EV TING OUTWORK KOJI ANDO FOR HIS WIN TO CALL FOR A TITLE FIGHT NEXT

23 June 2018. One Championship concluded last night in Macau for ONE CHAMPIONSHIP : PINNACLE OF POWER. It's ONE's fourth event featuring the ONE Super Series (Kickboxing and Muaythai fight )

Two MMA title was on the line, the Flyweight title and the female Strawweight title. 

In the main event of the night, Filipino Geje Eustaquio managed to earn a split decision to unify the flyweight belt against long time champ Adriano Moraes.

In the co-main event, China's Xiong Jing Nan dominates Laura Balin to kept her belt via unanimous decision.

-------------#WRB---------------

In a lightweight fight, Malaysian-Kiwi spitfire Ev “E.T.” Ting defeated another notable name in the promotion’s stacked lightweight division, routing Koji “The Commander” Ando of Japan. It was a striking showcase from start to finish as both men delivered shattering blows, particularly Ev with powerful high round house that battered Ando.

Ando gallantly traded punches with Ting, but the latter connected on effective strikes through excellent counterpunching. Ting pulled away in the last round when he scored on a devastating high knee. With his gutsy performance against Ando, Ting was awarded a unanimous decision win.

It is worth noting that although Ando was on a 3 fight losing streak going into this fight, but he has never been finished and recorded a win over former UFC lightweight Roger Huerta. 'The Commmander' also went toe to toe with submission ace Shinya Aoki in a 5 round title fight in 2015.  

This is Ev's 3rd win after he lost the title fight challenging Eduard Folayang back in April last year. The lightweight belt has change owner since Nov 2017, when Martin 'The Situ-Asian Nguyen knocked out Eduard. A win by Ev over the experience Ando further pushes Ev called for a Lightweight title fight against Martin Nguyen

Click to watch the hi-lights of Ev vs Koji 

Warriors of Borneo talked to Ev after his victory last night.

WRB: How does it feels to be back fighting an MMA match in a ring? I believe the last time u did that was in your early MMA career right? Do you like fighting in a cage or ring?
ET: Cage feels like do or die and the ring feels more like a demonstration of skills and yes correct haven't competed in one for awhile but still often train in one. I enjoyed it and look forward to more ventures in there.


WRB: Going into the fight vs Koji, did you prepare with lots of wresting & take down defense?
ET: Yes, every camp I'm always improving on all aspects, but was certainly aware of his judo credentials and his submission finishes. So the game-plan was to keep my range to pick him apart.

WRB: Were you surprise that Koji prefered to stand and trade and hardly attempt any take down?
ET: Koji is one of the toughest competitors out there and has a mindset of a real samurai. 

I think the first round he was looking for take-downs until he realised it wasn't there due to my range and movement therefore he adjusted and came back slightly in the 2nd.

WRB: Take us through the fight? You pressured him by much of combos and high kicks in first two rounds, but Koji seems to have more output in the 3rd round. Tell us about that knee in the 3rd round.
ET: I took the lead in the striking in the first, Koji adjusted and started walking me down in the 2nd, took me awhile to adjust but once I did I was able to time some combos and also that knee where I missed the first couple times with the right, so switched it to the left and it connected. Much respect to such a tough opponent.

Ev Ting signature jumping knee connecting Ando in the 3rd round. Pic by YK TANG Photography

WRB: Of the 3 wins after you challenge Eduard, which win was the hardest and most satisfying? What's the thing that changes most since the loss to Eduard?
ET: Each win since my title shot is just another learning curve and what has changed most is my mindset, instead of trying to please everyone I just invested in myself and smart training. Smarter and harder now.

WRB: You clearly wants to challenge Martin for the lightweight title, do you think it should be your next fight?
Absolutely it should be the next fight, no other lightweight contender have taken out the contenders I've had.

Martin is not even a real lightweight so he has the choice to vacate or defend. If he truly believes he's the champ, then he would not hesitate to prove it.


WRB: When do you think you ready to fight? If ONE didn't give you that title fight, will you fight in KL card in July?
ET: Yes I've been campaigning for this but being 3 weeks out and he has another invented interim belt, it may be unlikely, but absolutely I will be ready. I'm not scared of any lightweight on his planet.

