EMILLIA E. RAYNER - WARRIOR WOMAN FROM SARAWAK

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May was the month of Kaamatan ( Harvest Festival ) in Sabah.  In the brand new mall of ITCC in Penampang, Sabah on 12 May Ultimate Beatdown Borneo was organised at the event hall.

Ultimate Beatdown is acknowledge as Malaysia's pioneering MMA promotion. The Borneo edition is the initiative from Rayner Kinsiong of Team Karabaw to bring the Ultimate Beatdown brand for the first time to Borneo. Rayner is the founder of Jesselton Fight League and has rebrand JFL to UB Borneo

Although started as a MMA promotions, it has progress to a multi style promotions, offering Boxing, KickBoxing and even grappling. For the first UB Borneo, 13 Kickboxing bouts, 8 Cage boxing and 12 MMA bouts were on the cards.

One of the stand-out fight was female straw weight MMA, between Emillia Elisha Rayner of Warmonger Miri vs Magdelina Meding of Tomoi Labuan. The fight was very close and each women giving their all in the age. Emillia won the fight by decision.

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Warriors of Borneo talked to Emillia to get to know her better.

Emilia was born in Serian but she grew up in Miri, the oil town of Sarawak. She studied in Miri until 2003 and then moved to Labuan with her parents. In 2006 she went to Kota Kinabalu to continue her tertiary studies in University Malaysia Sabah.

Emilia is of mix heritage. Her dad is Melanau from Kampung Sg. Kut, Dalat and her mother is of Iban heritage from Serian, Kuching.
"I love that I come from a mix parentage.. I can celebrate both Gawai and Christmas. Now I can even celebrate Hari Raya since my sister converted to Islam."

Emillia posses winning attitude. When she put her mind into something she will do her best in it. This was evident when she first got into into martial arts at 9 years old in Tang Soo Do. She was successful in it, winning Malaysia Tang Soo Doo Championship in Free Fighting Category for 2 consecutive years. But when she moved to Labuan, her martial arts training stop. She switched to bowling. In bowling too, her dedication saw her representing Labuan in SUKMA.

Currently Emillia works at Velosi (M) Sdn Bhd as a QHSE Officer & Management Representative. An oil & gas company specializing in inspection and maintenance throughout Malaysia. In the male dominated industry and stessfull work enviroment, it's very common that workers in this field spend their after work hours drinking in the pub. Especially when Labuan offers very cheap booze.

She became a heavy drinker. At one project in Labuan, she spend 2 months consecutively drinking liquor after work, in the likes of 2 bottles per night. Eventually her body gave her the warning signs to stop. The warning was in the form of a mild heart attack. It may be mild, but it was a big jolt to her to realise that she had to stop that lifestyle and take steps to improve on her health. Not just for her ownself, but for the sake of her two young children whom was 4 & 6 years old at that time.

Back in Miri in 2016, her journey of fitness brought her to Warmonger Gym. Although her job requires her to travel a lot, but she put in her best effort whenever she can. Instead of being at the bar at 4pm, now she is at the gym at 4pm. Martial arts has changed her life and she is proud to have make the change.

Team Warmonger Miri

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In Warmonger she trains under Sarawak's top notch Muaythai specialist - Trevor Salang and MIMMA 5 Lightweight champion Nathaniel Imang Lakai.

"Warmonger is a place where I normally get bullied in a good way...especially by Nat. He's the king bully of all time. And also Trevor and Gavin...as I'm always the 'stubborn' one in the team, haha"

Warmonger's: Miri Grappler420 members earning their stripes from Prof Mike Yates

"One thing about Warmonger is that, everybody we treat like family. We train together, eat together, drink together, etc. Practically everybody is like a brother to me. When you're a family, you have the tendency to push each other to their best. In Warmonger, everyone are welcome. The doors are always open."

Just 6 months into her training, she decided to join Fight Fest to compete.
"I love fighting because it's the only place where you can punch people in the face without getting arrested...LOL. 
What motivates me to fight? I don't know.. maybe its about me testing my own limits. On how far I can go."

Ask on her UB Borneo fight.

"It was a close fight. No doubt about that. I give credit to Mag for a good fight.. that's when we can learn more and improve "

On what went through her mind in that fight."

"I want my Guinness back LOL, because the fight took me away from my stout! "

Well she certainly got her Guinness stout back. Warmonger got 3 MMA win and 1 Kickboxing victory from Ultimate Beatdown Borneo. Emilia and her team mates celebrated at Waterfront KK with plenty of stout and long session of karaoke till the wee hours of the morning.

The next day Emillia decided to get a new tatoo right after her fight. She had a lion tattoo done on her left shoulder by Reen Rebecca from Deadlights Tattoo. 

