An interview with Nik Harris

Can you tell readers about how you got into martial arts and your journey in martial arts? Who influence you? What was your motivation back then? What martial arts did you started with?

I've always enjoyed martial arts be it in works of fiction or in the competitive sports arena, whether it be boxing, wrestling (WWE) or Silat, I've always had interest in the field, my main idols were Muhammad Ali, The Rock, Bruce Lee among a plethora of great inspirational athletes and martial artists

What prompted you to fight MMA? Tell us about those early days of MMA, the days of Malaysia Fighting Championship, early Ultimate Beatdown and F3, what was the atmosphere like and how is it different from the promotion today?
I've always had this urge to test myself in stressful situations to estimate how I would handle the pressure, MMA is the perfect litmus test not only the physical aspect but the mental aspect as well. In terms of early MMA days, imagine a dodgy bar, not much crowd control, being burned by unruly cigarette smokers as you walked into the cage, very underground and very much of the Fight Club feel throughout.

Fighting in the early days of MMA in Malaysia

You're from Kelantan, tell us about life growing up as a child? You are a very straight forward person, you speak what's in your mind and willing to go against stereotype to get your point across, what molded & develop this personality of yours?
I am Kelantanese by name and heritage but culturally I felt more of a connection with my mother's Sabah side of East Malaysia, I spent my childhood mostly in Kuala Lumpur and lived a fairly average and active outgoing life in KL and speaking my mind has worked as a double edged knife, I just call it as it is "to address the pink elephant in the room" so to speak and I attribute that to my mum and dad who always champion the right thing to believe in and to fight for your beliefs.

You fought twice in ONE Championship 2013-14 and had a perfect no loss record, why did you stop? Did the contract end?
It is one of my crowning achievements, to fight on the stage of ONE Championship, I did not stop more like I was stopped from competing, ONE terminated my contract after my loss to Matt Pelino after the MM'Arr fight.

In 2012, Nik lost to Brad Robinson in Ultimate Beatdown. But he avenge the lost in ONE FC16 in 2014

built tough, he's able to take it...

...and able to dish it out too!

Tell us about that MM'Arr fight? Were you satisfied with the results? What did you did wrong? Would you want to avenge that lost to Matt given a opp?
I was on a cruise ship to partake in a MMA bout against another popular Malaysian MMA personality (Matt Pelino) the entire experience was out of this world, the results will always be unsatisfactory but I have grown from it, I would say one of the major setbacks made during the fight was to accept the fight despite a weight discrepancy in favor of Matt, I have no regrets however, it is a learning experience after all

During your fighting days, you had a desk job, but you quit it to go pro, tell us how did you survive? Was it through fight earnings? 
I survived through sheer will and sacrifice, teaching Personal Training sessions whenever I can while balancing group classes and also helping out with my dad's company from time to time, I worked in advertising and events at one point but it got in the way and for a period between 2012 to about 2015/2016 I was heavily involved in the fitness and martial arts industry which paid for most of my bills and fed me the food needed to get by.




How and who gave you the nick name The Hound? What does it signify?
The politically correct and boring answer is I drew inspiration from the nonchalance of the character of the same name from Game of Thrones, the real answer is that I used to be a ladies man during my early days of training, my former coaches would call me a "Bloody Dog!" or "You Bloody Hound" and the name stuck! 

I decided to shorten it to "The Hound" to adopt the nom-de-guerre of the Game of Thrones character and if you wonder, ...

Yes, I would kill you for some chicken!

I remember you started a MMA podcast? How did that go?
I did it mostly for fun and to fine tune some production skills I learned while job hopping, creating content which was relevant towards the Malaysian MMA scene, however, with my personal and career development booming, I have to put a short hiatus on creating the podcast cause it's a lot of work and my time is spent doing other things but I do believe it is only a matter of time before I get back to it!

You also have great interest in the tech & gaming industries...what is your role there? What are you looking to achieve?

I've always been an avid gamer and tech enthusiast, I love how technology is integrated into our daily lives and the speed at which it evolves is phenomenal, gaming is a branch of technology and entertainment that speaks to everyone cause we love entertaining ourselves! 

In terms of my role in the industry is that I am a streamer/content creator/ community and social influencer and media all in one for everything and anything related to gaming!

You are one of the pioneer in MMA in Msia...tell us how do you see the development of MMA in Malaysia, what do you think we still lack of? On the other side, do you think we have what it takes to be a force in Asia, or at least in Asia?

I don't consider myself a pioneer, more that I was just here when it all started, the MMA industry has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of it's visibility and the amount of content readily available is all right at most but there still needs to be more players (and not just fighters) within the industry. 

The industry needs people will to spend on it and people to get behind, I never would have thought to see Agilan Thani fight Ben Askren but it is happening and that is one prime example of MMA growth.

What type of music pushes you when you workout? 
I listen to all kinds of music, so I don't have a particular type of music I listen to, but I do have moods, normally for cardio I listen to a lot of jazz and funk with upbeat and fast paced music.

Your much anticipated MMA fight in Hypercore last year didn't materialise, can you help shed some lights on what happen to that event?

Show didn't materialize, I got pretty bummed out about it.

I got fat and stopped training for awhile, at the time I was training at REPS with Luc Rousseau, my old wrestling coach from Muayfit Sayeed was there as well. It was a good time.

