KALAI BROTHERS UNITED

The name Kalai is synonym to Boxing. But boxing is not the only thing they are good at. Ex Sabah state boxer Kalai Mohammad, is an ethnic Sungai from Sandakan Sabah. Out of his 6 children, only 1 daughter, and all 5 of his sons are boxers. In the MMA scene, Eddey Kalai & Effendy Kalai are names is no stranger in the MMA circle. The other 3, Erwandy, Khairol & Ridhuan also has dabble into muay thai & MMA.



Eddey is the eldest brother. Eddey is an accomplished boxer, from the early 2000 to mid 2000, he was actively representing Sabah and subsequently Malaysia in Asia Games, Arafura Games, winning SUKMA gold, Malaysia Cup, and SEA Games. Boxing is in his blood. But after he finished his duty in the national team, Eddey was looking for another activity to keep himself fit & active. MMA looks like a good option and from 2013 onward Eddey began to ply his trade in the cage, beginning with Borneo Fighting Championship, beating another Sabahan boxer cum Muaythai specialist Randall Kadayum.

From there onward he began his journey in MMA by participating in MIMMA season1, 2, 3 & 4.

In 2014, season 2, he reached the semi-finals where he lost to eventual champion Seah Zhang Yu.

2015 Eddey was actively participating in two tournaments, in MIMMA & Jesselton Fight League (JFL). In MIMMA he again reached the semi-finals, this time Dhiaal Amal stopped him there. But for JFL, Eddey went all the way to the finals and beat Jason Gaban in a thrilling fight and was crowned the inaugural JFL Flyweight Champion.

MIMMA season 4 this year, he was back in the thick of action. This time with better preparation he beat 4 opponents to reach the Grand Finals. In between MIMMA, he also kept busy by fighting at ONE Silat tournament.

In the Grand Finals MIMMA, Eddey put up a striking match vs Zhang Yu, but lost out to Zhang Yu via rear naked choke. 

Nevertheless, coming from a striking background, Eddey has really improve on his ground game. He started with just watching on YouTube. From there on he apply what he watch when training with his students and his brother Effendey. 

The improvement can be seen in last year’s JFL when Eddey uses good sprawl and executed suplex. In MIMMA 4 earlier round, he was also able to mix his boxing skills with his wrestling and BJJ skills to control the fight. Even winning a silver in Copa Malasia (no Gi category) last year. 

Eddey works in the Royal Malaysian Police Force. During preparation of MIMMA, being a husband and a father, his routine will start after he send off his family he will start training for 2 hours in the morning, then off to work. In the afternoon, he put in another 2 hours of solid training. Then pick his family home. Usually at night he will continue with coaching boxing at Kalai Brothers HQ, and sometimes he travel to Kelang to help Effendy coaching at ELITEZ MMA Academy

Ask on what was the most challenging thing during his MIMMA journey all these years, Eddey replied,

“ My biggest challenge is to be merciless in the cage. In season 2 & 3, I kinda showed compassion. Hahaha but in season 4, I wanted to keep the medic team more busy.”

Fighting at his age of 35 this year, I wanted to know what kept Eddey motivated, what kept him coming back for more?

“To just keep on doing it…, being constantly active is my motivation. I don’t wanna stop. I enjoy being in the cage, just have fun. Furthermore I want to inspire the young talent in this sports and share with them my experience”

2 weeks leading to the match up with Seah in MIMMA 4 grand final, Eddey said he didn’t train in full intensity as he was involved in a car accident. He rammed into the back of a car and bruise his knee. But being a fighter, he didn’t use this as an excuse to stop, and kept on training through the pain.

Ask on what is his plan for 2017?

“I want to focus on preparing Effendy next year. He is young and has the potential to excel in this sports. It is not easy to make a living and fight at the same time, especially fighting at amateur level. I have three daughters and run Kalai Brothers Gym at Kepong. We opened up a bigger gym at Hulu Kelang, to be the HQ.



We use to train at MSN, but after not able to train there anymore, DeckTatoo (also known as North Borneo Headhunters) offered a place for us to teach boxing. Half of the place is his tatoo studio, the other half is the gym. I’m indebted to him for helping out as fellow Sabahan.

KALAI BROTHERS,  ELITEZ & VENUM supporters

The sad fact is the HQ will be closed. Due to some payment issue with the owner of the premise. The place was set up and I was waiting for the supplier of the mat, for 2 months we waited, but in the end he dissapeared! As we waited & the place not open for paying students yet, I use it for training to prepare for MIMMA grand finals. I told the owner that we will settle it after my grand final match. But owner is reluctant, so I will have to look for a new place.

I am not complaining, infact I am honoured to have a number of students that have stuck with us since the early days. Which is why I wanted to look for a bigger place to provide a more comfortable and better facilities for my students; and also a place I can use as centralised training for fight camp.

I would like to thank my sponsors too that has help me through my fight career, especially Potosan Corner whom provide me VENUM fight gear and RANGER energy drink

As for MIMMA 5, well who knows…if there’s opportunity maybe I’ll join again!”


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Effendy is the younger one at 25 this year. Effendy fight at bantamweight and has been a regular in MIMMA since 2013. With a record of 9-4-0, Effendy started off his first MMA bout in Borneo Fighting Championship in 2013. As his ground game was not polished yet at that first match he lost to Bruneian Noor Hidayat via submission. Subsequently he improve with 2 wins in F3 Championship. In 2014 Effendy joined MIMMA 2. Lost to Jenarten in the semi-finals.

