ADI ERAWAN vs AWANGKU : ISKA BMAEX 51kgs Title Fight

ADI ERAWAN vs AWANGKU : ISKA BMAEX 51kgs Title Fight .

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Adi Erawan comes from Tuaran. A town half an hour away from Kota Kinabalu. He is a former Sabah state boxer. He now trains at Team Karabaw Tamparuli which he joined in 2014. 

He has quite a colourful record of achievement, among the notable:

• Free Style Full Contact (F3 Championship ) - Silver
• JFL Amateur MMA - quarter-finalis
• Amatuer Muaythai Inter-District Sabah (2015) - Silver
• STAND 1 (2016) - Gold
• Borneo Amateur Challenge 2 - Gold
• Elopura Fights (pro muaythai) - Silver
• Borneo Cup Muaythai 2016 - Silver
• STAND 3 (2016) - Gold
• Amatuer Muaythai Inter-District Sabah (2016) - Silver
• Borneo Amateur Challenge 3 - Gold
• D1 Fighting Championship 2017 (pro Muaythai) - Silver 
• STAND Amateur Boxing (2017) - Gold
• Borneo Battle Arena (cage boxing)- Gold

Although he fights fiercely in the ring, Adi is a down to earth and humble guy. His coach, Vallerio Gumbilai explained , 

" I didnt even know  he was a ex-state boxer, when he first join Karabaw Tamparuli.  He never told anyone. About a year after then only I found out, that too because other people informed me.

I asked him why he didn't tell me. He told me he come here to learn new things. True enough when he first train with us, he didn't know how to throw a proper kick 😅,... but after only a year or so he is really good at kicking."

Adi's family are not well off, he work hard to support his family and his own training. He had work in a tyre service shop for years and would take his bicycle to work tirelessly.

He would also cycle to Karabaw Tamparuli to train and would hid it behind the Dojo.

Everytime he has a competition, Vallerio would help him write a letter to his employer to request for leave. After two years, his employer became annoyed as Adi takes regular leave to go and fight. Eventually Adi quit the job and Vallerio quickly sets him up for another job at a service center own by a friend.

Ever since then, Adi was able to train and compete without much stress with an understanding boss. He also works hard and now able to buy himself a motorbike.
Vallerio adds, " Persoanlly to me he is the most dedicated fighter I have ever seen. He's the real definition of Team Karabaw Tamparuli. Iron will and iron horns."

Most recently Adi was awarded by DSP Madius Tangau, Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah as Boxer of the year 2018 for his consistency in participation of any combat sports competition.

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SPECIAL EVENT FIGHT: HAFIY MUTALIP VS AREMIAH EDMUND FOR THE JY CUP

This is a very special fight for the people with disability. It will be in Boxing rules.

Two young fighter, Hafiy Mutalip of Brunei's 018 MMA will face hometown favourite Aremiah Edmund of BCG Labuan for the JY Trophy.

Founder of BMAEX Alvin Chong says that  BMAEX is not an ordinary fight event, it is a platform to promote unity through martial arts. He said BMAEX also help promote Labuan as a tourism destination. Aside from that, BMAEX also strive to develop talent and education, in this situation, to educate the public on the abilities of the disable group.  And educating the disable group to achieve a goal beyond their physical disabilities.
 "I used to dream of being a  champion fighter, but I found my true happiness when I can help others  achieve their dream…I think this is my true calling in life, to help the disable. I will do my best to create better community through martial arts.
Last year, we helped a deaf woman from Sweden to achieve her dream as fighter, and this time we will help other disable person fulfill their beautiful dream to fight for JY Cup."

JY Cup is named after Alvin's former business partner Joseph Yew whom pass away because of cancer. Alvin created the JY Cup in a noble effort to use it to inspire others to achieve their dream in memory of his friend.

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Hafiy Mutalip has been overcoming obstacles his whole life. His biggest challenge is getting people to look past his limitation and understand that he is just as capable as the next guy.

Hafiy has always been a boxing enthusiast and this weekend he’ll finally be putting on the gloves to fight in a special match for the Joseph Yew Cup during the 2018 Borneo Martial Arts Expo in Labuan.

The Joseph Yew Cup is in remembrance of Joseph Yew, Co-founder of Borneo Combat Gym, Labuan who had lost his battle to cancer. He is honoured every year to demonstrate that above all else, there is love in martial arts.

This weekend, Hafiy will make us proud by being the first ‘Orang Kurang Upaya’ (OKU) - People with disabilities from Brunei Darussalam to partake in such a sport. Here at STRIKE, you will always be a fighter in and out of the ring. Good luck and all the best.

( above excerpt from STIKE.bn Instagram introducing Hafiy ) .

