ONE WARRIOR SERIES IS COMING TO KOTA KINABALU !

I remember in 2008, Mixed martial arts was still an anomaly to many. As a martial artist I was fascinated with the series of Fight Quest by Discovery Channel hosted by MMA fighter Jimmy Smith and army vet Doug Anderson; also the Human Weapon series by History Channel hosted by MMA fighter Jason Chambers and wrestler Bill Duff. It was really captivating to see them travelling to countries such as Japan, Israel, Philippines to learn from various masters on different styles of martial arts.

Fast forward to 2018. Mixed martial arts is booming and has become the fastest growing sports in the world. 

In Asia, ONE Championship reign supreme. It is the largest global sports media property in Asian history and hosts the largest sports entertainment events across Asia, featuring some of the world's best martial artists and world champions.

In Nov 2016, ONE Championship announced the launch of ONE Warrior Series, hosted by Rich Franklin.  In the series Rich, a former multiple-time middleweight world champion, will travel to various Asian nations to visit local gyms beginning in Bangkok, Manila, Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing to discover new and upcoming martial arts talent.

Deserving prospects will be rewarded with a USD 100,000++ contract with ONE Championship!

The promotion’s elite video production team will be following Franklin’s journey across the region, chronicling the action to produce a series of compelling documentary videos.

Catch the first two episode here:

Rich

Franklin, Vice President of ONE Championship and CEO of ONE Warrior Series, stated:
“Asia is the hotbed of the industry’s top martial arts prospects. It comes as no surprise, since martial arts has been home to the region for the past 5,000 years. 

Throughout my time in ONE Championship, I have been witness to some of the best martial arts talent I have ever seen. Stars today such as Angela Lee and Eduard Folayang came from the grassroots level of talent in Asia, and the next martial arts superstar is just waiting to be discovered. 

Follow me on this journey to showcase Asia’s greatest cultural treasure, and join me on the hunt to find ONE Championship’s new wave of superstars.”

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

“At ONE Championship, one of our biggest missions is taking martial arts, Asia’s greatest cultural treasure, and placing it front and center for the entire world to witness. One of the ways to do this is by developing local homegrown martial arts superheroes. We are excited to travel across Asia, visiting the most iconic cities, to discover the next big superstar."

Chatri Sityodtong

ONE Warrior Series aims to discover new talent, providing promising young athletes with the platform to unleash their martial arts greatness, at the same time Rich and ONE Warrior Series director Jonathan Fong will also immerse themselves in the local culture and do some sight seeing.

For Malaysian, especially as a Sabahan, it's truly a great honour that ONE Warrior Series, after kick-starting the series in Bangkok the fight capital of Asia, has decided to make Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah as their third stop after Jakarta. They will be in KK on 23 FEB 2018.

This is certainly a great acknowledgement for Sabah, as the hotbed for martial arts talent in Malaysia. The venue will be at Borneo Tribal Squad (BTS), which is founded by AJ Pyro and the home gym of Ann Osman. 

Ann, being the 1st Malaysian female pro MMA athlete, was the trail blazer for female MMA in Asia. The charismatic Ann has hold the torch as the ambassador for the sports in Asia and amassed a fight record of 5-4. She last fought for ONE in Kuala Lumpur in August last year. Ann has announced her retirement from fight last Nov and has taken an executive role in ONE Championship.

AJ Pyro  is Ann's coach and one of the pioneer in Malaysian MMA. He was one of the earliest MMA athlete to fight pro in ONE FC ( which was known as previously ) and won the ONE Championship Malaysian National Featherweight title in 2013. AJ last fought for ONE Championship in Jakarta in Jan 2017.

AJ now focuses on developing new local talent. His gym BTS is known as one of the gym with the highest number of pro MMA athlete in Malaysia, with the likes of aforementioned Ann, there are also Audreylaura, Kelvin Ong, Hisyam Samsudin, Allen Solomon Chong.

Ann Osman and her coach AJ Pyro

Kota Kinabalu is also fastly becoming the fight capital of Borneo with many local promotion being held here, such as STAND, JFL, FIGHT FEST, SGQ, RAMPAGE FC and COPA DE BORNEO

By having the tryout in Kota Kinabalu will certainly help promote this tropical city to more people and position Kota Kinabalu as a good spot for combat sports tourism. Sabah's has so much to offer, with its friendly people and the natural beauty ranging from lush green jungle, mesmerising coral to the majestic Mount Kinabalu, it's a heaven for tourist.

Sabah has the historical heritage of the native warrior tribe that practice headhunting in the old days.  This surely will be a subject that Rich Franklin and team will want to find out more about.

Aside from that, I bet the deliciously fresh seafood and the tantalising local Kadazan Dusun dishes will be on Rich Franklin's menu.

In Bangkok, Rich ate scorpion, perhaps when in Kota Kinabalu he will try the sago worm ( inset picture ).

On 23 FEB, the screening and tryouts process will consist of pad sessions, grappling demonstrations, conditioning exams, and an interview process, among others.
Those interested for the tryouts can come walk in on that day or register earlier
( click here to register )

( click here for Borneo Tribal Squad  location ) 

Things to prepare:

• Athletic attire
• MMA gloves and focus mitts or Thai pads
• A coach to hold pads and a grappling partner
• Passport
• A translator if you are unable to speak English

Rich (left) with Jonathan Fong and guest judges; Thai MMA stars Rika Ishige and Shanon Wiratchai (on the right ) briefing the prospect in Bangkok

Physical preparation is one thing, come mentally prepared too as the team will interview you too to evaluate your mindset

For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, 

follow them on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, 

and like them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.

with Rich Franklin in ONE Championship KL

The Return of King Karabaw

It's Dec...2015. Most are in holiday mood. Christmas is around the corner and people are looking forward to having year end party. But Rayner Kinsiong is not in mood of partying. He just confirmed taking a fight this 29 Jan 2016, for ONE Championship : Clash of Heroes.