Last year he participated again in MIMMA season 3. He also fought and win in Fight Fest 1 but in Jesselton Fight League ladder match he lost to Ahmadjon Karmiv (MIMMA 3 – Foreign Pride Champion). For MIMMA season 3 , Effendy defeated season 2 finalist Joshua Khiew of Penang Top Team. He entered the grand finals facing Johorean Tee Jac Yeo. But that bout was declared a no-contest, as Effendy pass out during an injury time out.

This year, Effendy didn’t made plans to be in MIMMA. He was helping his brother Eddey and his team Kalai Brothers Boxing preparing and cornering them during the bouts. Until he was offered a bout in The Contender Fights, a rematch with Tee. The winner will meet the winner from Damon Soo vs John Liew’s bout. Tee could not make it back as he has studies commitment overseas, which open the door for Effendy to enter the grand finals. Meeting Damon whom scored an unanimous decision over John.

Eddey , Effendy, & Joseph Yap with ELITEZ founder Andy Teh 

Rushing to prepare in short timing, including a punishing training camp at Phuket Top Team, and juggling his coaching job at ELITEZ MMA Academy in Kelang, Effendy eventually made weight and stepped into the cage to fight for the first time in 2016. Before this he kept himself busy by participating in Pro Muaythai fight in Sandakan, in which he won over Ardi Jasnal. 

Effendey fighting pro Muaythai in Elopura Fights Sandakan in Sept 

Effendy vs Damon is a classic striker vs grappler match-up. Effendy clearly was looking for a knock out punch, with his hands cocking bombs, looking to land a huge counter. Damon was able to weathered the storm and even do some striking of his own. Brought Effendy down but surprisingly Effendy whom is not known for his ground game was able to get full guard and control Damon’s posture and even attempt a gogoplata from rubber guard.

Round 2 started with good kicks exchanges from both. Damon duck under a left hook & clinch on Effendy’s body, pushed to cage, trip the leg & took Effendy to the canvas. Effendy surprised Damon with a sweep. Effendy dropping punches but Damon got up. Effendy with a triple combos. Another sets of 1-2, & Damon return fire as Effendy back step. Damon with a strainght left & got a right underhook, stepped over Effendy’s left leg & got his back. Effendy on both knees and Damon went for the choke lean back & got Effendy’s tap.



When after fight, Effendy said he was not in full battle mode. Because he wasn’t expecting to fight for the belt. His training was mostly on his own. Not much sparring and his ground game mostly practice on a dummy. But the biggest factor affecting him was his mindset. He was so focus in preparing his brother Eddey that when Eddey lost, it kind of affect his focus on his own game. But he was glad to have the opportunity to stepped into the cage and fight. 

We won’t see the last of Effendy yet. As he is still young and on the path of learning. With good preparation and right focus Effendy is a fighter to watch out for.

MIMMA 4 Grand Finals : Pre-Fight analysis

In it's 4th season now MIMMA has come a long way. As a tournament that was structured towards unearthing and building Malaysian MMA talent, it has undoubtly achieved this successfully. Fighters such as Keanu Subba, Agilan Thani & Mohd Aiman has transition successfully to fight as a pro in ONE Championship. MIMMA 1 champion ; Allen Solomon Chong and Adrian Tham is active in the regional MMA circuit in Asia, and many amateur fighters are training hard and eagerly waiting for their chance to make an impression in MIMMA 2017

At the beginning, in the the first & second seasons, most fighters are either good on stand up or ground. But as it progress to the 4th season now we see standard of fights has improved. And most fighters already cross train in different discipline to be a more complete fighter. 

This Grand Finals on Saturday will have 12 bouts. 9 championship bouts and 3 feature fights.

FEATURE FIGHTS:

MIMMA Veteran VS New Blood 
Vinod Dave Greywal (Kuala Lumpur) VS Aaron Tan (Sarawak)

Malaysia VS Indonesia 
Hafizul Hakeem VS Riko Chen

Palestine VS USA
Amro Fy Sulaiman VS Cash Barnes

CHAMPIONSHIP BOUTS:

Women: 
Joanna Yap (Defending Champion) VS Hayatun Najihin

Heavy Weight:
Darren Low (Defending Champion) VS Tsan Nieng Khai

Flyweight: 
Seah Zhang Yu (Defending Champion) VS Eddey Kalai

Middleweight: 
Meeraj Omar (Defending Champion) VS Bryant Tan

Welterweight: 
Gino Tan (Defending Champion) VS Theebaan Govindasamy

Lightweight: 
Jace Law (Defending Champion) VS Hui Keng Fai

Bantamweight: 
Effendy Kalai VS Damon Soo

Featherweight: 
Cheah Wen Khyn VS Joseph Yap

Foreign Pride: 
Nazri Sutari VS Shaqueme Rock

Lets take a look at some of the interesting match-up for the Grand Finals.


MIMMA Veteran VS New Blood 
Vinod Dave Greywal (Kuala Lumpur) VS Aaron Tan (Sarawak)

MIMMA veteran, Vinod Dave Greywal, now training in Vietnam's UFC Gym under ONE Championship veteran Arnaud LePont, is looking to show newcomer, Aaron Tan that experience shall triumph over anything else. Vinod conquered Keng Fai in season's 3 semi-finals but he lost to eventual champion Jace Law in the contender fight.

Aaron Tan from GymBox Kuching is not someone to be underestimated. He maybe the newcomer and underdog. But he has created some upsets in his MIMMA 4 journey. Aaron got a win over Teh Kah Wei in the semi-finals and lost a close fight to Theeban in the contender fight. Expect a very technical bout between these two.


