in themselves to succeed. 

Warriors of Borneo talked to Hisyam as he prepare for this Saturday.

Any difference in your training compare to your first fight?

The difference between this fight and my first ONE fight is that this time I am more prepared and ready to fight in such a big event. 

What did you learn from that first fight?

From my last fight with Aiman, I learned that I don't have much aggression going into the fight. 

After the fight with Aiman, I was doing the usual. I train everyday and teaching classes at the BTS. Because of injuries I need to have a good rest before going to fight again. 

What do you think of ONE Championship featherweight category?

There's a lot of good fighters in the category. I think it is the most exciting category to watch in ONE. 

I've heard a comment before that you are one of the nicest person in MMA. That you are not aggressive enough, what do you think of that?

Yes that's actually my biggest problem. I was too nice even with my opponent. But that's old news now. I've been through a lot. This fight I will let go my killer instinct to get the win. 

Borneo Tribal Squad (BTS)has experience a number of losses recently, how do you and team deal with this?

Yes we have been some few losses. But that's natural. That's sport. You can win and you can lose. 

We just have to learn from the past fight and improve on the next. That's how we manage the losses. 

You also have been training in Tawau right?

Yes I have been to Tawau training there. It's was just me spending my time in Tawau while taking a holiday. But for the fight I train in BTS. Here I have many elite teammates who know how to train with me. Coach AJ also helping me to push myself and getting that killer instinct out.

with AJ Pyro

Hisyam with his BTS team mates

promoted to Blue Belt by Prof Adam Kayoom last week

Hisyam will be facing a newcomer Jeremy Meciaz. Jeremy record is 0-1-0, and he will be looking to improve on that with the home crowd support.

Warriors of Borneo wishes Hisyam the best in Jakarta!

ONE : UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS - The Malaysian Odyssey

The mood of Merdeka or Independence day will still in the air on 2 Sept 2016 when ONE Championship : Unbreakable Warriors held at Stadium Negara Kuala Lumpur goes down. It will feature 8 Malaysians fighting that night out of the 10 bouts.

Let’s see what's instore for Malaysian fighters on Friday night.

Sabahan Hisyam 'Zephyrus" Sams from Borneo Tribal Squad will debut together with compatriot Mohd Aiman from Negeri Sembilan. But they won’t be meeting as friends in the cage tomorrow night as both will face each other in a battle of Malaysian debutant.

Hisyam has 2 pro fights under him from Full Metal Dojo, his record at 1-1-0. Losing the last fight to Thai Veerayut Uttapan at FMD7, after a tough 3 round fight. Striking wise, Hisyam has good boxing, becoming the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Asia Pacific light heavyweight Champion at Singapore Fighting Championship 2 in Feb 2016. He will also rely on his experience from fighting muaythai & from winning two fights at ONE Silat will also be an important factor facing Aiman.

A character that can clearly define Muhd Aiman certainly is a warrior’s heart. This young lad from Negeri Sembilan was the finalist for MIMMA in 2013 at Bantamweight, losing to Prabu Somanaidu. Following year In 2014, MIMMA season two, fought through the ranks and again reached the finals but he didn’t made weight. Season 3 came & he started from scratch all over again participating in the try outs and eventually reached the finals and this time emerge victorious against Hafizul Hakim of Sabah.

Aiman has been training at Bali Muay Thai & MMA with his close friends the Subba brothers. In April this year he turned pro & fought in China at Kunlun Fight 41, losing to Korean Sung Bing Jo. He will be eager to get a win in his ONE debut. Aiman also has boxing experience and certainly has gained much improvement in striking & grappling from his training in Bali MMA.

Hisyam said that facing Aiman, he is ready to go ground or stand and strike. He firmly believes his coach AJ Pyro’s game plan for him will work. Hisyam is proud to represent Sabah’s BTS for this fight and he felt that fighting in ONE is a dream come true but he felt that the attention will be on Aiman and he is comfortable being the underdog.

Malaysian best known MMA siblings the Subba brothers will be in action together on the same night this Friday.

Gianni Subba the older siblings is also one of Malaysia’s best MMA talent. At 24 he is already considered a veteran in ONE. First appeared for ONE way back in 2012 for ONE FC’s 6th show. He has fought 8 times since then. Gianni is coming out of a lost to Philipino Geje Eustaciao in April 2016. Before that he chalked up 4 straight wins. He is keen to get back to winning ways to start to stamp his presence in flyweight and determine to put up an impressive win vs Brazilian Yago Bryan.