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profile of Aremiah pending.

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STRIKE : BATTLE OF PRIDE PART 2, SETTLING THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS

The first martial arts promotions of Brunei, STRIKE is back. ( read about what STRIKE is all about, click here )

The ISKA sanctioned STRIKE: Battle of Pride was held on Nov in Airport Mall Brunei. It started smoothly on the first day, until later towards the evening a thug started to verbally abused athletes and coaches which ended up in a brawl.

It was quickly contained & controlled by many sane minded martial artist ( so who said fighters are eager to brawl? They only do it inside the ring ).
 
The noble effort of it's organiser to promote martial arts & healthy lifestyle in Brunei came to an abrupt end when authorities decided to cancel the day 2 of the event to facilitate investigations. This resulted in many of the amateur category Boxing/Kickboxing semi-finals & finals bouts, 3 Kickboxing Super fight for semi-pro title didn't see the light of day.

Not only is the cancellation a big let down to the organiser and business owners who has sponsored and some have taken up exhibition booth there but also a huge disappointment to fighters that had work very hard and prepared to give their best representing their country and gym.

Many is of the opinion that STRIKE is a big boost for combat sports in Brunei. According to Eazy Anuar, Brunei's pro MMA fighter & owner of Khalifa MMA,  
" STRIKE was well ran with good planning, logistics & great prizes."
He also adds that he was saddened that due to fault of one rascal resulted in cancellation of day 2, and he said the authorities should not let bad hats marred an event that is beneficial for the general public.

According to one of STRIKE's founder, Nate Younis the culprit has been caught and as organisers they wanted to make a police report but kudos to the police they beat them to it and has charged the offender. The case is now pending court hearing. The organisers has met Brunei's sports authorities to clear the air and has their support for their next event STRIKE : Redemption planned for March 2019.

When the commotion happened, ISKA representative Alvin Chong was there on the ground and as organiser received news that authorities are cancelling their day 2 event, in the spirit of martial arts brotherhood he quickly offered a solution by offering to let BMAEX be the platform for STRIKE : Battle of Pride.

Now we are 1 day away from BMAEX 2.0 in Labuan and STRIKE : Battle of Pride will be on day 2 ( 29 Dec 2018 ). Firdaus from STRIKE explained,

" Understandably some of the fighters that qualify for the finals are not able to make the BMAEX dates, hence the idea of Wild Cards, where either a new participant can replace a fighter who is unable to make it or a participant which did not advance to the semi-finals/finals are given another shot at redemption to earn a top spot. We are fortunate to have five wild cards for STRIKE : Battle of Pride part 2. " 
 


A total of 7 amatuer bouts ( boxing/kickboxing ) will be held at BMAEX and 1 title fight between Bruneian Saufy Jaman and Sabahan Dean Hamsah for the semi-pro Light Welterweight title. The
other two title fight featuring Bruneian Adib Sulaiman & Aaron Lim , prefers to fight at home turf which is planned for the March event. Dean Hamsah will attempt to win two belt as on 30 Dec he will fight under pro Kickboxing rules for the 67kgs ISKA BMAEX Title belt.

STRIKE : Battle of Pride needs a closure and to have it a month after the original event and not dragging it too far is a good move. It's good to see the organiser collaborate with ISKA & BMAEX to make sure it has a platform. Labuan is only an hour by ferry from Brunei and Labuan has close affinity with Brunei.

Alvin Chong further reiterate that BMAEX is not just another martial arts promotions, it's objectives is to unite martial artist in the region to promote talent development, sportsmanship, recognition to contributors of the martial arts industry and improve overall standard of events. He said by having STRIKE in BMAEX is a good example of this and he said other organisers & promoters should not look at BMAEX as a competitor but to use BMAEX as a platform to promote their own event & grow the industry together.

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NOREEN NUR VS ERLIANA @ LIYEN : ISKA BMAEX 51KGS FEMALE TITLE FIGHT

NOREEN NUR VS ERLIANA @ LIYEN : ISKA BMAEX 51KGS FEMALE TITLE FIGHT

It's Malaysia vs Brunei for the only female pro Kickboxing title fight on 30 Dec at BMAEX.

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Erliana Said @ Liyen is from Tawau. She is 26 this year and trains out of Tim's Muaythai Tawau. She is an entrepreneur but loves to train Muaythai.

Her motto in life is  
"Work hard, be patient, be consistent and never give up" 

She applies this motto in her martial arts life and holds a fight record of 1-0-0 ( Muaythai ), 3-1-0 ( Kickboxing ), Boxing 0-1-0. Her favourite technique is spinning back fist.