Malaysia VS Indonesia 
Hafizul Hakeem VS Riko Chen

Hafizul Last year’s featherweight grand finalist, Hafizul Hakeem of Team Karabaw, Sabah will be carrying the nation’s flag against Malaysia’s traditional competitor, Indonesia, represented by Riko Chen of K-One MMA Academy in Penang.

Hafizul bring a 5-3-0 record into this fight. Hafizul comes from Sipitang, a small town 2.5 hours drive from Kota Kinabalu. Last year he went all the way to the grand finals meeting Muhd Aiman but suffered a round 1 lost. This year he came back strong & reach the semi-finals where he met Joseph Yap. Controlling the fight in round 1 and early round 2, looks set to win but Joseph manage to capitalize on a small window of opportunity and executed a good arm lock to win it.

Hafizul has much improve on his game since last year. Noticing the potential in him, MIMMA offered him this feature fight. Thrill at this opportunity to represent the country, Hafizul decided to train at  AKA Phuket, to add more arsenal to his skills.

Riko is a BJJ specialist. He won over fellow Indonesian Alfred Leko in the feature fight of MIMMA 4 contender fight. Hailing from Medan Indonesia, Riko was one of the selected few who won the scholarship MMA program run by K-One MMA Academy. Training there as a full time fighter. 

Back in Medan, Riko frequently got into many street fights. Joining a proper gym and fight legally in the cage is his way of managing his anger and at the same time giving him a direction in life. 

On how he thinks the fight will go,
" He's a nice guy, But when he step inside the cage with me, will be just another meal. Yeah..standing or ground no matter...
I have the KO power and I have the ground game as well.
So bring it on. No matter what it is, I'm more than ready"



Heavy Weight:
Darren Low (Defending Champion) VS Tsan Nieng Khai

Borneo war!

Heavyweight category will see a all Borneon affair. Champion, Darren Low from Sabah is looking to mirror his 13 knockout he did last season but Sarawakian Tsan Nieng Khai is known not only for his ability to absorb punches but also produce devastating blows too. Darren is a submission specialist but certainly has knock out power in those hands. He won the belt in Season 2 and defended it in a 13 seconds TKO vs Niker Tan last year. Meanwhile Tsan favours stand up. He develop it from his devotion to Muaythai. 

Both are businessman, Darren runs his own security firm and Tsan runs a cyber cafe and his own gym - MAD Fight Club. Will Tsan be able to move Mount Kinabalu? Heavyweight fights will be short and impactful; with a guaranteed KO/TKO results, so don't blink!



Flyweight:
Seah Zhang Yu (Defending Champion) VS Eddey Kalai



Seah Zhang Yu, produced an epic battle dubbed the fight of the night, last season. This year he will have his hands full as he will battle it out with boxing legend, Eddey Kalai. Seah from 3S MMA Penang is a fighter with good endurance plus a high work rate in the cage. 

Mentally, Seah also has proven himself, when in season 2 after a lost to Muhd Aiman in the semi-finals, he was called back to fight in the finals as Aiman failed to make weight. Within a few days he need to make weight and he went on to KO Kenny Yap to emerge as season 2 champion. Last year he battle it out for 5 rounds vs Dhiaal Amal in a thrilling back & forth fight, to defend his belt.

Eddey is from Sandakan, Sabah. A policeman and ex national boxer. He represent ELITEZ MMA and KALAI BROTHERS BOXING. Eddey always has a smile and likes to joke, hence his nick name 'The Clown' but once the fight starts he will put together slick combo, fluid head movement to avoid strikes and a much improved grappling game to bring the fight to the canvas. 

Andy Teh (model, actor and MMA pro fighter and founder of ELITEZ MMA) describe Eddey ,

Andy believe that the fight with Seah will be an exciting match where good exchange of punches & kicks will fill the rounds.

Lightweight: 
Jace Law (Defending Champion) VS Hui Keng Fai



This is a text book epic clash to look forward to is the bout between JKO, Jace Law, and KFO, Keng Fai. Both are hard hitters who are known to KO their opponent. Expect guns blazing when these two meet. 

Jace Law was creating waves in last season MIMMA, knocking opponents out left right and center. He lived up to his monicker of JKO. This year, Jace stayed low key. Focusing on his training away from media attention.

WRB catched up with Jace

Its been sometimes since we last hear from u what have u been busy with?
Busy with other projects, spending time with the people that matter most to me etc...even so I've never skipped training since winning the belt. I'm at the gym everyday its crazy... and by gym I mean the best gym around town, The Gymbox Kuching. "Wink"

Do you still train under Matt Pellino? How has your preparation been?
Matt is off doing his own thing, he will be back soon, but as for this fight camp nothing has changed.... all the training routines from last year has been implemented in this training camp. And this time I have more training partners to spar with me and push me to my limits in training. Guys like Stephen Onn, Aaron Tan, Aaron Lo, Steve Kong, Vincent Voon, Tsan Nieng Khai, Samuel Ng, Henry Eng, Jimmy, Allan Goh, even guys from other gyms like Mohd Eswandy, Tingang Bulan and my fellow grand finalist Bryant Tan! Just have to give these guys a shoutout and thank them for helping me out! ;)

What do you think of the finalist from season 4 this year...aside from your own match...which do you think will be explosive?
Some familiar faces and some new faces. All good guys, and ladies of course :) I think Darren Low vs Tsan Nieng Khai will be explosive, two big guys going at it... The cage better be reinforced for this match up!

