JAYEN IN LEBANON'S CEDAR FC

cover design by Iylia Azri Garewal

Today is Malaysia's national day. Everyone is celebrating a day off from work. Malaysia is also celebrating a record gold medal haul of 145, as yesterday's closing of SEA Games 2017 in Kuala Lumpur saw Malaysia emerged as overall champion.

Meanwhile in a small town name Tamparuli at the outskirt of Kota Kinabalu Sabah; in the acclaimed Karabaw Tamparuli gym, a young 21 year old MMA athlete is still practicing his striking combos on the heavy bag.  His name is Syabtu Aumazza Zaayon Bin Denno Umat, or better known as Jayen.

Jayen is preparing himself for his pro MMA debut. It is certainly a huge giant step for Jayen as tonight he will pack his bags and tomorrow, will travel over 7500 km to Lebanon to fight in CFC - Cedar Fighting Championship. CFC 4 will be featuring many Lebanese fighter vs MMA fighters from all over the world. In the main card is for Superheavyweight, Diab vs Asker

CFC 4 welterweight bout initially planned for Igor Montes of Germany to fight Lebanese star Georges 'The Bulldozer' Eid. But Igor had to pull out a month ago due to injuries. Jayen's head coach Rayner Kinsiong sealed a deal for him to replaces Igor. Jayen is eager to step up and showcase the improvement he has put into his game. Also to show his coaches, especially his Karabaw Tamparuli coach, Vallerio Gumbilai that all the guidance and knowledge they have impart on him will bear fruit.

Jayen with coach Vallerio ( left )

Jayen was an overweight kid growing up. High school time was spend loitering around and hanging out with friends. This really angered his mother whom was at wits and trying to figure out how to help Jayen to be more responsible. After finishing his high school he followed his friends to Karabaw Tamparuli Gym. It was initially just to try out as martial arts was cool to him and his friends.

memories of Jayen's high school days

The step into Karabaw Tamparuli may as well be the best thing that happened to him. He began to come regularly and build a serious interest in martial arts. With no background at all in sports, his mother was doubtful that he will do this seriously and was expecting Jayen to change interest very soon.

Jayen and his Team Karabaw Tamparuli team mates

But day by day, under the watchful eyes of Vallerio, Jayen not only improve on his physically fitness, he picked up techniques and gain more skills. His attitude also change. Hanging out with some of the senior fighters, he began to show better commitment and develop good discipline. It was certainly a positive change that surprise his mother.

Two years ago, Syabtu went for Malaysian Invasion MMA (MIMMA) tryout. he was selected and competed in the heavyweight category. He lost that fight to eventual MIMMA finalist, Tsan Nieng Khai.

vs Tsan in MIMMA 2015

Syabtu didn't stop there, he continued training and joined STAND K1 Kickboxing tournament. He also participated in Labuan's Borneo Amateur Challenge ( BAC ), picking up some wins to improve his amateur record.

Jayen in STAND K1 with coach Vallerio (2nd right) and his Karabaw Tamparuli team mate. Douglas (far right) , Jason Gaban ( 3rd from right)

with founder of BAC - coach Alvin Chong ( 2nd from right) and his Karabaw Tamparuli team mates

Going against Georges Eid will be an uphill battle for Jayen. Georges represent Tristar Gym Lebanon. If that name suddenly ring a bell, well yes that's the same name as Tristar Gym in Montreal Canada. The fame gym under coach Firas Zahabi whom is the head coach for UFC's welterweight legend Geoarges St Pierre. Tristar Lebanon is affiliated to Tristar Canada.

Georges Eid was a former CFC's welterweight title contender and holds a current record of 4-2-0.

Jayen is certainly a huge underdog for this Sunday's CFC's welterweight bout. But opportunity like this does not come often. Jayen's team firmly believe that the best learning experience is to fight at the top level. Thrown into the lion den, the learning curve will be very high.

Jayen fully expect the odds are against him especially fighting a local Lebanese superstar. But he is fully prepared for war and will want to put up a good fight to give a good account of himself.

Warriors of Borneo support Syabtu Aumazza aka Jayen for Cedar Fighting Championship.

Ben Askren: By The Numbers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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photo from AWA website

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

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

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

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

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photo from Bloodround webpage

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

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

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

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

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photo from Rappler website

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

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

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

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

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

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

Askren stated.


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

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

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

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

Askren stressed.

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click to watch the video, Ben Askren by the numbers

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

THE BORNEON TIGER RETURNS!

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marc will never forget his Silat roots

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

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

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

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

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

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

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




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

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

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

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

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

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


How has the experience as coach been for him. 

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

Marc overseeing a striking class in BTMMA

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

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

BJJ is also being taught at BTMMA

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

Mixing it up with some outdoor training

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

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

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

pix by Celestine Photography

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

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


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

Marc with the towering Anthony Perosh

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

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

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

going through strategy with Anthony Perosh

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

Training at SPMA

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

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

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

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

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

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