WSOF-GC 4. Brazil's Viera miss weight, UFC's Yuta Sasaki steps in

TOKYO, JAPAN December 17, 2016 World Series of Fighting – Global Championship (WSOF-GC) and DEEP Fighting Championships are just hours away from WSOF-GC 4 DEEP VS GLOBAL. Yesterday’s weigh-in event was disrupted when Brazil’s Fernando Vieira came in seven pounds overweight (142) for his WSOF Global Bantamweight Championship match with Japan’s Takafumi Otsuka (135). Despite Otsuka’s persistence to make the fight happen, and to give Vieira an unprecedented additional ten hours to make the weight, the fight has been canceled when Vieira failed to report to his final weigh-in.

Otsuka said yesterday, 

“I don’t want any excuses. I want the best that he can bring me. If he does not make the weight, it won’t be because I didn’t give him the opportunity. I came prepared to win this title. He should have been equally prepared. I am upset that he did not, but again, I don’t want excuses. I want a tough fight and to become the first WSOF Global Bantamweight World Champion.”

Throughout the evening, the Evolução Thai MMA fighter continuously disappeared from his cornermen, the spa, and WSOF Global staff. A message from his cornerman, former K-1 and Dream Fighter Andre “Dida” Amade, stated, 

“I did not find Fernando. I was in the room and he was not there. I’m looking for him now.” Messages from Vieira stated that he left the hotel and sauna alone. 

Despite the efforts of WSOF Global Vice President of Operations, Jason Lilly, to get Vieira’s location and back to the hotel, Vieira decided to “eat and moisturize” instead of weighing in within the allotted time.

Vieira was seen happily eating...

...and sleeping, not making effort to make weight

Lilly added, “Cancelling this bout is a real disappointment to the fans and Vieira is an embarrassment. Japanese fighters know more than any other what it means to have honor and respect for their opponent. DEEP Fighting Championships, their President Shigeru Saeki, and his opponent Takafumi Otsuka, went above and beyond to try to make this match happen. Fortunately, there is a surprise silver lining to all of this. Viewers will be thrilled to know that Otsuka will fight against one of the biggest fan favorites in Japan, current UFC fighter, Yuta ‘Ulka’ Sasaki.”

The surprise announcement was confirmed at 04:30JST in Tokyo, just a mere 10 hours before the scheduled event time of 14:30. Otsuka will face off against Sasaki in a one-round, five-minute exhibition match. Lilly continued, “I know Otsuka and his fans would rather be fighting for a belt. He certainly did more than was required of him. WSOF Global intends to honor his commitment to the match and award him with an interim championship belt during tonight’s event. He will have an opportunity to defend that belt with us in the near future. I want to thank the UFC for allowing one of their rising contenders to participate in our event. It’s a class move on their part and one that the fans will appreciate.”

Ulka (19-3-2) is currently 2-2 in the UFC, with both of his wins coming via submission. His last bout was a win via rear-naked choke over Willie Gates. He is scheduled to fight Wilson Reis (21-6) on February 11 at UFC 208: Holm vs de Randamie.

Fight fans from around the world can watch this bouts and the entire 18-fight card, starting LIVE at 9:30pm PST on December 16 for just $9.99 at wsofgc.com. WSOF Global will host WSOF-GC 4 DEEP vs GLOBAL at Differ Ariake Arena on December 17, 2016 at 14:30JST (UTC +9). Tickets start at ¥6500 with VIP seating available for ¥16,000. Tickets are now on sale at http://deep2001.tstar.jp/. 

Flyweight title belt up for grabs

This year WSOF Global has brought together more than 15 MMA promotions on 6 continents for fans under one common banner, including DEEP, which has hosted over 300 events since their inception in 2001. These fights will be making their way into the WSOF Global Fight Library at wsofgc.com, as will future fights available live. There are currently five events online at wsofgc.com, including DEEP 76, DEEP 77, DEEP CAGE IMPACT 2016, DEEP JEWELS 12, and DEEP JEWELS 13. MMA fans can watch all of these fights, as well as those from all other affiliates at WSOFGC.com.