What is training at Phuket Top Team like? What is the difference from TMT last year?
PTT was cool, much smaller than TMT but the level of training is around the same level, if not better. I mean each camp has their own special something y'know? It was a great experience overall especially sparring with high level fighters there. The Thai coaches were great too! But I'll say this though the food at TMT is way better!

In PTT since its cater for all the finalist and you are away from your own coaches who understand your style vs coaches that you just met...how do they prepare you for your own fight?
Its more about us experiencing how these high level fighters train. We were there for only a week, getting a sense of how world class fighters prepare for their fights is kind of the main point of us going there. So we could push ourselves even further by taking their work ethics and implementing them into our own training routines when we go back home.

Did you expect Hui Keng Fai to reach finals?
Kinda did. Predicted it since the MIMMA4 shortlisted names came out on MIMMA's FB page.

Do you feel the fight will go the distance?
Who knows? Anything can happen in a fight. It might last a few seconds and it might go the distance. And I always prepare myself for the worst. That being said I will do whatever it takes to keep the belt around my waist.

Do you feel being away from the cage gives you cage rust?
No, I don't believe in ring rust or cage rust.

WRB also had a chat with Jace's challenger for the lightweight belt.

Can you share with readers your background?
Born in Batu 5 Jalan Ipoh, now doing my bachelor's degree in psychology at HELP Uni, planning to do a masters in sports psychology after that.

Tell us about your martial arts journey?
Started from home, YouTube warrior hitting a heavy bag, sparring with friends, neighbors, my dad. 

How do you get into it?
Nothing special, always admired people who can fight, wanted to lose weight, that got me through the door, but after that it was like a drug, I couldn't stop, I just enjoyed it so much.
I enjoy the never ending learning process. It's something where you know for a fact you will never one day say, "Oh, I've learned enough and am satisfied" I wanna do martial arts for as long as my body allows me to.

Who is the coach that have taught you the most?
I have to name a few, all my coaches were just as important in my learning journey. My coaches from the really early beginning until my current coaches, it's like your preschool, primary school, secondary school, college then university teachers, they are all good and taught me what I needed most at the time. 

The coaches I've stuck with the longest though would be the ones at Muayfit, Piotr Leib my boxing coach, Saeed Chapari my wrestling coach, and Prof. Pedro Falbo,, BJJ coach. I try to learn from everyone, pick up what I can, discard what I don't find useful for me.

Currently I'm training with Alex Volodin at Alex Gym to work on my boxing, and Pedro for my BJJ. I learn just as much from my training partners. I cross train a lot at various gyms.

I don't trained in Muaythai because I think it makes me too stiff. I prefer boxing. But don't underestimate my kicks.

What motivates you?...what makes you fight with such fire?

I enjoy competition. I tend to get competitive in whatever I do. I enjoy the MMA lifestyle. Eating well, training hard and finishing my opponents. All 12 wins I have in amateur MMA came from 1st n 2nd round finishes. All finishes. I like to be vicious when fighting. I wish I could fight like Robbie Lawler. I love his fighting style and am constantly trying to emulate it.

Launching the KFO on opponent's face

You have a face that rarely show much emotion...but when you fight, you don't hold back...what sets this style that you have?
Aha first time hearing that, I'm not aware about this, I don't show much emotion?
:0 I think I might know just the reason, my previous boxing coach Piotr Leib said going crazy after winning a fight shows that one wasn't sure if he was going to win the fight, one was surprised after winning. I know I'm going to win. So it's no surprise. It's expected.

Tell readers about your personality...how do you describe yourself?
When I'm not training and by myself, I'm constantly in my head, in my mind, thinking. Sometimes too much. Sometimes it's productive thinking and I get lots of ideas going, get creative, am really positive.
Sometimes it's negative thinking. Trapped in my own thoughts.
Then I go for a run, shadow box, and feel that flow. Then mental clarity comes. 

Whats your favorite food that you cannot go without?

I love food. All kinds of food. Sometimes food motivates me to do my roadwork. Nasi lemak, BBQ meats, sandwiches and coffee. Some people eat to live, haha I live to eat. Darren Low inspires me to stuff myself with good food and then go lie down in a food coma.

During training what type of music do you listen to?
I usually avoid loud screaming music when training, various genres, some old, some new, but they are always songs that I find relaxing, to stay loose and relaxed, which is so important in striking.
But then for hard training sessions where technique isn't involved, such as running or pushing myself on the airdyne, fast paced and somewhat loud songs do help me train harder.

You have put on some bulk, who is your Strength & Conditioning coach? 

My problem is staying light. If I don't restrict my calories, and lift weights even just twice a week, I'll bulk up fairly quickly. Now I avoid weights and am focusing on being explosive and fast. Now it's Roadwork over weights anytime for me.
I've actually lost weight compared 1-2 years ago, but I feel more agile and faster, I don't get tired so quickly anymore. I don't have an S&c coach but have always been trying out all the different exercises for strength, that was in the past. Now to maintain strength I try to do calisthenics mostly. Rope climbs, pull ups, push ups, sprints and squats. Plain wrestling and jiujitsu is already decent S&C I think.
There's not enough time to do everything, there's so much to learn and do in MMA. Sriking, grappling and S&C.

What is your go to exercise to build strength?
Muscle ups and rope climbing. It makes me feel like I am strong in proportion to my size, so I like them the most. 

Take us through your MIMMA 4 journey/ from the ladder-match...to the contender...which is the fight u most satisfy with?
All my fights have been first round finishes since my fight with Nazri Sutari last year.