Yago represent Nova Uniao of Brazil. Famed as the gym that produce former UFC featherweight champion - Jose Aldo and former UFC bantamweight champion - Renan Barao. Yago’s MMA fight experiences are mostly gained from his fighting days in Brazil since 2014. His 1st fight at ONE is at ONE: Pride of Lions in Nov 2015 where he challenged Dejdamrong for the Straw weight belt but lost in an unanimous decision.

Gianni’s younger brother Keannu Subba is also trying to get back to winning ways after his last lost at Hefei China to Chinese flamboyant rising star Li Kai Wen. Keannu despite an elbow that was not fully recovered put up a great fight in 3 round but lost by unanimous decision. Before turning pro, Keannu achieved the pinnacle of Malaysian amateur MMA by winning the MIMMA featherweight belt twice in 2013 & 2014.

His opponent is Pakistani Wakaq Umar. Wakaq does not have a nice record in ONE. Losing 3 times before going back to his home land to fight at PAKMMA early this year and got a win by choke in the first round.

Another prodigy from MIMMA is Agilan ‘The Alligator’ Thani. Agilan tore through his opponents in MIMMA2 and became the welterweight champion. Trained under Samir Mrabet at Monarchy Gym, Agilan originally wanted to lose weight but got so skillfull he decides to fight as a living. Turned pro at ONE FC 25, Agilan is on a roll…with an impressive 4 wins in a row, all by finish. Especially his last fight where he dominate and TKO American Brad Robinson with punches in round 1

Trestle Tan of Philipines has stepped up to face The Alligator. Tan five losses all came by TKO / choke, holding a 4-5-0 record. But Agilan cannot take him lightly and treat him like an easy meat as all Tan’s 4 win also came by TKO / Choke.

Malaysian MMA superstar, Peter Davis make a return to the oval cage this Friday night. Peter’s was a financial consultant that dabbled into acting, modeling and coaching before committing to a fighting career. Malaysia’s MMA growth can be partly attributed to Peter as ONE Championship & MIMMA use his marketable face & personality to promote MMA to the Malaysian public, and these worked effectively as we now see the high awareness of MMA among the Malaysians general public and the many young prospect that took up MMA inspired by him.

Peter’s ground skill is top notch and he never gives up in a fight even though starting off being dominated. But his last fight at Kuala Lumpur in October 2015 did not end well. Facing Australian Adrian Pang who fought with a rigid stance that seems immovable, Peter suffered a devastating KO from Adrian’s punches. But Peter took the loss in his stride & uses it to motivate himself back to fighting fit.

At 5-1-0, Peter’s opponent, Shannon "One Shin" Wiratchai is on a 3 fight winning streak. Last fought in his home land Thailand in May 2016, he impressively TKO Burmese Kyal Ling Aung. If Peter is the poster boy of Malaysian MMA, Shannon could be the Thai version. Having a penchant for showmanship, Shannon will try to win the fans heart while trying to break the heart of Malaysian at the same night. Will he succeed? Only Peter Davis can prevent him from doing so.

We move on to the ladies…. Yes the darling of Malaysian female MMA Ann "Athena" Osman is back. After the crushing KO to Wushu champion Irina Mazepa in the same night as Peter’s lost, Ann has gone back to the drawing board to polish up her skills. It seems like ONE keep giving her Wushu based opponent. Ann returned to the cage in ONE : Dynasty of Champions in Hefei China in July 2016. Her opponent was Egyptian Haiat Farag, a wrestler and also a Wushu champion. Ann weathered the storm of throws and punches that connected in the early minutes. Never one that gives up, her fighting spirit went on warrior mode as she look for an opening for her move, it came close to the end of minute 3 of round 1, she manage to grab Haiat’s extended arm and bellied down with a reverse arm-bar, Ann took the win by submmission. Ann described Haiat as a real aggressive opponent but she reminded herself to stay calm and she manage to overcome the adversity to take the win. She attribute this all to her long time mentor and coach at Borneo Tribal Squad - AJ Pyro, training her not only on her physical prowess but also on mental toughness.