World Series of Fighting Global’s ultimate mission is to bring together the best athletes from countries and organizations across the world to compete for a true, globally-recognized world champion. Media inquiries should be sent to Jason Lilly, Vice President of Operations of World Series of Fighting Global, at jlilly@wsof.asia. Follow them on Twitter @WSOFGlobal


About DEEP Fighting Championships:

Founded in 2001 by the promoter Shigeru Saeki, DEEP Fighting Championships (DEEP FC) is a championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) series dedicated to not just showcasing the top MMA athletes in Asia but also promote the sport with many interesting and experimental approaches - promote both ring and cage events, resurrect the careers of big-name stars, provide athletes from other sports such as kick boxers, sumo wrestlers, pro-wrestlers, and ex-pro baseball players, the opportunity to test their skills in MMA. Also, DEEP implement various rules from North American unified rules, PRIDE rules to Kick Boxing and Shoot Boxing rules.

The operation is based in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan, DEEP FC is one of the longest running premier MMA promotions in the world.

In addition to MMA series, DEEP FC also promotes grappling series named DEEP X, kick boxing series named DEEP KICK, and senior fighters' series named DEEP HERO and "Oyaji" DEEP.

DEEP FC is currently broadcasted by Sky Perfect TV / Fighting Network Samurai in Japan, Fight Network in Canada and UK, and recently, inked the deal with Abema TV, an internet TV station created by TV Asahi and Cyber Agent.

Rise of Sabah MMA : JFL Series 2 event recap

Jesselton Fight League (JFL) series 2 that took place on 24 Sept 2016 at 1 Borneo Hypermall will go down in Borneo history as the 1st MMA event featuring pro fights. Crowds were entertained to 8 amateur fights and 4 Pro fights. JFL is a homegrown MMA promotion founded by former ONE Championship fighter, Rayner Kinsiong of Karabaw Martial Arts & Fitness.(click here to read about JFL)

Before the actual fight card began, an opening match, dubbed Celebrity Fight was held. It was between Sabahan singer musician Appy Tots vs the Director of MOTAC - Ministry of Tourism & Culture Malaysia (Sabah office) Mr. Ag Ahmad Zaki.

Appy is a Sabahan singer song writer with influence of R&B, soul and jazz in his music. He is famous for his hits "Aku dan Love" and "For You" from his 2012 EP - "Happy Thoughts" But he also an avid martial artist. Learning it in 2013 with Sabah Top Team. Under Coach Antonnio Battistesa, he learned Boxing, Luta Livre and Muaythai.

He learned martial arts as way to keep fit and also for self defense. But he has not been training regularly due to his career commitment. But he took the fight to support Rayner Kinsiong and his friend Mr Ahmad Zaki as the fight is also a way to draw crowd and create buzz. To prepare, Appy went back to serious training for 2 weeks

The fight ended in a draw. Received great crowd support for both fighters. After the fight, Appy said, " It was indeed intense since I never encounter any Silat fighter before and a southpaw too. Zaki's gravity and techniques are amazing; making me hard to lay punches and take downs. I need to improve my stamina and go back to polish my worn out techniques."

According to En Ahmad Zaki, the reason why MOTAC decided to support JFL is because it's a home grown event with huge of potential for world wide exposure. The exposure to foreign countries on Sabah as a venue for sports tourism is in line with MOTAC's direction. JFL with it's affiliation to World Series of Fighting Global (WSOFG) gives huge coverage for Sabah and opens up a new target market; which is the combat sports groups.

This is JFL's second series after the start in 2014/2015 as a tournament format to unearth new talent. This year it attracted 10 foreigners and venue was at 1 Borneo Hypermall to give opportunity to watch it as there's no entrance fee charged. MOTAC sponsored the Sabah Tourism Cup for the main event, Allen Chong vs Joben Superales

Aside from MOTAC, other main sponsors was also present to complete the event. Power Root as the official energy drink set up kiosk to offer their energy boosting products and opportunity to win prizes via their contest. Fruto Juice was the official fruit juice provider, offering a plethora of healthy fruit juice for everybody. Black Ink Tatoo sponsored the official design for the t-shirt.