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Bruneian Noreen got into martial arts to lose weight. She joined a workout program call 'Projek Kurus' run by ADN Gym. It was a workout program conducted outdooor at the beach and focus on Kickboxing and boxing techniques. The workout got her hooked & her interest in martial arts began to increase.

Januar 2016, ADN gym offered Projek Kurus for the second season, and she without hesitation joined the program. The weight she lost motivates her and she continue training & joining other classes such as HIIT conditioning.

Under the tutelage of Coach Adey & Coach Dean at 018 MMA Gym her skills improve and competition became a tool to test her acquired skills 

Her first fight was in 2016 at BAC 3, Labuan. The following year she improved and got silver in the BAC 4. Further improvement follows when she won Gold in the Pahlawan Boxing competition in December 2017 and bagged aother Gold in BMAEX 1.0 women’s category.

She works as a teacher and also obtained certification as an ISKA Instructor in mid October 2018.

She has two short term target...to close 2018 with the ISKA BMAEX female title on her waist and targetting Gold for BAC 6, in March 2018.

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ISKA BMAEX 72kgs Super-4 Malaysia Title

ISKA BMAEX 72kgs Super-4 Malaysia Title
 
Fight A : Hafiz (Kuda Kepang) vs Chew Zhi Kong (D-30 Muaythai)
Fight B : Fikri Rozan ( Kelab Labah Mas Baling) vs Kai Chee (Kuala Lumpur)

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Chee Jian Kai or better known as Kai Chee is the highest profile fighter in this Super-4 fight.
At 33 years old he is considered a veteran in the Malaysian combat sports scene. A Muaythai stylist he won ISKA BMAEX 2017 Super Fight Title was the South Thailand Patong Stadium Champion, & Malaysia Sanda Champion His Pro MMA Record 30-20-10.

He is one of the earliest few Malaysian whom fought pro MMA , and  holds a 4-7-0 record with fights at Martial Combat, Malaysian Fighting Championship, ONE Championship and URCC.

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Standing at 176cm tall, although just 29, another veteran is Muhammad Fikri Rozan from Kelab Labah Mas Baling.
Fikri is a Muaythai specialist and holds an impressive record of  58-2-53.

He was Kedah state champion 3 times 2005,2006 & 2007 and Champion in Songkla Hatyai Thailand under WMC 2008 and fought recently in Road to Z1 Langkawi 2018.

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 Chew Zhi Kong is from Miri representing D-30 Muaythai trained under Master Tang Hui Ding

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At 32 this year Mohd al Hafiz bin Mohd Hanaffi of Kuda Kepang is a Muaythai specialist based in Johor Bahru.

Hafiz is from Segamat and  started training in martial arts since 19. He has fought more than 70 times in his martial arts career. He is 2011 Muaythai Pesta Pulau Pinang Super-4 champion, and most recently collected another belt - Asia Super Challenger.

He loves the fighting art and has made it his full time career by teaching PT and instructing in Johor Bahru. He also delve into MMA a bit but still prefer the art of the 8 limbs.

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BMAEX is a event that aims to unite all martial artist in this region by giving all styles a platform to perform & excel, with many martial arts activities such as expo, forms competition, breaking challenge, wushu & amatuer kickboxing tournament, seminar & workshop. All this happening from 28-30 DEC at Palm Beach Resort Labuan.
The climax is the 10 title fight in K1 Kickboxing rules happening on 30 DEC 2018

 

MIKE SIDIS vs DEANVER RAPHAEL : ISKA BMAEX 85kgs Title Fight

MIKE SIDIS vs DEANVER RAPHAEL : ISKA BMAEX 85kgs Title Fight

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This is an all Malaysian affair for the 85kgs belt.

Mike holds a record of :

Muaythai fight 1 (pro)
K1 3 (amateur)
Boxing 1 (amatuer)
MMA 4 (1pro 3amatuer)

He works in the oil & gas industry of Labuan. The job takes his time away from training but it also makes him cherish the time he has for training. At one time his social habits of drinking, smoking and partying took a toll on his health. Martial arts gave him a new meaning. He value the time he is able to sharpen his skills and fighting is a way for him to test the skills he has acquired. ( read more about Mike in my previous post here ).

Aside from martial arts, Mike loves the outdoor and will go kayaking, diving and hiking when he has the time, he loves the fact that he stay in the island of Labuan which offers him all the adventure activities he needs just at his doorsteps.

He loves rock & roll & hip hop music and still enjoy a good mug of stout among good friends...usually after a hard week of training or after a good fight...maybe a few extra mugs if celebrating a win.

A carefree person that is humble & down to earth, but once in the ring, his spirit of competitiveness takes over and he will do his best to win, watch out for some of his unorthodox moves & combos.