"My first tattoo was back in 2006. My first tattoo was a rose, initially to cover up my appendix scar. And I got hooked from then. As for my latest tattoo, it was pretty much spontaneous."

pre lion tatoo

The lion represent herself as a Leo, symbolizing strength, heart and courage. These are quality she embodies as even in life she has to face lots of stereotyping from an early age. She have her dad to thank for believing in her and supporting her to break the gender stereotype. 

At 31, being a mother to two young kids and working in a male dominated industry and competing in combat sports surely needs a strength of a lion to go through. 

Emillia's life principle

Emillia now have a record of K1 4-1, Semi-pro Muay Thai, 0-1 MMA 1-1, BJJ 1 gold 1 silver 2 bronze.

She is looking to extend her MMA win at BigBox Beatdown in Bangkok on July 2. She will face fellow Malaysian, Colleen Augustin from Monarchy MMA

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MIMMA 5 GRAND FINALS - NATHANIEL LAKAI THE NEW FACE OF MMA LIGHTWEIGHT IN MALAYSIA

Nathaniel ‘The Sinister’ Lakai from Miri Sarawak is the new face of MIMMA lightweight. In MIMMA 5 league standings, he leads the table with 22 points. Going into the semi-finals he was supposed to fight the highly rated Jace Law (MIMMA3 Champion), but Jace pulled out and Nathaniel was left without an opponent for awhile. Until he was match up with Asuad bin Khalid, a fighter he beat in League 5. ( read more about him in my preSemi-finals coverage ).

We had a chat with him as he prepares for his grand finals appearance this Friday.

Congratulations on your semi-finals win. Please take us through your semi-finals fight...did it go as plan or you had to adjust?

“1st round I was pacing myself, figuring out if he'd change his game plan for this second match, nothing changed much. So I just set up my take-downs and controlled him on the ground. Could have finished him but I couldn't find any openings as I remembered Asuad is a hell of a fighter, he didn't tap to any of my chokes on the first match, so I was looking to submit through joint locks.”

With this win, he was schedule to face last year champion Hui Keng Fai in the grand finals. Again fate has it that his opponent was changed. This time due to Keng Fai’s contractual agreement with Ringstar which deters him from taking a fight so close to his pro boxing title match in April.

Did you celebrate the win?

“Not really, I went home poured me a huge glass of wine and played Player's Unknown Battleground. I was really tired and I’m on fight season so you'd see me in cyber cafes or at home playing games, so no big partying.”

He will be facing Syafiq Jamal. Whom was 2^nd in the league standings. Syafiq lost to Keng Fai the in semi-finals via submission and has been given another chance to redeem his loss.

The grand finals fight will be a rematch as Nathaniel met Syafiq during league 2 and have a 2^nd round submission win over him.

Although he is very much at home on the ground, while preparing to face Keng Fai, Nathaniel has been focusing on his striking under his mentor and Coach Trevor Salang in Warmonger. Nathaniel is eager to bust a few moves to add to his grappling game.

with his coach Trevor (R) and team mates Emilia

success for Nathaniel & Emilia ( Warmonger ) in grappling comp Sabah Grappling Quest last year

cornering his brother Nigel and other Warmonger team mates in Borneo King of The Cage in mid March 

looking for the win

Aside from preparation on physical sides, do you do any mental preparation?

“I listen to alot of DhyaanGuru's music to keep me calm and focused."

What about walkout song? Do u have one confirm for MIMMA final?

"J. Cole’s  FIRE SQUAD. I haven't told them yet. But hopefully they approve it with all the cussing in it."

Haha so what's your back up if it gets banned?

“ Jay-Z Hard Knock Life. Pretty hard with all these rap songs and cuss words in it, LOL”

Nathaniel has serious cravings for his mum’s cooking of pork in soy sauce…his mum is very much waiting to cook him that very dish, once he bring back the Lightweight belt home to Miri.

NATHANIEL LAKAI'S TIME TO SHINE

MIMMA5 Semi-Finals is upon us. 24 FEB at Paradigm Mall.

One of the most exciting division is the Lightweight. This category usually have fighters that is fast pace but at same time packs lots of power.

The best example was the MIMMA4 Grand Finals between jace Law of Sarawak and Hui Keng Fai of Kuala Lumpur. A fight that was fully of non-stop action, both fighters going forward all the time. In my book, the best fight in MIMMA's history so far.

It was to my delight that last year Jace decides to had another go for the Lightweight title in MIMMA5. He fought 4 times, gaining 2 decision win and 2 finishes, giving him 21 points.

Keng Fai also participated but he was rather occupied with his flourishing pro boxing career. He only fought twice in MIMMA5 league format. Both that victory is by finishes, which earned him 19 points ( plus the walkover and withdrawals )

Standing on top of MIMMA5 Lightweight is a newcomer from Miri Sarawak. Nathaniel Imang Lakai of Warmonger Gym. At only 24 this year. He is of mix  ethnics heritage, his dad being a Kelabit and mom Kayan  

Nathaniel first intro to martial arts was when one of his teacher showed him an Aikido move which spark his interest. He went to Kuching to search and found Studio 23. Albert Lim showed him the beauty of Brazilian JiuJitsu, and that's the beginning of his MMA journey.