WRB: Tell us about your relationship with Martin? have you train with him before? What do you think of his recent win vs Christian Lee? How do you think your style vs Martin will play out in a title fight?
ET: We are both sponsored by the same gym Saigon Sports Club, while I spent over two years coaching there, he was getting all these awesome opportunities. Martin is the current champ for a reason. His timing and efficiency is on point but he has yet to be in deep waters.

ET vs 'The Situ-Asian' will sell out in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand simply because people know it's going to be a real fight. Survival of the fittest type of fight.

WRB: What's that gold chain all about in Macau?
Bali MMA made it just for Xiong Jingnan the champ, Mario and myself so it would be rude not to wear it. Plus it looks pretty cool, but intrinsically it's more of a mindset for me.

WRB: Please give readers some tips of how you develop that power in your high kicks?
ET: The more times you do something the better you get, so it's simply repetitions. Having a good pad holding coach can help with the distancing and timing. Drills and skills pays the bills

WRB: Any leisure after win in Macau?
Asides from the overpriced food, we went to the after party at Pachao in Studio City, thanks ONE for hosting was a great night and everyone had a blast. #Whiskeysquad LOL

I want to thank ONE Championship for having me on the show, I look forward to represent and express my craft each time I step in the arena. Also all my partners who make it possible for me to fulfill my camps and lifestyle.

Onward and forward, I have got my eyes on the prize.

---------#WRB---------

ONE Championship: Pinnacle of Power @ Macau full results

ONE Flyweight World Championship bout: 

Geje Eustaquio defeats Adriano Moraes by Split Decision (SD) after 5 rounds

ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship bout: 

Xiong Jing Nan defeats Laura Balin by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds

ONE Super Series Muay Thai catchweight bout (67.0kg): 

Petchmorrakot Wor. Sangprapai defeats Fabrice Fairtex Delannon by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 0:43 minutes of round 2

Lightweight bout: 

Ev Ting defeats Koji Ando by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Featherweight bout: 

Narantungalag Jadambaa defeats Edward Kelly by TKO (Strikes) at 4:58 minutes of round 2

ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight bout: 

Lerdsila Phuket Top Team defeats Sok Thy by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds

ONE Super Series Kickboxing heavyweight bout: 

Tarik Khbabez defeats Alain Ngalani by Knockout (KO) at 1:49 minutes of round 3

ONE Super Series Muay Thai flyweight bout: 

Yukinori Ogasawara defeats Rui Botelho by Knockout (KO) at 2:54 minutes of round 2

Featherweight bout: 

Li Kai Wen defeats Rodian Menchavez by Knockout (KO) at 0:10 minutes of round 1

Flyweight bout: 

Danny Kingad defeats Ma Hao Bin by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Bantamweight bout: 

Rin Saroth defeats Mario Satya Wirawan by TKO (Strikes) at 2:30 minutes of round 3

One Championship next event will be in Yangon on 29 June, ONE Championship: SPIRIT of WARRIOR with a Middleweight title fight between Myanmar's hero and champion Aung La N Sang vs Japanese challenger Ken Hasegawa. Watch the full event LIVE & FREE on the ONE Super App , download it now http://bit.ly/ONESuperApp

                                             ---------#WRB---------

Keanu Subba - Back to the Fight!

2 July 2016. 22 years old Malaysian Keanu Subba will step on to Hefei Olympic Sports Center in China. He will be challenging China’s raising star Li Kai Wen in a featherweight match for ONE: Dynasty of Champion.

Keanu wears his walk-out tees with “Kaatar Hunnu Bhanda Marnu Ramro”, these words blaze across the logo that carries two Kukri knifes criss crossing in the middle. Keanu explains that the motto stands for: Better to Die Than be a Coward. Which sums ups the warrior spirit of the legendary Gurkhas soldiers.

Pix credits: ONE Championship poster & YK Tang Photography

This is what Keanu live by. Proud of his Nepalese heritage from his father side, Keanu is the younger brother of Gianni, from the Subba siblings. Both of them fight in ONE Championship, the powerhouse MMA organization in Asia.