The hard rocking music that was played during fighters walked out was a great way to hype the anticipation for the fight and build the mood.

If you missed the fights on Saturday , don't worry Warriors of Borneo blog got you covered. Let's go to the fights...
( or check out Warriors of Borneo Blog FB page for updates on the video )

Bout 1
Mike Sidis (Borneo Combat Gym-Labuan) vs Hamid Ismail (Independent)
Mike the taller opponent managed to use his height to control Hamid who was looking to take the fight to the ground. Mike threaten with punches to prevent take down. Hamid charged forward but Mike controlled his head and swung him down on the canvas. Dropped bombs from left and right, transition to mount and the bombs continue. Referee Michael Chong seen enough of ground and pound and stopped it at 2:20

Mike spot a Mental Alchemy symbol tatoo on his chest. Upon asking, Mike explained, 

"Mental Alchemy is the process of transmuting your thoughts to improve a person's life and expand their mind"

Mike is practicing Mental Alchemy through self learning. According to him it involves lots of meditation. It creates positivity in a person, he is still learning about it. He said it helps him in his work and martial arts training.

Bout 2
Lu Yi Ran (D-30 Muaythai-Sarawak) vs Vallent Pierre (Sabah Top Team)
This is for both of them their debut in MMA fight. Vallent look more confident. Lu’s went high with his right kick but Vallent caught it and drove a take down to the cage. In half guard trying to posture up. Lu stayed closed. Vallent manage to get full mount and drop left and right. Throwing more than 30 strikes before Lu rolled over gave his back and Vallent sunk in a rear naked choke that Lu tap out at round 1. 1:08

Bout 3
Md Rashidin (Kuda Hitam-Sabah) vs Allan Chong (Tomoi-Labuan)
Rashidin walk-out with his cool shades and full of confidence as he swagger into the cage. This is his 6th MMA fight. The taller Rashidin effectively uses his leg to penetrate and follow up with combos punch. Twice he was able to sweep Allan off his feet with low kick. He connected with a roundhouse that shot at Allan’s face. But Allan is tough, still moving forward. 2nd round. Rashidin got an over and under and swung Allan to the ground, mount and ground pound to a referee stoppage at round 2, 1:50 mark.

Bout 4
Joel Nickolson (Sabah Top Team) vs Nathan Hynes (Australia)
Joel eager to get in the win after his lost in MIMMA Semi-finals due to knee injury. Both exchange kicks in early round to test each other. Nathan caught Joel with a left, knock down but Joel back up cage control to take down, full mount and raining punches from top, Nathan with his rubbery leg got a body triangle. They stand and Nathan sunk in a guillotine. They dropped to the canvas, Joel pressure hard with his left wrist on Nathan’s neck. In Nathan’s full guard he executed knees to Nathan's rear. 2nd round, Joel counter with a spinning back kick, they scuffle and pressure on the cage, Nathan went low and Joel found his neck, connect his hands & executed a standing guillotine which lifted both Nathan’s leg up in the air as Nathan tapped out at round 2. 0:46

Bout 5
Rudranash Azad (Fit & Fight India) vs Md Rizal (Team Karabaw-Sabah).
Md Rizal stepped up in short notice when Indonesian Riko didn’t get his passport in time. 4 days before, Rizal represented Sabah in the National Muaythai tournament in KL.

Action pack 1st round. Rizal with good kicks. Rudranash avoid damage by closing in and executed Muaythai clinch, pressure on the cage. Rizal was very active with knees. 1st round end with full mount by Rudranash and ground and pound

2nd round, again with hard kicks from Rizal, Rudranash closed in by clinch. Pressure on the cage. As ref Michael Chong warn Rudranash on holding the cage he stomp on Rizal right feel, Rizal dropped in pain. Rizal given 5 minute to recover as in amateur fight stomping is not allowed. Medic check and crowd cheered Rizal on and Rudranash wanting the fight to continue too, urged the crowd to continue cheering for Rizal. Rizal recovered and end round 2 with some combo punch.