Do you see yourself making a career out of MMA?
Fighting is not my career. It's a journey I pursue out of enjoyment. If money comes with it in the future, great, if it doesn't, it doesn't matter. I believe I'll do well in whatever career I pursue once I'm done with fighting, because of what competing in martial arts has given and will continue to give to me. The gifts of mental fortitude, discipline, tremendous self belief and self efficacy.

How do you see the fight with Jace going?
He's got heavy hands, but he's also heavy on his feet. I think he's too slow, too stiff. I see holes in his striking and I plan to capitalize on them. 

Do you think your ground game is better than him? 

I think I am more technical than him on striking, on the ground, and cage work. He might be better than me in bench pressing though.

To date what is your most memorable fight?
My fight against Nazri Sutari. Everyone thought I was going to lose. The guy was putting people to sleep with one punch knockouts. But I had no doubts that I would win. I was dissapointed with the judges' decision during the semifinals last year, thus the chance to fight in the grand finale in the non-title match against Nazri made it all the more better.

WRB wishes both fighters the best. May it go down history as the best fight in MIMMA.







Bantamweight: 
Effendy Kalai VS Damon Soo

Last year's bantamweight final was a bit of a anti-climax. The bout between Effendy Kalai (Sabah) vs Tee Jac Yoe (Johor) ended in a controversial manner where Effendy pass out as referee gave him time to recover due to illegal strikes. Before that Tee was warn a few times for striking to the back of the head, but till today it was uncertain whether he pass out due to the strikes or some other circumstances. The fight was announced a no contest.

Realizing this unfinished business, MIMMA offered a rematch in this season's contender fight but Tee was not able to make it because he is studying overseas. The second contender fight was between another Sabahan - John Liew against the heavy favorite Damon Soo. It was a thrilling fight which Damon won by exerting ground control. Damon goes on to meet Effendey.

WRB wanted to hear the view of  Effendey's MMA coach, Andy Teh.

What's your thoughts on MIMMA giving Effendy the spot in grand final?
I'm very happy as this grand-final match is officially confirmed after a roller coaster end in MIMMA 3 Grand final last year. For one year, I'm trying to get the best answer and contact closely with MIMMA and Tunetalk team to offer the best solution for this issue. And I'm glad, the fight for him is confirmed after a proper and strict medical test handled by TuneTalk medical panel, Sunway Hospital . Would like to take this opportunity to THANK all that was involved in this problem solving issue. I know they are facing hard time settling this issue to make sure the fairest decision is made for both team.

What you see is his biggest challenge facing Damon?
Damon is a high level BJJ practitioner. And I know he is a very disciplined MMA athlete. He trained well in both striking and ground work. Good all rounder I would say. And for me, ground will be the world for Damon in this fight. But we have a proper training plan for this as well. So let's see what will happen in this Grand Final.

As Effendey coach how do you keep him motivated after last year incidence?
I can only do a small part by diverting him to stay focus on building a good coaching foundation and career in my academy. The biggest challenge is himself. He have to face the fact that it happened. But of sourse, no point waiting everything from MIMMA officials. Life have to move on. I told him to accept the worst decision it may be to avoid any disappointment and continue his journey. Meanwhile, he do participate in some BJJ, MMA and Muaythai competition to conditioning him, mentally and physically to stay in competitive mode.

Featherweight: 
Cheah Wen Khyn VS Joseph Yap

Joining Effendey and Eddey in the grand final is another ELITEZ stalwart; Joseph Yap. Joseph is a martial arts prodigy. At 25 this year, he only started seriously training in Jan 2015. Under the careful guidance of ELITEZ MMA founder Andy Teh teaching Joseph MMA and coach Effendey Kalai in boxing and Ngeoh Jian Cong in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Joseph soaks it all in like a sponge. In March 2015 he debut in his first MMA match. Going in like a dynamite in Ultimate Beatdown 15 winning by TKO with punches.

He was a feature fighter in 2015 MIMMA3: Contender Fight. Winning his featherweight fight vs Uriel Yu. He took on Hafizul Hakeem of Sabah in this year's semi-finals. It was his toughest match so far, as Hafizul dominate the fight, until Joseph found an opening for an armbar. He now has 8 amateur fights under him and all these fights are by TKO / submission. Joseph is looking to continue his winning streak and aimed to use his aggressiveness to win this match.

The armbar that brought Joseph to the finals

Again WRB talked to Andy Teh,

"Joseph will be going against Cheah Wen Khyn who currently training in MEBjj and with Sifu Kenneth if I'm not wrong. And I know Cheah is an explosive fighter and a good BJJ blue belt.

Tell me from your perspective on Joseph...his motivation, attitude and chances.

Joseph is a very discipline boy I would say. He listen well and he execute well. Humble on his achievement and always hunger for more success is what I see in him. And with discipline kick-in in his personality, this boy can go far! And I do believe he will make it to a bigger stage one day. Strong punch won't bring you far but strong heart and attitude will. I always told him to focus one match at a time. He have the chance to bring home ELITEZ very first title belt in MMA, but I don't want to put any pressure on him. We will plan the game plan for the fight, train accordingly and hopefully he execute well accordingly on fight day. 

What do you think is Joseph strong point? 

Both are very strong. And Joseph will for winning is very high. He won't give up easily. So it will be a war between two big hearts for this fight.

The ELITEZ fight team: Andy Teh with Joseph Yap (middle) and Effendy Kalai (left)

Foreign Pride:
Nazri Sutari VS Shaqueme Rock

For the Foreign Pride category will see two great athlete from two different side of the world.