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Deanver Randel Raphael is a hot young talent from Kinabalu Fighters. At 24 he has amassed 7-0-0 record in Kickboxing and most recently record his biggest victory by winning the Grand Merdeka Super Fight belt.

He is from Sugud Penampang , but grew up in Tawau. It's where he picked up Taekwondo as a teenager & also trains at Alamgir Gym sharpening his striking skills.

He has a full time job at Samsung Service Centre but also is an entrepreneur, running his own business - Denz Collection which focused on console games, figurines, accessories, anime etc. Deanver loves martial arts because it gives him a space to release stress and sharpen not only his physical abilities but also keeps his minds sharp, which helps him in his work and planning for his business.

MOSTAFA ASHOURI vs ALEX LIM : ISKA BMAEX 85kgs title fight

MOSTAFA ASHOURI vs ALEX LIM : ISKA BMAEX 85kgs title fight.

This fight at 85kgs almost didn't see the light of day. Mostafa's original opponent, Chong Jing Yi ( MIMMA season 1 middleweight Champion), got injured two weeks earlier.

Organiser frantically look for a replacement but no one would dare stepped up at short notice to face Mostafa. But we are thankful that a warrior hearted Alex Lim accepted the offer in less than 10 days notice!

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Standing at 178cm tall and at the age of 34, hailing from Iran,  the blood of Persian warrior run in Mostafa Ashouri. He has an astonishing record of more than 172 fights with 130 wins. Nick name White Scorpion he has a menacing looking scorpion tatooed at his back.

He started training in martial arts since 9 years old and is a 24 times Iranian Champion in various styles, ie: Kung Fu,  Kyokushin Karate, Full Contact Karate, Muaythai, Kickboxing, Arts of commando fighting.

In 2006 he became a silver medalist world championship in Chinese kickboxing (Choy Li Fut). He is currently based in Kuala Lumpur and has been very active in the regional combat sports scene. 

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Alex Lim may not possessed the menacing look of a assassin but at 42 he is a true pioneer of Malaysian martial arts.

He has participated in numerous competition (Muaythai/Kickboxing/Sanda/Western Boxing/MMA): with a record of approximately 60 Pro Fights - 50% Wins - 50% Losses - 50% KOs

Along the way collecting many significant battles and below are some of the titles and his achievements:

• 2017 Malaysia BMAEX (Borneo Martial Art Expo) Kickboxing 80KG Champion
• 2007 Malaysia Wushu Sanda 70kg Kuala Lumpur Champion
• 2007 Malaysia Ultimate Warrior Kickboxing 75kg Negeri Sembilan State First Runner-Up
• 2006 Malaysia Ultimate Warrior Kickboxing 75kg Quarter Finalist
• 2006 Malaysia Cup Amateur Western Boxing Open 75kg 2nd Runner-Up
• 2005 Malaysia Wushu Sanda 80kg Champion
• 2005 Malaysia Wushu Sanda 80kg Kuala Lumpur Champion
• 2004 Malaysia Wushu Sanda 80kg 1st Runner-Up
• 2004 Malaysia Wushu Sanda 80kg Kuala Lumpur Champion

In  2001 when he fought in pro rules Muaythai became the first Chinese Malaysian pro Muaythai fighter. He was also among the first Malaysian to fight in K1 promotions back in 2007. He also fought MMA when ONE Championship signed him for a bout in 2013, with an MMA record of 1-3-0, it was a testing ground for Alex as he does not back down from a good fight and always wanted to test himself in different situation.

Alex is not a full time fighter, he used to work in a big corporation in the export division, hence has travel internationally a lot. He still finds time to train & keep himself fighting fit at 42.
When he is not tied down to work, he would look for fights to compete in. This is his way of always keeping himself mentally sharp & physically fit.

Being a pioneer in Malaysian combat sports scene certainly gives Alex a large network of friends and knowing that BMAEX founder Alvin Chong was looking for a fighter to replace Jing Yi, Alex decides to stepped up even though on very short notice.

He has been itching to fight after tasting sweet victory in the 1st BMAEX last year when he fought against a young fighter from Tawau.

Representing LLS, TNT, GEG & Titans Alex likes to be among his friends in the martial arts circle and to him coming to this 2nd BMAEX is also a time to catch up and support his friends, but Alex also has his eye on the ISKA BMAEX belt and will surely give Mostafa a good fight for the title.

winning ISKA BMAEX belt in 2017

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BMAEX is a event that aims to unite all martial artist in this region by giving all styles a platform to perform & excel, with many martial arts activities such as expo, forms competition, breaking challenge, wushu & amatuer kickboxing tournament, seminar & workshop. All this happening from 28-30 DEC at Palm Beach Resort Labuan.
The climax is the 10 title fight in K1 Kickboxing rules happening on 30 DEC 2018

 

FRITZ BIAGTAN vs MARDY@ ACHOK : ISKA BMAEX 57kgs Title Fight

FRITZ BIAGTAN vs MARDY@ ACHOK : ISKA BMAEX 57kgs Title Fight

This is the fight of the young millenials generations.