After the fight was cancel, how did you occupy your time? You still train regularly?
Every so often I did, but I got fat pretty quick cause of that lack of motivation as well as work piling up, it's actually pretty crappy how I felt, but I still stayed in touch with martial arts, priorities had to shift to fit the time.

Tell us your latest development in the gaming industries that you are involve in?

It's insane!

How do I even begin? As of right now till August, I am a commentator for Mobile Star League : Mobile Legends edition! It's a tournament of some of the highest level teams in the region, 10000 USD is up for grabs! 

It's crazy! I could literally go on and on but it will take up 80% of the interview.

Why you decided to do a grappling match? How did this Copa Da Malasia fight came about? Were you offered Peter Davis right away?
Copa Da Malasia dropped me a PM, by that time, I have gone over the slump and started training, from sneaking in gym sessions between work and meetings and streams, to joining up with the masters of Ninja-ness at Monarchy, Copa said the terms were as such and it was Peter, it's a grappling super fight, I just wanna feel that fire again, and Peter is a steady competitor, he will bring out the best in me.

Tell us about your grappling/BJJ competition record.

I have one Silver from Copa a few years back, can't remember which one, I also had a Bronze medal from a submission grappling inter-gym tourney at Leverage, it was a fun time! I lost by Triangle in that one, so less fun as a whole, but learning was mostly what happened after that.

What was your training schedule like in preparation to face Peter?
To some speculation, there were some of the guys who asked me if I was dodging Peter (we train out of the same gym) by not coming at the times he train, there is some truth but mostly fiction to that, because it is a grappling fight, I feel more at ease for some reason but there were times where I was relived my schedule just didn't jive to his, trade secrets afterall :P but for the most part, it was my schedule being very erratic, so I had to squeeze in whatever I could.

Tell us about this Copa fight? What is the rules set?
It's IBJJF blue belt modified for submissions only, 7 minutes of russlin' and tusslin'

Will you be back fighting MMA soon? What about Kickboxing? What is your plan for the rest of the year in terms of martial arts?

YES I WILL! :D 

I say that with a big smile on my face, I am at a stage where I feel like my options are not limited, I just want to have fun on my own personal Karate Kid journey.

I am open to anything and under the tutelage of my Master and all the coaches (nothing but love for these band of rag tag ninjas) and the help of the team at Monarchy who are all hard-working as well as super nice individuals help me get better, I think there will be more talks about martial arts in general soon once I complete this Super-fight with Peter Davis.

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!

Ev Ting headline ONE: UNBREAKABLE WARRIORS

At a press conference on 17 August 2016, in colloboration with Tune Talk & UMG, ONE announced a return to Kuala Lumpur for ONE Championship: Unbreakable Warriors. It is set to take place at the Stadium Negara on 2 September in Kuala Lumpur. The last show in Kuala Lumpur was held at Stadium Putra, Oct 2015 for ONE Championship : Tigers of Asia.

By itself Stadium Negara is a historic venue built in the early 60s. ONE has come a long way since the first show it held at Stadium Negara in June 2012 for ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors. It was their 5th show since it started in Singapore in Sep 2011. ONE is now The largest sports media property in Asian history. This 2 Sep show in K.L. will be ONE’s 48th show.

Stadium Negara has seen big artiste such as Kylie Minouge, Sting, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi all perform here before. Come this Friday, it will again be rocked with plenty of action, fight action and live music performance. Fight cards will be headlined by a massive bout between Malaysia’s own Ev “E.T.” Ting and Australia’s “Ruthless” Rob Lisita, and continuing the live performance format started in Bangkok in May 2016 for ONE: Kingdoms of Champions, Malaysian top artist Faizal Tahir & Ella will perform live in an after fight concert.

ONE athletes & celebrities with ONE CEO Victor Cui (6th from left). Tune Talk CEO, Jason Lo ( 4th frm left). Kenny Ong, Managing Director of Universal Music Group, Malaysia & S'pore (5th from right)

Malaysian MMA star Ev “E.T.” Ting returns to Kuala Lumpur to showcase his world-class mixed martial arts skills in front of his hometown crowd opposite fierce challenger “Ruthless” Rob Lisita of Campbelltown, Australia. The two featherweight standouts will do battle in a three-round main event showdown.

Ev Ting ready to go to war vs Rob Lisita

Ev “E.T.” Ting is a mixed martial artist of Malaysian descent. He 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. He is 14-8 as a professional mixed martial artist, and has proven to be a fixture in big fights owing to his fan-friendly style. A veteran fighter who has faced the best in his division and beyond, Lisita looks to continue fulfilling his goal of competing against the promotion’s top contenders.

The card will also feature Malaysian MMA stars Peter Davis, Ann “Athena” Osman, Agilan “Alligator” Thani, as well as Gianni and Keanu Subba. Three preliminary bouts will also be available live via Facebook Livestream

Peter Davis will face Thai's Wiratchai

Grab your ticket at Redtix and experience a night of awesome fights and great live entertainment.

About Tune Talk
Tune Talk is the fastest-growing Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in Asia, officially launching commercial services in Malaysia in 2009. Our target is to provide super low rates and exciting incentives to the market. Our prepaid service offers voice, SMS, data and BlackBerry packages that meet the demands for a simple, value-for-money product with easy accessibility and a wide distribution reach. As a member of the Tune Group of companies, we have the advantage of providing a completely unique lifestyle service with offers by Tune Money, Tune Hotels, Tune Insurance, BIG Loyalty Programme and AirAsia. For more information, please visit www.tunetalk.com.

About Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com.