3rd round started slow, but suddenly Rizal exploded into a barrage of right hook to the head. Rudranash again close in with a clinch and manage to take down in half guard and got a choke. Rizal is one tough cookie, survived it, but became target of ground and pound by Rudranash. Rudranash decide to go for a arm triangle choke. Rizal struggled and got a sweep and stood up but no time for more exchange as fights ends.

Rudranash won by 3 round unanimous decision.
Rudranash in his victory speech thank his father for the sacrifice and the support from him.

Bout 6
Nor Hidayat (Busiido Brunei) vs Kishan Gupta (Fit & Fight India)
Hidayat the shorter one with a one win fight record. Kishan the taller by 8cm and more experience with 7 wins. Technically sound, Hidayat with good head movement and boxing. He attack and counter well. He control the 3 rounds with successful take down and cage control. Round 1 almost got an armbar but Kishan survived it. Kishan seems lethargic. Probably due to his hospitalization. He was admitted for suspicion of Denggue. He was warded for 10 days before doctors cleared him 5 days before JFL. Kishan was adamant to fight as he does not want to disappoint his team, his opponent and JFL. Hidayat dominate the 3 rounds and won by unanimous decision.

Bout 7
Morris Hii (D-30 Muaythai-Sarawak) vs Ian Loo (Team Karabaw-Sabah)
Morris with 5 fights under his card and Ian looking to get his first win. Morris started aggressive. But Ian manage to retreat to the cage and pressured him there. Wrestled him to the canvas. Morris able to sweep and strike from top. Ian attempt an armbar. Morris slammed him down but Ian still hold on as round ends. 2nd round, Ian got a take down but went into Morris’s guillotine, he escaped. Mounted but Morris bucked and reversed but Ian grab an arm & bellied down armbar. Morris was resilient uses knee to strike, Ian locked a triangle but round ends. During break medic team checked on Ian’s left eye and advices him not to continue as the bleeding look serious.
Morris won by referee stoppage due to eye injury of Ian, doctor does not allow Ian to continue round 3.

Bout 8
Clement John (Team Karabaw-Sabah) vs Naimul Amal (Monarchy –CTR313- K.L.)
Highly anticipated fight between this two after a heated face-off during media weigh-in the day before. Clement failed to make the bantamweight limit and this fight was in catchweight.

Wasting no time Naimul jump in with a flying side kick at the bell, misses as Clement side stepped. Naimul the aggressor with kicks and combos of left and right till they ended on cage and wrestle there till round end. 2nd round Clement got a body lock and brought Naimul to the ground and got his back and hooking in his legs, looking for the rear naked choke. Three attempt from Clement; the last was deep but the resilient Naimul survived and got free and reversed to Clement’s full guard. 3rd round Naimul went on attack mode. Tripped Clement to canvas, knee on belly. What look like a illegal heel hook gave Naimul a bit of a tangle. After a scuffle, Naimul went on top. Active with his hands. Clement’s managed to move his left leg over Naimul shoulder and got a triangle. The tough ‘Convict’ escaped again as they wrestle for position and round 3 ends. Clement won by 3 round split decision.

Bout 9
Niko Sue (Impact MMA-Singapore) vs Joemar Gallaza ( HyperMMA –Philipines)
1st pro match of the night delivered the action. Both fighters exchange sharp kicks and punches. Niko with a double leg take down. Joemar tried to use the cage to get up. Niko controlled and got to a mount, rolled and got Joemar’s back, sunk in a choke. Joemar escaped, Niko on half guard; uses his right hand to elbow Joemar’s rib, he then burst to full mount. Rained plenty of hard hard elbows from top. The impact was tremendous! Joemar forehead was cut and he starts to bleed. Red blood began to stained the white canvas. Seing this Niko continued to strike, wanting a KO finish. The spirited Joemar’s still defending actively. Niko continued with the strikes and elbows. Joemar got a sweep but his arm got trapped and Niko rolled into an armbar and Joemar tapped out at the 3:51 mark. Medic team rushed in to attend to Joemar.
Niko won by tap out due to armbar. Round 1 . 3:51

The bloodiest fight in JFL - pix by Ricardo Unto of Daily Express

Bout 10
Cody Young (UFC GYM Vietnam –USA) vs Arnel Lamibao (HyperMMA-Philipines)
Cody’s heavier and taller look very intense and hyped up. Arnel look calm and easy.