Ann will need all these as she will be facing another Wushu stalwart. Her opponent is a young 22 year April Osenio. April has fought only twice (1-1-0). Her win was over Australian Natalie Hills, in April 2016. Even though only having 2 MMA fight experience but coming from Team Lakay put her on solid foundation.

Team Lakay was founded in 2003 by MMA fighter by Wushu instructor, and Philippine Military Academy martial arts trainer Marquez Sangiao. Under Sangiao’s charge, Team Lakay’s fighters have grown into dominant warriors who are well versed in striking, wrestling, and submissions. And thanks to their high-altitude training in Baguio City, their fighters seem to be always on full gas tank. Notable MMA names from Team Lakay are Edward Folayang, Kevin Belingon & Honario Banario.



We now come to the main event of the night. Ev 'E.T.' Ting vs Ruthless Rob Lisita. His last fight was in Jan 2016, submitting Eric Kelly with a choke. Since then he has kept himself busy by coaching MMA and running sessions for the fight team at Saigon Sports Club at the same time training along many fighters who pop through the gym.

Ev lives and trains out of Auckland, New Zealand, and has amassed a stellar 11-3 record so far in his professional career. A winner of his last two bouts by impressive submission over top caliber opponents, Ting is one of the most talented fighters to come out of Malaysia.

33-year-old “Ruthless” Rob Lisita of Campbelltown, Australia, is known as a relentless offensive force, armed with powerful striking combinations intended to score highlight-reel finishes. But of late Lisita is on a 3 fight losing streak by choke / TKO. He is veteran fighter who has faced the best in his division and beyond.

Warriors of Borneo asked Ev on how is his preparation for this fight,…
” I spent first 4-5 weeks at Saigon Sports Club but will be acclimatizing and peaking last 3 weeks here in KL with my Malaysian team mates from Bali MMA, Monarchy and Klinch. My coach will arrive from Auckland to help me with my final details to peak for fight night”

On how this fight came about and how Rob has been calling him out.
“Rob Lisita was not a fight I was looking for as I always want to move up in ranks, yes he has been calling me out and this is what ONE insisted without another option. Rob is not an easy opponent for anybody and I am training for the best version of Rob Lisita”

Would you be asking for a featherweight title fight after a win over Rob?
"Yes I want my due title shot; I will have 6 wins and 6 finishes after this fight and being undefeated in KL. However if I really need to still keep proving myself then I will not decline"

Rob is a heavy striker...but his last fight was caught by Timofey early...wud u employ same tactics....start striking early?
"Robs last fight was much too short to study or find any patterns. Rob presents some threats however I am confident I have the right gameplan to get the W over Rob"

What have u been doing besides training ?...what’s the thing that get your mind off training?..Any other hobbies or interest you indulge in?
"Recently being away from home where I indulge in all kinds of nature and apart from delicious food, I have been exploring the world of TV entertainment catching up with the latest movies and TV series such as Kingdom. However people often say I need more hobbies : P " 

catching up on his favourite TV series

Warriors of Borneo wishes all Malaysian a great Merdeka week, and wishing all the Malaysian fighters the best of luck, Fight hard, Fight smart, Fight with all your heart!
Selamat Hari Merdeka Malaysia!

Hisyam Sam: Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained

Early this year in February Hisyam Sams of Borneo Tribal Squad (BTS) took on his first pro boxing match in Singapore Fighting Championship 2. Fighting in a 4 man tournament for the World Boxing Federation (WBF) - Asia Pacific Light heavyweight title. It was on short notice as a boxer was injured and AJ Pyro , Hisyam's coach decide to put him in.

In bout 1 he fought Richard Corminal of Singapore.

Below is the excerpt from ASIA MMA reported by David Ash of Singapore Maven

check out ASIA MMA for the latest in combat sports news in Asia

"Hisyam clearly displayed a lot more control throughout the 3 rounds of this bout. He took his time, and waited for Richard to land his jabs before working his jab, right hooks and left uppercut combination. Hisyam demonstrated agility stepping in and out quickly, all that time looking for opportunities when Richard remained exposed to his hooks. Richard’s critical mistakes were having his hands down often, giving Hisyam a chance to connect his jabs and hooks. Winner : Hisyam Sams via UD."