Nazri Sutari aka Porkchop from Singapore meets Shaqueme Rock from Liverpool England. Nazri goes into this fight with a 6-3-0 record. He ply his trade in the early days in Rebel FC and Singapore Fighting Championship. 

Nazri learned a lot from his lost to Keng Fai in last year MIMMA grand final feature fight.
He considered it his toughest fight to date.

" That dude hit so hard and he was sharp and basically caught me. I thought I was winning the fight till I messed up during the scramble. His ground strikes are insane. Oh and also Ron Ng during S.F.C 1. Again I got caught because of my inexperience. But hey, you live and learn right?"

Coming back strong this year, Nazri is more calm and will take his time in a fight. Using his take down and grappling to tire his opponent before punishing them with ground and pound.

Nazri teaches MMA & Muaythai at Impact MMA & The Gentle Art Academy in Singapore.

WRB had a chat with Nazri.

Tell us how did you get involve in martial arts?

I guess my first involvement in combat sports was fencing. I started fencing when i was 13. I was training and actively competing at both national and regional levels and got selected for the national team. When I got into polytechnic I took up muay thai as a means to cross train with fencing. 

I was enlisted into the army for my national service but I was still training but not competing. Had my second muay thai fight 3 months after completing my service. My coach told me that I have the physical attributes to be a good MMA fighter (at that time I started wrestling to complement my clinching game in muay thai). At the end of 2013 Rebel FC organised a tryout for amateur fighters. I took part for fun but got selected to fight. I won my first MMA fight at Rebel FC and have not looked back since then.

Standing across Nazri in the cage on Saturday night will be Shaqueme Rock, a Brits 4 years his junior at only 22 this year. His friends call him Shem or Shaqueme (pronounce Sha-Keem). Born and raised in Liverpool. He is half black half white. His father is half Bajan (Barbados) half English and his mother is quarter English quarter Scottish and half Nigerian

Shaqueme is a full time athlete in Monarchy Gym. He trains 3 times a day. He is able to do this due to his elder brother Saka's care. The neighbourhood he lived in Liverpool is rough area and Shaqueme had his fair share of street fights. His karate experience didn't help him much as he learned it when he was very young. But having played football all his life, he was able to build strong legs.

As Saka's business improve in Malaysia, he decided to bring Shaqueme over to Malaysia, away from the rough neighbourhood. He supported Shaqueme and gave him a place to stay. When he was 13, Shaqueme watch the first UFC where Royce Gracie was able to submit bigger guys with ease, that's when his interest in BJJ grew. But he never had a chance to learn. Till he step foot in Malaysia. As he was wondering the street, he came across a signage offering BJJ class. Stepping into the door of Monarchy, he took Prof Bruninho Barbosa's BJJ class and has been hooked since.

Shaqueme took classes from Prof. Conrado Furlan for Muay Thai. Prof. Jonathon Clamons for Boxing and learn MMA from ONE Championship fighter Agilan Thani and Peter Davis. Also occasionally trained with Monarchy founder Samir Mrebet. With such a talented pool of coaches guiding & training him, Shaqueme grows quickly as a martial artist.

He won his first two fights in MIMMA 4 with by KO. The last fight vs Palestinien Don Sulaiman was a tough one, although he dominated all round and attempted many submission, the tough Sulaiman was not easy to finish. Sulaiman's hand was raise at the end. But after a judges discussion, the decision was overturn to a victory for Shaqueme. Which moved him to grand finals.

Shaqueme is like a son to Prof Bruninho. He sees this talented kid winning MIMMA 4 on Saturday

"I see Shaqueme winning by submission  Triangle Choke. Nazri will take him down and he will end up in Shaqueme's guard. And on the ground it's Shaqueme's territory"

Prof Bruninho backed this up by pointing out that Shaqueme's recent outing at Johor Open JiuJitsu, he won 3 Gold medals. All his 10 fights was won by submission and the dominance he showed by not having a single point scored against him.

Prof Bruninho (right) with his BJJ prodigy Shaqueme

Prof Bruninho also describe Shaqueme as a very discipline student and very humble. Always being respectful to everyone he meet.

This fight will be very interesting as two different style will clash. Will the muscular and explosive Nazri be able to use his striking, take down and ground control to shut down Shaqueme's game? Or will Shaqueme's lanky limb and prowess in submission proof to be Nazri's Achilles heel again?

Ohhh I can't wait for fight night on Saturday. At this year’s grand finals, all the championship bouts are predicted to be immensely competitive as the standard of MMA in Malaysia has increased tenfold in the past 4 years.

Grab your tickets while it's still available. Tickets for the historic night are available at redtix.airasia.comIf you are not in KL, catch the fight on www.malaysianinvasion.com or RTM TV1

WARRIORS FC: THE SEARCH FOR WARRIORS

Penang is located in the northern region of Malaysia. This area in terms of martial arts wise is heavily influence by Muaythai as the borders to southern Thailand is just about 200km away, but these last three years has seen a tremendous growth of MMA. Partly thanks to Warriors FC. The pioneer of MMA scene in northern Malaysia.

Today happening at K-One MMA Academy is Warriors FC is organising its Fight Challenge. Today will see a amateur qualifiers for the first Warriors MMA Amateur Grand Prix. Today's fight will also see a ranking system being established for its fighters.

Expect sparks to fly in the main fight card between Joshua Khiew of Penang Top Team and Joseph Yap of Elitez MMA. 