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Fritz is the son of Maestro Raysaldo Biagtan ( read about his profile, click here ). From a young age, his father has trained him to be a fighter when he first show sign of interest in martial arts.
"When I was small I really like to watch an action movies .. I like to do some sports. On the day 1 of my training dad thought me a basic drills like jab cross kick.. but seems like it’s difficult for me to adopt it.. so I decided to watch more fight movies and learned from it.
I trained myself on the heavy bag almost everyday.. the heavy bag is my best friend 😅
I drill a lot I train a lot until my dad saw me that I was improving... I didn’t really rely on my dad coz I know he was busy teaching people.
One day my dad told me to go for my muaythai debut he trains me he made me more stronger he keep pushing us not only me but also other fighters until I almost vomit 😅
And until now he keep us pushing to improve and to win fights."

In 2014, he become Singapore Fighting Championship (SFC) Flyweight Champion, establishing himself as the youngest pro MMA fighter to win a title in Asia at 19.

Maestro Raysaldo have 5 other kids and Fritz is the eldest. Making a living in Philipines was tough and he had to moved to Kuala Lumpur to earn some income teaching martial arts, but he made sure he gets his kids studies sorted out. Fritz graduated with  hotel management degree. After his SFC victory, Fritz joined his father and moved to Kuala Lumpur and trained with him there.

Under Maestro Raysaldo's watchful eye and blitz training, Fritz Aldin Biagtan emerged as a two time URCC MMA straw weight champion and holds a pro MMA record of 4-1-0. 

Last year he won a Muaythai Championship bout in Kuala Lumpur defeating an opponent from the formidable Kuda Merah team, winning in round 1 in less than 10 seconds. He debut in pro boxing in a WBC event in Kuala Lumpur early 2018 defeating a Uzbek boxer by TKO in round 2.

At only 23 this year, Fritz or well known with his fight name of Kid Tornado is already an owner of his own gym in Bandar Puteri Kuala Lumpur, he open Biagtan Martial Arts last year.

Fritz will attempt to collect another championship belt, this time in K1 Kickboxing rules by challenging Malaysian Mardy Mansor of Tim's Muaythai. He will be joined by his father Raysaldo Biagtan in BMAEX this 30 DEC, as Raysaldo is also schedule to fight for the 60kgs Title .

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Mardy Mansor @Achok 'The Boogeyman' is young fighter hailing from the east coast town of Sabah Malaysia - Tawau.

Trained under coach Timmy at Tim's Muaythai he has a fight record of  7-2-0. He is only 25 this year and may not have huge achievements as his opponent for 30 DEC , Fritz Biagtan, but he is a dark horse and a boogeyman so to speak and taking him lightly may be a mistake.

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BMAEX is a event that aims to unite all martial artist in this region by giving all styles a platform to perform & excel, with many martial arts activities such as expo, forms competition, breaking challenge, wushu & amatuer kickboxing tournament, seminar & workshop. All this happening from 28-30 DEC at Palm Beach Resort Labuan.
The climax is the 10 title fight in K1 Kickboxing rules happening on 30 DEC 2018

RANDALL KADAYUM vs RAYSALDO BIAGTAN - ISKA BMAEX 60KGS TITLE

RANDALL KADAYUM vs RAYSALDO BIAGTAN - ISKA BMAEX 60KGS TITLE.

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At 34, Randall Kadayum is a well known fighter hailing from the interior town of Sabah - Tambunan. A native Dusun, Randall comes from an active family, his father was into atheletics and his elder brother coaches futsal in Tambunan. Randall's wife is a undefeated boxing champion in Sabah. he used to works as pizza delivery crew by day and a Muaythai instructor by night at Kinabalu Fighters, now he works as an computer lab IT assistant in the morning and teach at night.

As a kid he love to watch boxing and martial art in TV and movies, as a high school students in SMK Bahang, KK Randall did some Taekwondo and karate but his thirst for full contact martial art came when few years back a muaythai coach from Kelantan came to Sabah to give a seminar.

He was hooked with Muaythai. He save up some money and went to Labuan to learn further from coach Alvin Chong of Borneo Combat Gym.

To him the recipe for success in a fight is the training.
" If my opponent trains hard, I will train harder!" 