Born in Hawaii to a Nepalese father and Chinese Malaysian mother, he grew up in Kuala Lumpur and attended SJKC Lai Chee for Primary school and Sekolah Sri Bestari before moving to the USA for high school. There his father encouraged the two sons to learn TaeKwon-Do. Keanu also kept himself active by dabbling into rugby and Krav Maga.

He was already interested in MMA when he watched the 1st season of UFC: The Ultimate Fighter, way back in 2005. Idolizing the winner, who is now UFC veteran Diego Sanchez.

Back in Malaysia, he joined TNT Kickboxing and learned from Master Khoo Meng Yang. His competitive nature eventually led him to join F3 Freestyle Fighting in 2011 in a fight which he lost to AJ Pyro. He continued training in Kambiz Warrior for striking and learned BJJ from Samir Mrabet. The following year he won a fight in Malaysian Fighting Championship, but those were the early cowboys days of MMA in Malaysia where most matches were not sanctioned and regulated properly.

The real journey actually began for him in 2013; Under the tutelage of American wrestler Matt Pellino at Muayfit, Keanu joined the 1st MIMMA (Malaysian Invasion MMA). In the final against Muhammad Ikram, he won the featherweight belt by KO in round 1 with an explosive display of punches.

Achieveing the pinnacle of Malaysia amateur MMA as MIMMA 1 & 2 Featherweight Champion

In 2014, together with other MIMMA champion he represented Malaysia for IMMAF (International MMA Federation) World Championship. Collecting a win and a loss. In MIMMA season 2 with more fight experience and continued improvement under Matt plus the stint in Tiger Muay Thai, he defended his belt; again by way of TKO with a volley of punches in round 1 against Joshua Khiew.

with the other MIMMA1 Champions representing Malaysia to IMMAF 2014 World Championship. 

Defending his featherweight belt in MIMMA2

with  his wrestling and MMA coach Matt Pellino

Eventually the offer came from ONE Championship for him to turn pro. Oct 2015, ONE: Tigers of Asia, Keanu enters the ONE’s oval cage vs French, fighter - Florian Garel. Perhaps nervous on his debut, Keanu was taken down two times and misses on a few strikes combo, but as the minutes goes by Keanu picked up steam and with one minute left on the clock, executed a trip, mounted Florian and rained ground and pound. Then he followed with some nasty sharp kukri like elbows. The referee stopped the fight just 10 seconds from the belt in round 1.

Victorious in his 1st pro fight vs Florian Garel. Pix credits: YK Tang Photography

In the same night, his brother Gianni whom already had 6 fights in ONE, was also victorious against Brazilian Almiro Barros. As an elder brother with more fight experience, Gianni has been instrumental in guiding and helping Keanu develop as a fighter. They enjoy discussing and analyzing fights and of course training and testing out new techniques together.

with brother and mentor Gianni Subba

For their parents, having two sons whom choose to have MMA as a career was not easy in the beginning. They were rather tentative at first because they do not like to see her sons getting hurt. But Papa Subba sees that his sons are really passionate and have a great potential to excel in this field and eventually supported them fully. He had to do the convincing to his wife for his sons.

with papa Subba, giving his two sons his blessings and full support in their fight career

Keanu 2nd pro fight was against ex Malaysian Karate champion Rayner Kinsiong of Team Karabaw Sabah. They met in the cage in Jan 2016 at ONE: Clash of Heroes. Definitely looking more confident the 2nd time around, Keanu uses his range to control the fight. Ducking under Rayner’s punch, Keanu shoots in and got a take down with a leg trip. In Rayner’s half guard, Keanu was still able to strike down with elbows and punches and earn himself another TKO win.

en route to his 2nd win in ONE Championship vs Rayner Kinsiong

As he was on a roll, Christian Lee of Singapore was also making wave, winning 3 times in the Oval cage...the clash of these two young stalwarts was planned for Mac 2016 at ONE: Union of Warriors. Keanu was really psyche up and trained hard for this fight. But unfortunately injured his elbow and had to pull out. Keanu was replaced by Anthony Engelan whom Christian defeated by TKO.