Nathaniel has a total MMA fight record of 6-1 as of date. To reach this Semi, he fought 4 times. ( 3 wins and 1 loss ). He lost to Jace by decision in League 3. 

It certainly was happy news to me that Nathaniel will fight Jace Law again in the semi. Looking forward to an explosive fight, but again my wish does not come true. Jace has announce his retirement from MIMMA5. 

The rematch that was not meant to be

Which left Nathaniel without an confirm opponent until 3 days ago (21 FEB ) that MIMMA has replaced Jace with Asuad Bin Khalid. Nathaniel last fight was with Asuad, back in Nov and he won by decision.

Warriors of Borneo manage to have a quick catch up with Nathaniel before he flew to KL to weigh-in.

Where did you further your martial arts learning after exposure to BJJ in Kuching?
After BJJ in Kuching, I picked up Muaythai when I moved back to Miri. I ended up in Warmonger because that's the only gym with credibility at that time. Trevor was a big news in Sarawak Muaythai fight scene.

Tell me about Warmonger? You guys look like a tight knit bunch. What's special about Warmonger, the place, the people...and how do you see the scene of MMA in Miri?
In Warmonger it really has that family vibe. The coaches care about you, they really do. We joke around with each other, play pranks,... its all good. 

Then when we train, they push us like we're their own kids. Like how a father would pressure you to study.
MMA scene in miri is not that big yet but there are a couple of young talented guys that we keep an eye on.

A very successful weekend outing to KK's BJJ event ( Copa de Borneo and Sabah Grappling Quest ) for Warmonger From left to right: Nathaniel, Emilia, Nigel

You only lost to Jace so far, how do you feel not able to redeem the lost in a rematch?
No rematch no problem for me. Its a learning process for me. 

I move on and I aim to improve all the time. 

Jace and Nathaniel, two of Sarawak's best MMA exponent

You defeated Asuad in your last fight. How do you feel for this Semi-final meeting him again? Do you see it as an easy match? Do you expect to meet Keng Fai in finals? 

I think it will be an interesting match up. I'm planning to bring something different to this fight and I never consider anyone as an easy match. It would be foolish to underestimate someone in life. 

Keng Fai is going againts Syafiq. I don't really know who is gonna win. Syafiq is a really a dynamic fighter. His kick setups are pretty impressive againts other competitors and he has been in the MIMMA scene for a long time.
Keng Fai is the current champ. A great boxer and a blue belt in BJJ. I'm excited to watch their match as an MMA fan too.

MIMMA5 League 5 - Nathaniel vs Asuad 

MIMMA5 League 5 - Nathaniel vs Asuad 

MIMMA5 League 3 - Nathaniel vs Jace

As an East Malaysian, that you need to travel regularly to KL to fight. how do you feel about MIMMA5 league format?
As an East Malaysian it really helps to have my sponsors, without them supporting me from the back I won't be able to do what I do shout out to KOCHOOKS, CHOMPS, DNNCO, WISEL, RUNR and Nasi Ulam 883

What do you do for a living? What's your plan for your future? 

Is fighting gonna be a career for you?
I'm a warehouse manager at my family's company DNNCO. 

I plan to go pro. Make it to the big scene and still help my family with the business. You'll always need a back up in Malaysia.

Tell us a bit about your family. You and your brother Nigel, who started taking martial arts first? Tell us about your relationship. Your mom seems to be a strong supporter. 

Share with readers your motivation and relationship.
I started taking part in martial arts first, then I forced Nigel to join by anilhiating him at home with simple BJJ moves. 

He has been my training partner ever since. We push each other a lot. 

My mum, she doesn't like me fighting. But I always assured her that I'm training really hard so I won't get beaten up too bad. She really is my biggest supporter ever since I started doing sports. I think parents who get behind their kids can really make a difference in performance, who else is there to support you?

So for me every time I enter the cage and about to rip someone's heads off I think of my family, friends, sponsors and how I wouldn't want to let them down. 

Nathaniel & Nigel working on their ground game

How do you chill in Miri? What do you recommend the activities / food for first time visitors to Miri?
In Miri, for off seasons, I'll usually be at the bar getting drunk. CHOMPS is a nice place to chill. Best steak in Miri. 

I recommend jungle tracking here at the Grand Oil Lady.
So much fun with friends.
Food for first timers in Miri, go get drunk at CHOMPS and I'll meet you at A1 coffee shop at 4am for best/cheapest Kolo mee and Laksa!

Nathaniel quick fav facts.

Fav beverage - Fanta orange 

Fav food - my mum's babi kicap 

Fav technique - kimura 

Fav vehicle - Toyota Hilux is the best 

Fav fighter - Khabib Nuramogedov 

Fav movie - Ironman, Antman, Spiderman Homecoming