In the final...
Mohd Ridzuan Dahari (Malaysia) vs Hisyam Sams (Malaysia)

The main event was an exciting bout between the two Malaysian boxers who were very quick on their feet and deft with their combination. However Ridzuan was the more aggressive fighter in this bout, landing clean punches while Hisyam seemed to have gassed out midway through the first round to turn the fight into a brawl. However in the second round, Hisyam took advantage of a very exhausted Ridzuan by clinching and landing a series of body shots till the sound of the bell. The referee declared Hisyam Sams the winner when Ridzuan could not get off his chair to continue the fight.

Winner: Hisyam Sams via referee stoppage after round 2."

Hisyam is the first Malaysian to win a WBO belt

Emerging as Champion even though he was the lightest boxer among the four.

Hisyam was schedule to fight in ONE Silat in May 2016 and he was training hard in BTS for this, but unfortunately the fight was postpone indefinitely. Coach AJ was actively looking for a match up for Hisyam.

A boxing match in China came up. It was for a middleweight World Boxing Organization (WBO) fight on 24 June 2016. Again accepting this fight in a short notice. By this time Hisyam as a muslim already started fasting as June is the Holy month of Ramadan.

In the month of Ramadan, Hisyam trains cut down his training to night time only. In BTS for normal months they have the crazy energy sapping Spartan Training in the morning. 

keeping busy with his coach AJ Pyro

During Ramadan Hisyam also take the opportunity to go back to his home town in Tawau to visit his family, while there, he trains at his old gym, Alamgir.

Hisyam is popular among his nephew in Tawau due to his friendly nature
and also how they look up to him as a mentor

Hisyam lost the fight by TKO. His opponent Wang Fei Hu of China, was taller and a much heavier opponent. Fighting at 76kg, Hisyam had to load up as he walks around at only 72kg. Wang walks around in 79kg. Loading up when you are fasting is certainly a challenge...but for Hisyam, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

It was a good learning experience for him and as he's only 25, he needs more fights under his record. Furthermore, he is schedule to defend his WBF Belt in Singapore around September 2016.

Much respect to all muslim fighters that had to keep themselves active during this fasting month, I ask Hisyam to share some tips to #WRB readers on this.

"Well for Ramadan, the fasting month its a good time for those who want to lose weight not to gain weight like me, haha. 

Couple of tips from me to lose weight on the fasting month. 

1. Know how much to eat at Sahur (pre dawn meal) and berbuka (breaking fast) . Eat more on Sahur since you'll need the energy to fast the whole day until the sun down till berbuka/ eat less when berbuka. Why less? Trust me when I say its all your 'nafsu' (desire) that is big. You don't need a lot. Just a small portion is enough and you will feel full. 

Remember the fasting month of Ramadan is the time for Muslim to do good deed not to eat a lot. 

2. Do light exercise daily. Just do light exercise is enough to keep your body in good and healthy condition. Doesn't mean its the fasting month then all you do is sleep the whole day waiting till berbuka. 

You might think sleep doing nothing and not eating will help you lose weight. Well its not. Sleeping meaning you keeping your extra fat when you suppose to burn it and guess what, you not losing weight and worse, your body gets weaker. So make sure do your exercise and sweat it out and burn the fat"

Hisyam will defend his WBF belt this coming Sept

Mata Leao Results

Johan Julian of Kinabalu Fighters, founder Fight Fest dream of having a martial arts carnival where multiple discipline is contested in a single event, hence the name Fight Fest. In 2015, he successfully organised the first two Fight Fest event where, MMA & Kickboxing was featured. Fight Fest Mata Leao is the further progression of his dream where submission grappling is added.

Submission grappling competiton in Sabah was pioneered by Persatuan BJJ Negeri Sabah under Allen Solomon Chong when he organised Headhunters Challenge back in 2010. He then progress to organised the biggest grappling competition in Borneo - Sabah BJJ Open last year. 

Fight Fest - Mata Leao gives Borneo warriors another avenue to test their skills and gain more experience to prepare themselves for the 2nd Sabah BJJ Open in August 2016.

Mata Leao is Portuguese for "lion killer" a common name for a submission grappling technique used to choke & disable opponents.The tournament feature ADCC grappling rules and was held on March 13, 2016 at the Kompleks Likas foyer.

Below are the complete results.