As a pro fighter, Keanu knows that a fighter’s down time is a bane. Diligently he went to therapy and do light training, in time he was able to heal quickly and got the doctor’s green light to fight again. Come this Saturday, Keanu’s journey towards MMA glory continue as he faces China’s featherweight tournament champion, Li Kai Wen.

Warriors of Borneo managed to catch Keanu out of his hectic training schedule in Bali Muaythai & MMA for a short interview.

How is your arm? Completely healed? how long did you had to rest before going training again?
My elbow is about 70-80 percent healed it still bugs me here and there but I have to live with it. Initially 6 months but thanks to the professional team at TheKL Skyclinic and Lifestyle Chiropractor I was back in training in 2 and a half months.

getting the best treatmement at The KL Sky Clinic

Subba brothers with Mr JC Lim owner of LifeStyle Chiropractic (next to Gianni) & Dr Ivan (next to Keanu) , 
who specially treat MMA athletes.

As a pro fighter...are you able to make a living ? Do you have to take up other job?
It depends what shows you're fighting for. ONE Championship pays better than the rest in South East Asia . It's tough but with each fight you get more money so it only gets easier.



How long is your fight camp in Bali for this fight?
3 weeks fight camp short notice but no excuses!

During the fight camp how often do you go back to Malaysia?
I go back every month for a week.


What is the best part of life you like about Malaysia?
Spending time with family and girlfriend and friends for sure.

What is your favourite Malaysian food?
Nasi lemak ayam rendang, fish head noodle soup, curry laksa, char keow teow, the list is endless!

What is the food like during training in Bali? -What is your fav cheat meal there in Bali?
I eat really clean during fight camp high on good fats and good carbs with good protein and strictly no carbs at night.
Favorite cheat meal is definitely a huge burrito from Taco Casa.


Do you consider yourself a balance fighter? Which aspect of the game you would like to see more improvement?
I consider myself pretty well rounded but I have so much more to learn. The learning and growth is endless.

Pix credits: YK Tang Photography

After the cancel fight with Christian, he has gone on to win 3 fights with finishes, would you think this fight with Li Kai Wen tougher than facing Christian?
It's a different fight. Christian has better grappling while Li Kai wen has better wrestling. They're both good in their own ways .

Your fight vs Rayner was in a catchweight close to welterweight, you are going back to feather now...is this your natural weight?
Definitely I felt really slow my last fight. I'm definitely more comfortable at 70.3 walk around weight.

Li Kai Wen looks like a heavy hitter, what will be you strategy going into this fight?
You'll just have to wait and see in China!

The media present you as a shy and quiet person...what is the real Keanu like?
I like to observe and get to know people better before I open up more. I like to remain calm and respectful to everyone but at the same time cautious with how I deal with different individuals.

Pix credits: YK Tang Photography

How do you cope with the media attention when u were successful in MIMMA?
It was tough at first because I'm not really good with my words but eventually I got the hang of it.

Who do you see have the most potential in the current MIMMA pool?
Theeban has a really unique style much like Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Lyoto Machida. He just needs to get more loose and use his Karate more. Hui Keng Fai has beautiful timing on his punches and slick grappling skills. I can see them winning this year for sure.

Theeban ( L ) and Hui Keng Fai ( R). Pix credits: YK Tang Photography

Malaysia already has MIMMA, touted as the best amateur tournament in Asia if not the world, what else do you see that Malaysia need to move forward in MMA?
TuneTalk/Jason Lo definitely changed Malaysian MMA forever. I would say we need more experienced MMA coaches and more cross training among fighters. It would also be ideal to have a rule where you would have to have at least 5 amateur wins before you're allowed to turn Pro.

What type of music do you listen to? What kinda music motivate u when you train?
Reggae, Tibetan music, and some motivational music videos.

What is your idea of chillin’ when u take a break from training?
Definitely spending time and catching up with my girlfriend and family.

Do you think ONE with the Global Rules set present a more dangerous fights compare to UFC Unified Rules Set?
The Global rule set is definitely more like a real life fight situation. You can't just lay on your back and chill. You got guys trying to kick your head off so I would say that it's more realistic.

Coming from a Nepalese & Chinese parentage, do you have any particular pre fight habits or taboo?
Not really, I just believe that I've put all the hard work in and I just have to go out there and perform. 