Having the fight name 'The Slayer' , Randall has slayed plenty of tough opponent and these are among his notable achievement in Muaythai:

• Muaythai Sarawak Head of State Trophy 2013. 
• D1 Fighting Championship Rhino Warriors "The New Era" D1 Super Four Trophy 2014
• D1 Fighting Championship Best of Sabah 60kg 2015 
• D1 Fighting Championship "Rise Above The Rest" 2015
• Rhino Invasion KL D1FC Champion tittle belt 60kg 2015. 
• Muaythai Sarawak Head of State Trophy 2016, Borneo Invitational category 60kg. 
• Muaythai "Elopura Fights" Chief of Police Trophy 2016
• Borneo Invitational Superfight (Sarawak 2016)  
• D1FC Pride of Rhino Warriors - Champion 60kg 
• Sabah Fight 2018 - Champion 60kg
  Muaythai record: 15 win , 2 lose

Boxing record :13-2-0 

• Boxing title the best boxer on 2013 
• JFL Super 8 title belt cage Boxing Champion 2015. 
• Third place in Malaysia Cup 2016
• Sabah Mayor Cup Champion 2012 - 2016

Randall develop his excellent stamina by participating in various marathon. He is also an avid gamer & also loves to watch Japanese Anime. Musically talented, he also plays the drum & used to have a band with his wife who is the band's vocalists.

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Maestro Raysaldo Biagtan is a native Ilocos region of Pangasinan, a province in Luzon, north Philipine. He is also a master of Cinco Teros (translated from Spanish words “five offences/strikes”), an old style of Arnis-Escrima endemic in Northern Luzon particularly in the province of Pangasinan dated back in the 16th century.

He started his training in martial arts at the early age of 8, trained with his uncle Master Rudolfo Biagtan of Maharlika Kuntaw ng Pilipinas Dagupan City chapter, Sensie Alfredo Castro of Shotokan Karate, Granmaestro Oding Billisillo of Arnis Balintawak, and Kru Rolando Catoy in Muaythai.

At 15 Maestro Raysaldo's grandfather observing that he possessed the heart & spirit for martial arts decided to pass down the knowledge to him. During World War 2, his grandfather was part of the guerilla unit that ambush & killed many Japanese Imperial soldier using the skills of Cinco teros.

Maestro Raysaldo Biagtan started his kickboxing career at the age of 19 where he earned his first Championship Trophy in Philippine Kickboxing Organization (PKBO) and continued with superb accomplishment of twenty fights without losses (undefeated).

At the age of 25 he was selected by the Muaythai Kickboxing Association of the Philippines (MTKAP) to represent Philippines to compete in Muaythai in the World Championship in Thailand.
In 1996 he competed in Korea in IKBF (Int. Kickboxing Federation) World Championship and received a silver medal.

In 1997 Maestro Biagtan moved to Korea to work and study theology. During his stay there, he expand his learning in Korea Martial Arts such as Kyuk Too Ki, Hapkido and Taekwondo. He also participated in Muaythai competition there.

In 2002, he joined Karate for Christ International in Cleveland Alabama, USA. At the age of 33 he earned his 6th degree in Filipino Martial Arts and formed Biagtan Fighting Arts and there is where Biagtan Martial Arts formed.
(parts excerpts taken from http://biagtanmma.com )

Biagtan Martial Arts is a fusion of Muaythai, Cinco teros arnis and Dumog (Filipino wrestling). Maestro Biagtan explained that in his native dialect “biagtan” means “our life.”
“It’s very appropriate because I am espousing martial arts as a way of life.”

Maestro Raysaldo also derived his strenght in his belief of Christ. He explained in an interview with FIGHT TIMES ,
"In martial arts we have the so-called inner power and we must exercise meditation to develop this, and the outside power is done through physical training. In doing these, you must employ the dynamic discipline, which is found and flows from your inner self. As an Evangelical pastor you meditate through the Word of God, open you heart, let it manifest in you and preach through your action so that you preach the Word powerfully to the people.
Martial art is for physical- mind and body, being a pastor is spiritual—heart and soul. Reconciling these two are simply a way of life, as we live in physical and spiritual. In Team Biagtan my young trainers and fighters are trained both being a worshiper of God (spiritual) and servant for people (spiritual/physical fitness)."

2014 he took up a recommendation from a friend to teach Muaythai in Malaysia and took up a instructor job in MuayFit.

In 2017 he and his son Fritz opened up their own gym in Bandar Puteri, Kuala Lumpur - Biagtan Martial Arts. Maestro Raysaldo  also teaches part time there and teaching martial arts full time at Top Speed Fitness.

Maestro Raysaldo has a lot of good to say about last year's BMAEX where he won a title belt with a KO victory.  
"I am proud to be part of BMAEX. 2017 event was a well organised event with many high level fighters from many countries."