WHITE:
**********
FEMALE Absolute
Gold - Tira BORNEO TRIBAL SQUAD
Silver - Liyana Natasha binti Ahmad KMMA

JUVENILE:
50kg: -
Gold - Mohd Rayyan KINABALU FIGHTERS
Silver - Mohd Dean Syukri Mohd INDEPENDENT

JUVENILE ABSOLUTE:
Gold - Mohd Rayyan KINABALU FIGHTERS
Silver - Arric Yap VALOR

MALE:
54.5kg: -
Gold - Felicisimo SABAH TOP TEAM
Silver - Teo Kai Xiang VALOR
Bronze - Amirul Ian Rashidee INDEPENDENT

61kg: -
Gold - Lennon Henry ALPHA MMA
Silver - Mohammad Hasbullah Sanmin KMMA
Bronze - Rio BORNEO TRIBAL SQUAD

67kg: -
Gold - Justin Lo STUDIO23
Silver - Fadzli Hisham KINABALU FIGHTERS
Bronze - Abraham Jacob Maringking KARABAW
Bronze - Lennon Henry ALPHA MMA

73kg: -
Gold - Kelvin Ong BORNEO TRIBAL SQUAD
Silver - Ericcory Love Joy Akisin KMMA
Bronze - Michel Chin VALOR

Gold - Johari Aliakbar 69kg KMMA
Silver - Jonah Masudal 71kg VALOR
Bronze - Rahman Wahid Tahir 73kg VALOR

79.3kg:-
Gold - Terrance Sak SABAH TOP TEAM
Silver - Samuel Gong WARMONGER
Bronze -Sahi BORNEO TRIBAL SQUAD

85.3kg:-
Gold - Darren Jiwan Lo VALOR
Silver - Anthonisius James VALOR
Bronze -Joseph BORNEO TRIBAL SQUAD

Over 91.3kg:-
Gold - Abdul Muiz Serakan VALOR
Silver - Freddy Billy KARABAW
Bronze -Yusop Masiludin KMMA
Bronze - Alexio INDEPENDENT

WHITE ABSOLUTE:
Gold - Muis Serakan VALOR
Silver - Anthonisius James VALOR
Bronze - Lennon Henry ALPHA MMA
Bronze - Arric Yap VALOR

BLUE:
**********
61kg
Gold - Anrian Fabian ALPHA MMA
Silver - Ann Osman 66kg BORNEO TRIBAL SQUAD

76kg
Gold - Hisyam BORNEO TRIBALSQUAD
Silver - Raphael Moa STUDIO23

BLUE ABSOLUTE:
Gold - Hj Abdul Hadi Bakir BUSIDO MMA
Silver - Justin Lo STUDIO 23
Bronze - Anrian Fabian ALPHA MMA
Bronze - Raphael Moa STUDIO 23

Participants came from fight gyms from around Sabah and also from Penang, Brunei & Sarawak.

ONE Championship fighter Ann Osman from Borneo Tribal Squad came but could not find another female in her category. Being the champion that she is, she agreed to compete in the men 's category and won herself a silver medal. Her opponent from Alpha MMA, Anrian Fabian who brought home the gold.

Ann's team mate Hisyam Sam who recently became the WBF Asia Pacific Light Weight Champion in boxing won himself a gold medal. Meanwhile Tira, also from BTS whom debut in her pro MMA fight in Singapore FIghting Champion 2 in Feb, also won gold.

Mohd Hasbullah of KMMA who is JFL Bantamweight Champion & Fight Fest II MMA Champion also competed to further hone his grappling skills and  brought home a silver medal. 

Sabah Top Team two representative, Felicisimo & Terrence Sak won gold using their Luta Livre knowledge coached by Antonnio Batistessa.

Gold medalist from Sabah Top Team

The referee of the tournament was Persatuan BJJ Sabah President & MIMMA Season 1 Champion Allen Solomon Chong.

Allen Solomon Chong refereeing the tournament with the help of Michael Chong...here with their team ALPHA MMA

"I'm very happy to see the support shown by the private sector in the sport of BJJ. We are also happy that our Persatuan is tasked as a sanctioning body for grappling events and we will do our part to ensure fair and safe practices. More events equal more opportunities for the youth to develop their skills. Sabah boleh! - Allen Solomon Chong."

Johan and his Kinabalu Fighters team