Joshua is a veteran in amateur MMA in Malaysia. Having 9 fights experience under him, his first fight was in the now defunct Malaysian Fighting Championship. But it was in MIMMA2 that he really grew. Reaching the grand finals where he lost to eventual champion Keanu Subba. In 2015, Joshua reached the semifinals of MIMMA3, losing a 3 round decision to Sabahan finalist Effendey Kalai. Joshua is a well balance fighter and has his 6ft height as a great advantage.

Joseph Yap is a martial arts prodigy from Elitez MMA. At 25 this year, he only started seriously training in Jan 2015. Under the careful guidance of Elitez MMA founder Andy Teh teaching Joseph MMA and coach Effendey Kalai in boxing and Ngeoh Jian Cong in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Joseph soaks it all in like a sponge. In March 2015 he debut in his first MMA match. Going in like a dynamite in Ultimate Beatdown 15 winning by TKO with punches.

Joseph participated in MIMMA4 this year and will be in the semifinals this August. He was a feature fighter in 2015 MIMMA3: Contender Fight. Winning his featherweight fight vs Uriel Yu. He now has 6 amateur fights under him and all these fights are by TKO / submission. Joseph is looking to continue his winning streak and aimed to use his aggressiveness to win this match.

Ask on how this fight came about rather close to his MIMMA4 semifinals appearance, Joseph answered; "I planned to spar around actually. Then came Warrior FC but facing Joshua Khiew wasn't what I had in mind. Looking forward to it however because it would be a different experience to face a taller , longer reach & a very experienced fighter. 

I always consider myself as the underdog or new because like most people they have a proper background like Muay Thai, Boxing, Tae Kwan Doe & etc. I'm basically a white paper as I've mentioned I have zero knowledge before joining Elitez MMA. Not to mention he is ridiculously tall. Haha. 

Hmm.. It's a month away so there will be enough time to recover. That doesn't mean I'm letting my guard down though.

My strategy is usually the same against any other opponent. I'll take whatever that comes. Planning to be an overall fighter with no specific game plan & one thing for sure.. I never ever underestimate my opponents."

FIST of PASSION , starred by Andy Teh and Joseph Yap

Recently, aside from polishing his fighting skills, Joseph also tested his acting chops in a Malaysian movie, FIST of PASSION, a Malaysian first film that uses MMA as a backdrop. In this movie he starred opposite his coach Andy Teh as Ah Long. Also recently he completed two fitness courses at FITM and is currently working as a coach at Elitez Mixed Martial Arts Academy.

In this Warrior Fight Challenge we will also see the appearance of Borneon from Sabah.

Jason George will be fighting at welterweight vs Woon Eng Wooi of Penang Top Team. Jason is of Dusun heritage born in Sandakan. He used to train with Team Karabaw in Kota Kinabalu and fought middleweight in Jesselton Fight League grand finals. He also has experience in amateur Muaythai tournament and boxing. His opponent Woon is a MIMMA2 semifinalist & has a MMA amateur record of 2-1-0.

In 2015 Ultimate Beatdown 17, he represented Team Karabaw and was scheduled for a pro fight card vs Brad Robinson, but it was cancelled. After that, Jason reassessed his priorities and decided to learn more and add more skills to his arsenal. In January this year, when K-ONE MMA Academy offered a scholarship program, Jason jumped on this opportunity. 30 candidates were interviewed and put through some physical tests. Only 5 were selected: 1 Brazillian, 2 Indonesian and 2 Sabahan. The other Sabahan is Hartley Peter, from Penampang.

The call for fighters in January 2016

Hartley use to train at Borneo Tribal Squad. For tonight fight, Hartley will represent K-ONE MMA Academy and fight in featherweight vs Kajendra Rao of SEA Combat Gym

Going through the medical check before fight, together with compatriot Hartley Peter

We wish both these two Sabahans good luck! Let's bring home some medals!

Fighters briefing by MMA pioneer Melvin Yeoh

Catch all the fights tonight at 6pm at K-ONE MMA Academy, they have a great set up where platforms are built on top circling the cage where fight fans can watch the fight with excellent view. Tickets are still available. Call: +604- 226 2027.

Come STAND with me

The sun is setting and its ray strike your face but you are not bothered coz you got your shades on. Breeze from South China Sea sweeps your hair as the smells of smoked meat aroused your appetite. Hand on a cold drink, you move your feet on the soft, loose sands as your hearts thumps to the beats from a 3ft speaker. As the sky turns darks,… the sound of bell ring and the crowds roar to life as the attention shifts towards a ring where two warriors are throwing bombs at each other.

Where is this you ask? Phuket? Bali? No people…it’s K.K. (Kota Kinabalu)! Yup, right here in the heart of Sabah Borneo. Bringing to you … STAND. A new concept of fight event in Malaysia, where it will combine the action of boxing and Kickboxing with the excitement of a beach party.

STAND will happen on 22-24 April at the stunning resort of NEXUS Karambunai, just ½ hour drive from KK. This award winning beach resort that has seen many international functions being held at it’s sprawling 65 acres beachfront landscape. When STAND happens there this April it will be the 1st fight event with a beach party concept in Malaysia.

STAND will feature amateur boxing and K1 Kickboxing. Co-organised by 2 of Sabah’s top martial arts gym, namely; Team Karabaw and Keningau MMA (KMMA), with the collaboration with Kaza Musa Fight management .

According to Rayner Kinsiong (Team Karabaw’s founder cum STAND’s event director) STAND will feature boxing & K1 Kickboxing matches. Both at amateur level. Rayner sees that boxing is the least promoted fight sports in Sabah currently and he hopes STAND can be a platform for amateur boxer to build their fight experience. As for K1 Kickboxing, it may not be as well known as Muaythai in Sabah but it’s an upcoming martial sports that is gaining popularity due to its fast pace action.