At 48 this year has competed a few times in West Malaysia but has not been victorious as he felt the judges decision was always not on his side, taking the motivation from BMAEX victory last year, he goes in to every fight now with a plan to win by KO/TKO, not letting the judges make the decision.

This time Maestro Raysaldo will be in Labuan together with his son Fritz Biagtan (URCC MMA Champion) , whom will also be feature in the fight card on the same night.

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BMAEX is a event that aims to unite all martial artist in this region by giving all styles a platform to perform & excel, with many martial arts activities such as expo, forms competition, breaking challenge, wushu & amatuer kickboxing tournament, seminar & workshop. All this happening from 28-30 DEC at Palm Beach Resort Labuan.
The climax is the 10 title fight in K1 Kickboxing rules happening on 30 DEC 2018

DEAN HAMSAH vs ALAN POND - ISKA BMAEX

Rumble in the jungle of Labuan for the ISKA BMAEX 67kgs Title is between Malaysian Sabahan veteran Dean Hamsah vs Australian veteran Alan Pond.

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Dean or his full name Saharuddin, born at the town of Kundasang, at the foothills of Mt. Kinabalu to an Indonesian mother & Malaysian father. His mother practically raised him up single handedly and driven by her hardworking and never give up attitude, Dean took up Muaythai in 2011 and has been addicted to it ever since. It has become his source of income as he teach & fight.

He has competed in amateur Muaythai more than 30 times & only lost 5 times and possessed a 9-2-0 in pro Muaythai and 7-1-0 in Kickboxing. Dean also actively competed in MMA and holds a record of 5-3-0 (amateur). He took gold for Muaythai amateur tournament  60kg - 63kgThe Best of Sabah (under IFMA rules) & won the 60kg Trophy at Tawau Muaythai Championship. Recovering from an injury in 2016 he came back in 2017 & fought pro MMA in a rematch with Mohd Hasbullah in Penang.

At age 30 this year Dean is considered a veteran in the Malaysian combat sports scene. He has recently focus hard in training for a comeback to regular fighting. This year he headed to Bali MMA to pick up some great training & on schedule to fight in the main event of Brunei's first Kickboxing promotion - STRIKE. But unfortunately the event was called off due to a commotion on the first day which is pending court case.

He then signed up for Philipine Fighting Championship in Dec but that event was moved to Jan 2019. Don't want to let his training go to waste, finally it was a confirmed deal for STRIKE to be featured in BMAEX. The semni-pro STRIKE title against Bruneian Saufy Jaman will be featured on 29 Dec, then Dean will challenge Alan Pond for the ISKA BMAEX pro title belt on the final day.

Dean has not won a title belt yet throughout his fighting career, but he is one fighter that does not back down and always give his all, proven by many of his fights that were barn burner and crowd favourite. In 2018 BMAEX, Dean now has the opportunity to win two belt in one event.

He is not taking both this fight lightly and has devise a well thought out game plan with his coach Rayner Kinsiong of Team Karabaw.

training with Rayner Kinsiong

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Alan Pond can be describe as an wily old fox. At 48 this year, Alan will proudly says that he is 28. I am convinced because I have personally seen how he perform in BMAEX 2017 ( read about the story here ). It was a night to remember as Alan fought against tremendous adversity and emerge victorious against a Malaysian prolific striker Mohd Rizal.

Alan born in Perth and raised by his mother. He left Perth and headed to the Eastern side of Australia but got into trouble early with drugs and mixing with the wrong crowd. Back at Perth he took up boxing & Kung Fu. It totally changed his life as it gave him a purpose to work hard for.

Alan wanted to build himself into a lethal weapon and he train extensively. He achieved success in Boxing and represented Australia in the early 90s. He then refocus back to Kung Fu and began his attention on full contact combat sports and achieved great success winning: He won WMC WA State Muay Thai title, IKBF AUS Kickboxing title, IKBF AUS K1 Rules title, IMTF AUS Muay Thai title, IKBF Australasian Kickboxing title, ISKA South Pacific Oriental Rules title, IFMA Worlds Bronze Medal & Kings Cup Bronze Medal in Muay Thai.

He has also help the sports by being a promoter and refereeing many fights.

He returned back to the ring this year to fought Malaysia Muaythai sensation Mohd Mahmoud aka Jordan Boy. He lost that fight but he treated it as a warm up for his eye to win another BMAEX title before 2018 comes to an end.

Alan has a very calm & relax attitude towards a fight but inside the ring display years of experience by unleashing damaging combo at the right moment.

His motto; to WIN, SING & PARTY, be prepared to hear him sing when he wins on 30 DEC in BMAEX.