Preparing for a fight in 2 months is no easy task. Meeting an upcoming young fighter in Keannu Subba is even more of a challenge. But throw a challenge to Rayner and he will gladly grab it and run...like a bull...towards the challenger. He is game for any fight. Rayner or better known as his ring name -"King Karabaw"; has been waiting for this fight for a long time.

His last fight in ONE Championship was one and a half years ago in Taiwan. In that fight, at ONE FC 18: War of Dragons, Rayner was set to fight Taiwanese ground game maestro Zhang Zheng Jie, but failing a medical test, Zhang was replaced at the last moment with Eliot Corley. Rayner did not have time to study his opponents style and game but his warrior heart denies him from backing up from a fight. Rayner loss by KO due to elbow in the first round.

After the fight, Rayner placed his energy and focus in developing his gym, Karabaw and his Team Karabaw. Team Karabaw is located in Kota Kinabalu Sabah founded in 2012, with branches in Tamparuli and Sipitang and Papar.

In 2015 Rayner pour his energy in developing grassroots MMA talents. He founded JFL ( Jesselton Fight League ) Borneo's first MMA league. He believe Sabah and Borneo in general has many talents that need to be unearth and by having a fight league base in this region, fighters are not burden with travelling cost to Peninsular Malaysia where most MMA competition are held. In 2015 too Rayner was busy prepping his fighters for many regional fight events such as MIMMA, Ultimate Beatdown, Warriors Championship, Sabah Open BJJ, etc

Pix by Deb Gauges

At 36, Rayner is at the crossroad of his fight career...but the urge to fight is still burning strong in King Karabaw. Rayner gain fame as Malaysia's National Karateka winning Gold in SEA Games 2001. After a brief stint in amatuer MMA reaching the quarterfinals of MIMMA1, he moved up to fight pro in Ultimate Beatdown 13 and F3-4.

Pix by Deb Gauges

Pix by Deb Gauges

For this Friday's fight in ONE Championship, so strong is his heart to develop local talent, Rayner choosed to have his fight camp in Kota Kinabalu. To him this not only enable him to be close to his wife and his baby daughter but also for him to push up the level of training for his team. He also believes Sabah has enough local talent to prepare him for a fight vs Keannu. That is why he is training hard with Adrian Tham ( MIMMA 1 Heavyweight champion, JFL1 Welterweight Champion ) and Allen Solomon Chong ( MIMMA 1 Lightweight Champion and TUF China ). Rayner has his ground game covered as Adrian and Allen are reknown for their ground skills.

As for polishing on his stand up, Rayner also has the help of Bow Sueilek from Dihnar Gym for improvement in his stand up game. as Bow is a multi belt holder in pro muaythai; and also from Eddey and Effendy Kalai, whom are national boxers and active amateur MMA athletes.

Pix by Deb Gauges

Allen's gym - Alpha MMA, Adrian's fight team - NOMAD, and Kalai Borther's Boxing all help in preparing Rayner for this fight. The Sabahan warriors spirit certainly are alive in all of them as they all chip in to give Rayner a good fight camp.

Rayner with Allen and Adrian

According to Adrian, performing at the big stage like ONE is not a problem for Rayner as he has perform at international level during his karate days. " Keannu has very good ground game and overall is very well rounded. What Rayner must do is focus on speed and explosiveness ."

Pix by Deb Gauges

Since cutting weight is not allowed anymore when ONE announces the new weigh in program in Dec 2015, this is after the tragic death of Chinese fighter Yang Jiang Bing, Rayner will be fighting in lightweight. This has ease the burden of drastic weight cut that put lots of stress in a fighters body. The new rules is a first for an MMA promotion and it is good to see an Asian base promotion leading the way in the name of safety for it's fighters.

Pix by Deb Gauges

Training with the Sabahans

Rayner possess the spirit and heart for this fight, but he will need to dig in deep to unleash the "Karabaw" in him. As Keannu is young at 21 and is taller at 5'10" . He debutted in ONE  at ONE Championship : Tigers of Asia with sensational win over Florian Garel via KO by strikes in round one.

Before that Keannu is the posterboy for MIMMA as the Season 1 & 2 featherweight champion.
He is the younger brother of current ONE Championship Flyweight Gianni Subba.
Keannu train out of Bali MMA Muaythai & MMA.

In ONE Championship : Clash of the Heroes, the main card of fellow Malaysian Ev Ting will be fighting for Malaysia's pride as Eric Kelly will have the support of whole Philipines with him as Ev has defeated many Philipinos before including Eric's own brother Edward one year ago in ONE FC 21: Roar of Tigers. Sparks will fly as this two are both prolific strikers and Eric is tough as nail, as proven in ONE FC 18, when he overcome a broken nose and submitted Rob Lisita in Round 2.

Note of thanks to Deb Gauges for the photos of Rayner's training. Deb is an amatuer photographer base in Kota Kinabalu with an artistic eye. PM her for more infor on her photography skills