Who is your favorite fighter? and why?
Gianni Subba. Because he's my brother and I can relate a lot to his style.




Thank you very much for your time Keanu. Wishing you all the best in China!

Ev 'E.T.' Ting in Borneo

E.T. in Borneo
Ev Ting, the raising star of ONE Championship and belt contender for featherweight drop by in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in March for a seminar at two of Sabah's top martial arts gym; Alpha MMA & Team Karabaw.

Ev was in Sabah at the invitation of Sabah's fighter Adrian Tham, Rayner Kinsiong and Allen Solomon Chong, as both Alpha MMA & Team Karabaw collaborate to organize Ev's seminar.
It was certainly great to have a young successful fighter of Ev's calibre to share his techniques and knowledge among Borneo's fighter; giving them inspiration and motivation to excel. Having a heart of gold too, as the seminar fee's was not fixed and participants pay on what they feel is worth. And all the proceeds will be channel to local charity.

Eve received a memento from the Sabah's warrior -  'tanjak' a local Sabahan natives headgear. 

Ev 'ET' Ting holds an MMA record of 11-3-0, Ev currently has 5 wins in ONE Championship.
He's on a two fight winning streak after dominating wins of submitting two well known fighters from Philippines with guillotine choke in his last two fights. His only defeat was at the hand of Marat Gufarov, the current ONE Championship featherweight champion, which was back in May last year.

Fight record from tapology.com

Ev was born in Malaysia 26 years ago. Both his parents are Sarawakian and after graduated studies in England started a family in Kuala Lumpur. Eventually Ev's dad sold off his share in a timber company and grab on a opportunity to migrate to New Zealand. In this new land of the Kiwis, Ev's involvement in sports started with football. Actively playing throughout his teenage years, Ev won various award such as MVP ( most valuable player ) and Most Improved Player; but personally to him his great highlights was being captain in his final year of the first XI and placing second in the season ever in the schools history.

After completing high school, his family moved to different suburb in Auckland. Being distant from friends and familiar team, Ev's stopped football but he wanted to stay active fulfill his urge to compete. At this juncture an individual sport like martial arts really made sense to him. So it all fell into place and he enrolled in martial arts classes at Auckland MMA. 
"Once I joined, I never looked back. I've always had a interest in martial arts but never got to fulfill it until I started competing which fired my interest for MMA even more."

Warriors of Borneo managed to got hold of Ev during his time in Sabah for an interview.

Any fond memories of your early years in Malaysia? 
My best memories in Malaysia was playing on the streets with over 10 of my neighbour's kids, racing around on our bikes. One fond memory was when a monkey broke into my house and broke alot of things, but later befriended with me for a day before animal control came and collected him.
My personality through my up-bringing and experiences allows me to be very direct and have a straight-forward and positive attitude. 

You started your MMA in Auckland MMA, is MMA well develop in NZ? How is it compare to the Malaysian scene?
MMA in NZ has been around for over 10 years. It never had the spotlight Malaysia has now on it with it only going big in the last 3 years.
There are similarities between the two scenes, all fighters can be very hearty and almost stubborn at times. The differences would be in NZ we could care less about logos or looking good, we just want to fight. However, I can blabber for hours on the positive benefits of martial arts contributing to our community wherever we are in the world :) The Malaysian scene is coming up quick with stars like Gianni, Keanu, Aiman and Agilan coming up real quick.

You also have been training in Vietnam & Bali right? What about Malaysia? Tell us about this?
Currently I am a coach at Saigon Sports Club in Ho Chi Minh City, we have a good gig going there and the gym speaks for itself if you go look it up.
Bali MMA is full of monsters under 155lbs, this was where I spent my last training camp, I have a good network with the team there and I believed in their suitability and skills to help me peak for my camp for my last fight. 

In Malaysia I have had short term contracts at top gyms such as Muay Fit, Klinch MMA, however I have yet to spent a full fight camp here but I have visited nearly 10 gyms over the last 3 years. I would love to build a team here one day when the stars allign and things work out.