STAND will open up lots of category for boxing & kickboxing and will be held over 3 days. For K1 Kickboxing 11 category for men and 5 for women will be competed. Meanwhile boxing will have 10 category for men & 3 for women. Day 1 will be registration, weighing in and photo shoot for fighters and team. Day 2 will see fights for all preliminary rounds and day 3 will feature finals rounds to determine the champion. Winners will be bringing back cash prizes and medals.

Fight Five is the sponsor for fight gear. This is a new high quality local Malaysian brand and it will be making its debut in a fight event at STAND. Fight Five apparel will also be available soon, with fantastic design from New York designer....witness it for yourself at STAND.

The organizer is looking forward to large participations by team. For their convenience of accommodation, venue sponsors NEXUS Karambunai is giving a special rate of RM288 per night for any team. Team with most medals collected will get to bring home a big a$$ challenge trophy!

The organizers hope to bring great fight action in the ring to entertain fight fans but around the ring too will be many entertaining activities. Auto and bike show has been planned to satisfied motor-heads. Food and drinks will also be available with a menu focus on BBQ dishes. And of course, DJ’s will be in the house to spin you all the entertaining beats.

STAND’s fight night beach party is inspired by BBQ Beatdown organized monthly by Tiger Muay Thai (TMT) in Phuket. TMT is the No.1 fight gym in Thailand and has produced many top fighters in Muaythai & MMA. Foreigners from around the globe especially westerners flock to TMT as the training is facilities is top notch, great trainers and also the lure of the beach party. Even in Bali now a few fight gym has been set up as they see the success of Phuket drawing in serious fighters and also lots of casual fighters and fitness enthusiast.

STAND wants to replicate the mood in BBQ Beatdown, where fighters can fight and build their fight experience, at the same time his team can stay at the resort for a weekend getaway. Casual fight fans can enjoy watching fights and enjoy a beach party at the same time.

This could be a potential new segment for tourism in Sabah. Rayner was one of the trainer in Amazing Borneo package of tour for Sabah where tourist can come & enjoy the many outdoor adventure activities in Sabah such as climbing Mt Kinabalu, water rafting, scuba diving, jungle trekking and they add in training with ONE Championship fighters which include AJ Pyro and Ann Osman. With this concept from STAND,
I believe Sabah can also be successful in fight tourism. We have great beautiful beaches and resorts in Sabah. Bringing the fights to these amazing places and throw in a great party, this could be a great recipe to boost tourism in Sabah.

Let's get to know the sponsors, giving them the support as without their support we will not be able to watch STAND for free.

STAND is brought to us by Borneo MajuBina ( BMB ). BMB has been strong supporter of martial arts event. BMB also help support JFL and Team Karabaw grand participation in Ultimate Beatdown 17 in Johor Bahru. Warriors of Borneo had a quick chat with Hisham Michael, the CEO of Borneo Majubina.

May I know your role in Borneo MajuBina (BMB)
I am one of three directors in the company. The other two is Aidil Zakuan and Mustaqim.

BMB play a big role in Team Karabaw & JFL...why does BMB chooses to support martial arts?
Me and Rayner Kinsiong used to go way back to the good old Karate days where we used to compete along side in State and National events. Martial arts gave me the proper structure to be the person I am today. And I'd like to give the younger generations an opportunity to build their character whether competing in this sport or in fighting for their career in the same way Karate has given me the opportunity too.

What is BMB's main business? Can you please give the readers some background on BMB?
BMB is actually a construction company, we've been around since 2011. Our aim is to give our clients the best in comfort and ease that our projects are completed in the best possible manner whether it is a school project, government quarters, government offices etc. Our second aim is to bring up young locals that are interested to pursue their career in the construction industry by giving them the opportunity to handle every aspects of this very tough market.

What do you hope to achieve through STAND?
The same way we in BMB are giving the opportunity to young locals to pursue their career in the construction industry, the same way we hope to achieve in the martial arts industry. We hope to be a part of building our younger generations that will eventually be an asset to our society.

When did the idea for a beach party and fights came about?
My team and Rayner had a discussion at a mamak shop in 88 Market in Kepayan. The best ideas come out of teh tarik and roti canai session. We were discussing on how for us to make it interesting enough for the younger crowds to get involved in martial arts, hence the beach party theme event came about.



ELITEZ MMA is also a sponsors for STAND. ELITEZ MMA is the 1st MMA gym in Klang Selangor. It is headed by Andy 'The Bullet' Teh, a pro MMA fighter and recently starred in local chinese movie FIST of PASSION. Sabahan Effendy Kalai & Eddey Kalai of The Kalai Borthers Boxing is also a part of ELITEZ MMA team of coaches.

Andy Teh with the Kalai Brothers

Another sponsors is from the interior of Sabah, Keningau, the land of the legendary Murut warriors. This is where Keningau MMA ( KMMA ) is located. Headed by it's head coach Mohd Bakri, KMMA has produced a JFL bantamweight Champion 2015 in Mohd Hasbullah Sanmin. Find out more on KMMA in my previous posting here.

WARRIORS OF BORNEO supports STAND as a pioneer in fight tourism, fight fans let’s support this together and make it a success. Come and enjoy great fights and good food. Entrance is FREE!
This possibly is a first step for Sabah to be on the map for fight tourism. Let’s have fun and create history!

Check out STAND's Facebook for further updates, or call Rayner Kinsiong 013-888 8379 for further infor.