Arnel with the low kicks and a huge overhand right. Cody cover and rushes in. Chased with punches and got a take down. Inched his way to full mount. Land strikes from top. Arnel turned and gave his back. Cody adjusted with a leg lock on Arnel’s body and landed huge right hands and Arnel tapped at 1:27. Cody’s hand raised for the dominating victory and Arnel went for medic check. And he said he tapped due to the big right hands from Cody one of the strikes, the thumb got his eyes.
Cody won by tap out due to strikes. Round 1 . 1:27

Bout 11
Adrian Tham (Team Nomad) vs Budi Kalbar (Indonesia)
Adrian look to secure a win for his 2nd pro fight after a tough close battle which he loss in Yoddha FC.

After a short feeling out, Adrian uses his bread and butter move, lunged in for a body take down, Budi defend with a choke. Adrian was calm and patient. He moved to full mount. Head still in Budi’s choke…managed to popped out from Budi’s grip. Budi with a body lock hugged close. Adrian adjusted and move closer to the cage. Adrian pry him off and began to land elbows. Constantly hunting for an armbar. Budi defend by using his long legs to push on the cage and then moved it in front to cross on Adrian’s body. Stalemate for a short while, as Adrian stayed patient and tried to pry open Budi’s leg. Budi adjusted to a body triangle, Adrian posture up and land punches & instantly Budi tapped out at round 1. 2:36. In his victory speech, Adrian said that his mission is to go in and finish the fight as early as possible. He doesn't want to waste time.
Adrian won by tap out due to strikes. Round 1. 2:36

Bout 12
Allen Solomon Chong (Alpha MMA-Sabah) vs Joben Superales (HyperMMA-Philipines)
Both cautious at the start. Joben test with jabs and low kick. Allen even had time to do a side stretch. Low kick from Joben caught by Allen and he drove it in for take down into side control as he grip Joben’s head. Moved his right leg into full mount; but instantly Joben reverse into Allen’s full guard. Allen executed a hook sweep to went on top again. In half guard, move straight to mount, trying to stretch Joben out and look to isolate the arm. Joben kept moving and trying to prevent Allen from posturing up. Allen uses his left wrist to press down hard on Joben’s face, Joben turn to his back to relief the pressure. Allen stretched him out and applied a choke, not deep enough, he started striking to soften Joben up and then executed a deep rear naked choke and Joben tapped out at round 1. 3:11.

Allen won the Sabah Tourism Cup presented by Mr Ahmad Zaki. In his victory speech, Allen ask all supporters to make more noise to hype this win so that UFC will take notice. Allen wants to get back into UFC and he needs all the locals' support. Local MMA fans, lend your support and make our Sabahan fighters get in the big league!

Sabah Tourism Cup - presented by Ag Ahmad Zaki to Allen

Team AllenSolomonChong - the red tide!

Organiser , Karabaw Martial Arts and Fitness promise that JFL will return bigger with more international fight cards.

All fight photos by MARKSMEN

Kung Fu in the Borneo Jungle - Allen Chong JFL fight

When it comes to selling a fight, Allen Solomon Chong is the man. ( read about Allen's profile in my previous post  here) His penchant for showmanship is bringing attention to a sports that is growing steadily in Malaysia. No doubt a lot of fighters will say that they will let their fighting skills do the talking in the cage, but at this age of digital news and widespread use of social media, a fighter has to do more than just fight. What a fighter does before and after a fight is also key to building up a brand for himself.

Allen when he first started his MMA career in MIMMA1 2013, already know how to use this. Always with a cheerful and witty persona, he manage to gain many fans and attention to his fights. Appearing in the face-off for his MIMMA1 (2013) grand finals, he already work up a unique style as his image. Going with his nick name Orang Utan Sabah, he brought out two bananas & point it at his opponent in the face-off.