You spend short years in Malaysia the rest in NZ...what makes you wanna represent Malaysia as a fighter?
It is always an honor to represent my birth town, especially when ONE Championship came aboard they wanted to promote asian fighters, at that time i was working at Klinch MMA so everything made sense. Ultimately I represent myself and the universe, I do not believe in divide and conquer / nations vsing nations.

Do you speak Chinese? What about Malay? What is your chinese name?
My Chinese/Mandarin is only at 50-60% capacity, my Malay is only the greetings. I wish to find a tutor one day when I can sustain a living in Malaysia.
My Chinese name is Chan Sing Ting which is also the exact translation of my english name. 

How did the Kota Kinabalu seminar came about? Is this your first time in Sabah? How do you find the quality of fighters here? What positive aspect does Sabah fighter posses and what do we lack of and need to improve on?
It was my first time in KK, day before I left I spoke to Adrian at the MIMMA Trials in KL, from there he informed the big dawgs Allen and Rayner to set up some training and seminar for me. I always believe in giving back to the sport and I thought this would a great idea and at the same time I get to train with the best in Sabah.
Sabah fighters are by far the heartiest I have seen in Malaysia, however there are still some small details they need to master before going professional, it will all come with mat-time and experience.

Which are the places that you have visited in Sabah? Which is the most memorable? What do you think of Sabahan?
Most memorable would be Sapi Island where i had a wonderful time snorkeling with fishes, ziplining between islands and also losing my Iphone 6s to a splash of Borneo sea water!!

What's your favourite Malaysian food, why? What type of food have you tasted here in Sabah? Anything you find peculiar or interesting?
Favourite Malaysia food would be the typical Nasi Lemak, however I am very particular with the sambal sauce that comes with it. I find that every restaurant or chef that cooks it will have their own style. Seafood in KK is by far my favorite in South East Asia. 




When is your next fight? Will you be pushing Victor Cui for a rematch with Marat? Looking back at ONE FC27...what did learn from the loss, and what you think will make a difference if you meet Marat again?
Marat displayed a world class grappling in our last fight, from that fight I understood what it takes in this game to become successful. Therefore next time we step in that cage, no respect will be given, with inner peace I will perform everything I am capable of. I will beat Marat.
One Championship needs to feed my hunger, I'm starving !

ONE's mix rules, allowing soccer kicks, knee to down opponent, elbow 12 to 6, etc; present a more dangerous situation in the cage vs UFC's unified rules....what do you think of this? Does it make ONE's fighter more formidable?
I believe these rules set my style of fighting better and I am 100% for these rules. If you really think about it, it is not too bad, gladiators back in the day didn't even know who they were fighting and they didn't get paid for it.. haha

You are supporting ONE's new weight cutting rules, are you always walking around in featherweight? ( 65.9 - 70.3kg ) Do you think weight cut is dangerous to fighter?
With new policy of fighting at walk around weight I am now officially a Lightweight on their new standards. Weight Cutting is dangerous and jeopardizes athlete's performances and should not be practiced.

Tell us a bit on your early years ( 4 -5 years ago ) when you just started fighting Pro. What drives you then?, and what motivates you now?
Back then I had a hunger to fight, and i still do. I am motivated everyday to become better in my career, because this is the most honest career I can think of. Reward is always the extra motivation but I do this because I prefer it over any other job.

Early days of Ev's pro MMA career at legend FC

You have plenty of finishes in your fight record with strikes, but recently your last 3 wins are by choke, do you like to start out striking or bring the fight to the ground? What is your favourite move?
Favorite move is always to knock my opponent out with one strike. However, my first ever win in MMA was also with the same choke. I am all about being efficient in putting my opponent away.

How do you unwind after a hard training? Your favourite cheat meal?
After hard training would be hydration, good recovery food.
Favourite cheat meal(s)...... lol anything with peanut butter and ice cream.

Any personal mottos you live by? Anyone you look up to or motivates you?
I used to look up to the greats like Tyson, Fedor, but now my motto is to become the 'best version of my self'. Working on small things at a time.

Bonus questions? If you are the director of Superman vs Batman, who will win and why?
In the final scene, Ev Ting would descent between the two and challenge Ben Affleck & Henry Cavill to a real fight.

Thank you Ev for your time and being here in Sabah!


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