Alan will also have his student Marco Tentori in Labuan as both of them will be fighting to get a title belt back home to Australia.

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BMAEX is a event that aims to unite all martial artist in this region by giving all styles a platform to perform & excel, with many martial arts activities such as expo, forms competition, breaking challenge, wushu & amatuer kickboxing tournament, seminar & workshop. All this happening from 28-30 DEC at Palm Beach Resort Labuan.
The climax is the 10 title fight in K1 Kickboxing rules happening on 30 DEC 2018

Zephyrus vs The Machine Gun - ISKA BMAEX title fight

Hisyam Samsudin 'Zephyrus" vs Marco Tentori 'The Machine Gun'.
The jungle of Labuan will be rumbled by two great champion battling for ISKA BMAEX 75kgs title fight.

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Hisyam is familiar with jungle enviroment, being born in Brumas, an palm estate settlement deep in the jungle of the East Coast of Sabah. He moved to Tawau for schooling and began to battle with his weight dealing with obesity was tough, his weight reach 100kg at one point.

Moving to Kota Kinabalu for his uni studies, he enrolled in The Borneo Tribal Squad MMA & Fitness Factory and trained under pro combat sports athlete AJ "Pyro" Lias. He trained in Muaythai, BJJ & boxing. The initial objectives of losing weight & get fit became to compete in the ring when his skills got better.

In February 2016, Samsudin replaced an injured Thai athlete at a four-man boxing tournament in Singapore to determine the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Asia-Pacific Light Heavyweight Champion.

Despite being several kilograms underweight, he won the whole tournament, making him the first Malaysian to hold a WBF title. Then, he turned his attention to the ONE cage.

Hisyam is a ONE Championship fighter and holds a record of 2-4-0 in MMA. He showed tremendous heart & warrior spirit when in his 4th pro MMA fight in Indonesia he faced great adversity when his father pass away in the eve of the fight. Hisyam battled through emotion & plenty of deadly leg locks from a BJJ specialist and he emerge victorious.



Proud of his Bugis warrior heritage Hisyam has recently started his own gym called Ewako MMA, training new breed of fighters & himself continue to train hard especially this 30 Dec in an attempt to win himself a title in Kickboxing.


                                      
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The Machine Gun - Marco's interest in martial arts started at early age pre teens. He always wanted to be strong and train on his own but received formal training when he join a Kung Fu academy & trained in Choy Li Fatt. His dedication in training earn him the black sash & with his acquired skills wanted to test his ability against other styles, he decided to compete in Muaythai as it's reputed to be the toughest combat sports around.

After his first Muaythai victory in 2004 he began to compete regularly, capturing various title. Among the title he won in his total current fight record (combined Muaythai & K1 rules) is 47 fights for 35 wins.
• WPMF Super-Middleweight Western Australian Muay Thai State Champion 2006
• WPMF Middleweight Western Australian Muay Thai State Champion 2007
• WBC Australian Middleweight Muay Thai Champion 2008
• WBC Australian Middleweight Muay Thai Champion 2010 (x2)
• ISKA Light-Middleweight Australian Muay Thai Champion 2010
• OTBA Middleweight Australian Muay Thai Champion 2010
• WKA Super-Middleweight South Pacific Muay Thai Champion 2011
• OTBA Middleweight Australian Muay Thai Champion 2011
• WBC Australian Middleweight Muay Thai Champion 2012
• OTBA Australian Middleweight Muay Thai Champion 2012
• WMC Middleweight Western Australian Muay Thai State Champion 2014
• WMC Middleweight Australian Champion 2014
• ISKA Commonwealth Middleweight Champion 2014

He has beaten 4 former world title holders in non-title fights.

in August 2015, he stepped into the ring to challenge  Yodsanklai Fairtex , and while he lost via decision, he took the Muaythai legend the whole 5 rounds and gave him a good fight.

Marco at 34 this year considered his best attributes is his mental strength, being able to focus his mind on the fight even though many times the odds is against him, couple with his analytical approach, he goes into a fight fully prepared in terms of physical skills, mental fortitude & technical understanding.

Under the tutelage of Australian combat sports veteran Alan Pond in Pondy Gym, Marco will be in Labuan not to enjoy the jungle & beach scenery but to make sure the title will be wrapped on his waist on 30 DEC 2018.


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BMAEX is a event that aims to unite all martial artist in this region by giving all styles a platform to perform & excel, with many martial arts activities such as expo, forms competition, breaking challenge, wushu & amatuer kickboxing tournament, seminar & workshop. All this happening from 28-30 DEC at Palm Beach Resort Labuan
The climax is the 10 title fight in K1 Kickboxing rules happening on 30 DEC 2018