MIMMA1  Grand final face-off. Pix credit: Colourlessopinions.com

Fight promoters is in need of personality like Allen as it help them sell fights. It is definately good for sponsors too as this brings more coverage for the fighter they sponsors and ultimately more awareness and attention to their brand or products. 

All busted up but still manage to smile...Winning the MIMMA1 Lightweight belt. Pix credit: MMA Weekly

With his marketability plus his BJJ skills Allen was selected as the only South East Asian for The Ultimate Fighter China. 

UFC's The Ultimate Fighter photoshoot. Pix credit: Getty Images

In Allen's Pro debut at Johor's Ultimate Beatdown-15, he went all Super Saiyan, cut his long hair and appear with a new blonde hairdo.

Super Saiyan time in Ultimate Beatdown

Fighter is also a product. A product that need to be sold. Sold to the audience. Because ultimately a promotions need viewers, be it live, pay per view or in news media. And the more viewers a promotion gets, the easier it is for them to bring in sponsors. Same goes with individual fighters, the more you sell yourself, either by fighting very well or build up a persona that is marketable. If you can have both, that's a perfect combo for success.

Just look at Conor McGregor. Not everyone may agree with his style, but what he does definitely boost his name and I don't have to tell you who he is, I bet you know him. We can't deny his fighting prowess is good to begin with, but when he was coming up in UFC he was not fighting with anyone in the big league, dominating other fighters easily. Before his big fight with Jose Aldo, Conor fought and dominate Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier and Dennis Siver. But he uses his trash talking to bring attention to himself and got himself a title fight vs Jose Aldo.

UFC management notice that a whole lots of people wants to see him fight, not because everyone likes him, but equal amount of people who hates him wants to see him fight too, expecting his opponent to shut him up in the cage, but all this ultimately bring in viewers. 

Just look at Mighty Mouse Demitrious Johnson (DJ). Pound for pound he is the best and is the only champion that is still undefeated, the other category championship belt has all change waist. But when it comes down to pay per view, DJ's fight is one of the lowest. Partly because he is so dominating that no flyweight in UFC rooster are able to give him a significant challenge, hence viewers find that his fights are not exciting. But partly also DJ is the type of person that does not call attention to himself.     

Allen's media weigh-in and face-off on 23 Sept 2016 for Jesselton Fight League was an attention grabber. Going back to his MIMMA1 style, Allen again surprise everyone in 1 Borneo when he flipped out two bananas to his opponent Joben Superales of Hyper MMA, Philipine. Later he offered the bananas to Joben as they feed each other crossing arms.

I got three bananas!... I mean two!

Hands up!

"Don't worry,  I didn't lace it with laxative,heheh. Pisang Sabah is healthy and nutritious, good for energy after cutting weight"

It''s gonna be Kung Fu in the Borneo Jungle...limited edition Team Allen shirt

Allen is going full Kung Fu mode this time as he needs the win to boost his records. He is aiming to get back into the big league. He will head the cards for JFL as the main event vs Joben Superales. Joven is out to avenge his mentor in this fight. Joben's mentor and coach, Sensei Arnel Lamibao lost to Allen in 2015 Ultimate Beatdown. Arnel himself will also be fighting in the co-main event vs American Cody Young.
Catch all these fight today in 1 Borneo.

Warriors of Borneo wishes Allen and Joven a good fight, bring on the action, go for Fight of the Night!

JFL - Progressing to a bigger stage.

The Borneo states of Malaysia; namely Sabah & Sarawak is deeply rooted with the heritage of head-hunters warriors from the native tribes of Murut & Dayak. These two states have also been producing many talented athletes for traditional martial arts such as Taekwondo & Karate. With the popularity of MMA catching on like wild fire, a number of gyms have sprouted up like mushrooms and many martial arts practitioner has been cross training in different styles.


The first amateur MMA event in Borneo was Borneo Fighting Championship back in 2014 saw many fighters eager to test their skills, not only fighters but the support of the crowds was incredible. But when it comes to unearthing and new fighters and developing current ones, Borneon fighters faces a challenge as there’s was not much event being held here. Bigger events in Malaysia are mostly organized in West Malaysia and the cost of flight and accommodation limits more Borneon to participate

Recognizing this issue, Rayner Kinsiong (former ONE Championship Lightweight fighter) decided the time is right for another MMA promotion to be held. And this is how JFL was born. JFL was mooted as an idea by Rayner to serve as a platform for amateur MMA fighters to gain experience and build their records. JFL is named to pay homage to Kota Kinabalu’s old name from the British era.

In its maiden year, 2015 saw over 180 fighters took part for the tryouts. Matches progress from ladder match, quarter-finals, semi-finals and climax at the grand finals which saw 9 weight categories champion being crowned in 4 October 2015. They were: Eddy Kalai (flyweight), Mohd Hasbullah (bantamweight), Khairul Anwar (featherweight), Mardonov Mekh (lightweight), Adrian Tham (welterweight), Masko Franklin ( middleweight), Wun Yit Vun (lightheavyweight), Tham Yaw Ken (heavyweight), Valerian Rosario ( female strawweight).

2015 JFL champions

This year JFL achieved the unprecedented for MMA event in Malaysia when it was announced by WSOFG (World Series of Fighting Global) as the first Malaysian MMA promotions to be affiliated with the world body.

Realising the potential of such events to promote Sabah as a sports tourism destination, Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) - Sabah Office came in as main sponsor. And to top it off, it’s director Mr. Awang Ahmad Zaki will himself enter the cage to fight local Sabah singer & musician Appy Tots in a celebrity fight match-up. This will certainly boost interest among casual fans to come and watch.

JFL was originally planned to be held inside a dance club and fight fans will need to pay to enter, but with the support of MOTAC and other sponsors, enable the organisers to move the venue to 1 Borneo Hypermall and open to public.

The main event will feature pro fighters from Philipines, Indonesia, Singapore and USA and also local Sabahan favorites Allen Solomon Chong and Adrian Tham.

The main event will see Allen, whom is the former MIMMA1 (Malaysian Invasion MMA) lightweight champion and an alumni of The Ultimate Fighter China challenging Pinoy fighter Joben Superales in a bantamweight match.

Allen is eager to bring home a win after his loss in June at Melbourne’s Hex Fight Series. It was a short notice fight vs Aidan Aguilera with a lost by uppercut. Being a prolific BJJ exponent, Allen is not taking any chances this time. He is boosting his striking skills and to do that, he is taking his time off from his architectural career to focus on his fight camp. He runs his Alpha MMA gym in Kota Kinabalu, but has been cross training in Kuala Lumpur at top gym such as Monarchy, Klinch and Muayfit.

As a person with a penchant for showmanship Allen plans to put on a great show.

“ In typical Kinabalu chaos, I’ll be comin’ in hot, guns blazing, hot and heavy! It’s guarantee to be a night of spectacle, fun and mayhem!”

He is looking forward to fight at home ground for a long time and he promise a great performance to give Sabahan something to cheer for, with the hope that this will further raise the level of awareness and support of MMA from the locals. In Allen’s mind, the memory of the loss in TUF China is the one that is pushing him ahead. He is out to proof that he is one of the best bantamweight in the region.

His opponent Joben Superales comes from the Philipines and from the renowned Hyper MMA. Trained since 2011 by Hyper MMA’s founder himself Arnel Lomibao. Joben has a typical flat boxer nose, and you know this is an indication of his hardness and experience.

Hyper MMA is sending 3 fighters which include Sensei Arnel himself and another of his student, Joemar Gallaza. In the co-main card at featherweight, Arnel will be facing Cody Young, an American with a 2-0 record.

Hyper MMA coming to Kota Kinabalu . Arnel Lamibao (center), Joben (left), Joemar (right)

Let’s take a look at this American fighter’s profile. Before turning pro, Cody fought actively in US in the Northwest Fight League. He fought 8 times, loss twice. Both losses coming from title shots bout.

Born in Portland, Oregon. Cody started his fighting days in basement bars. As he was only 19 then, he was dating a girl whose brother was a MMA fighter. He came to watch Cody’s underground fight. “ Hey, how would like to do cage fighting? You’ll actually get paid for it.” Why not, was Cody’s thought and he gave it a shot. After 3 months of actual MMA training, he won his 1st MMA match by triangle choke. That 1st win gave him an urge to have more fights. He cherish the build-up and the rush of fighting, especially in front of his family and friends, to him it is an amazing experience and this has kept him going for 9 years.

When he started, due to lacking knowledge to properly cut weight, Cody fought at lightweight and he was really underweight for that category. After learning the ropes and understanding his body more, he chooses to fight at featherweight (65kg), which he find that at his height of 172cm, he has the load advantage and he still have energy to pounce even after cutting weight from his normal of 77kg.

Cody is now a personal trainer and a MMA trainer at CMG in Hanoi. CMG also runs the franchise for California Fitness and UFC Gym in Asia. He met Arnaud Le Pont (former ONE Championship Lightweight) in Hanoi and has been training with him. Arnaud heads the UFC Gym in Hanoi and recommended Cody for JFL.

Cody is very excited to come to Kota Kinabalu and plan to make an impact in the MMA scene here. He is expecting an all-out war with Arnel, which is the kind of fight he loves. But he aims to finish the fight early in the second round with strikes. After that, he plans to savor the local culture and the magnificent seafood of Kota Kinabalu.

USA vs Philipines featherweight showdown

Arnel will not be an easy opponent. This hardy fighter grew up in the tough streets of Manila owns a 3-1-4 record mostly from regional promotion in Philipines. Trained boxing since he was 15, he picked up Kyokushinkai Karate when he was 20. This hard striking style of Karate became his base and when he picked up MMA 6 years later, he incorporate it well with his BJJ and is well known for his lightning speed and thunderous overhand.

Running his Hyper MMA gym and preparing his two students for fights with him in the same card kept him fully occupied, but with much discipline and determination he still managed to put in solid 2 hours of training in the morning and in the evening. Arnel is out to proof that he can do things once he set his mind to it and wants to test himself with the best out there.

At the lightweight co- main event, Adrian Tham another hometown favorites will take on his 2nd pro fight. Adrian will face Budi Kalbar of Indonesia.

Adrian was the MIMMA1 Heavyweight Champion in 2013. He has good striking from his Taekwondo and Karate base but with his dedication to BJJ, has developed to be a high level BJJ exponent and has won many of his amateur fights by submission. Moving to welterweight in his 2015 JFL, he scores all his fights by submission finish and took the championship belt with ease.

His debut pro fight was at Yodhha Fighting Championship (YFC) in August 2016 in Buhubaneswar India. He faced home town favorites and experience fighter Srikant Sekhar. It was a 3 round battle that Adrian lost by decision.

Adrian is looking to let the home ground advantage psyche him up for a good fight vs Budi. Budi Kalbar is an Indonesian boxer. He has been in Sarawak teaching boxing and train striking. His most recent MMA fight was against Asian most active and former UFC fighter, Will Chope. They fought in Singapore Fighting Championship 3 in June. He lost by TKO in round 1.

8 amateur bouts will kick-start JFL before the main events. Amateur bout will feature fighters from various gym around Borneo such as Sabah Top Team, Team Karabaw, Borneo Combat Gym, D-30 Muaythai. Relentless MMA of India will also send it's fighter to participate.

Making a come back to MMA is MIMMA3 stalwart Naimul Amal of Ultimate Malaysian Fighter (UMF). He reached the Contender Fight of MIMMA3 in 2015 but lost to his own brother Dhiaaul Amal.

Naimul 'The Convict' Amal

Calling all fight fans, come on down to 1 Borneo Hypermall on 24 Sept 2016. Entrance is free. For detail infor get in touch with Franklin ( 014-9594276 ) or Rayner ( 013-8888379) or check out JFL FB here.