CELEBRATE MERDEKA DAY WITH MFN2

This year's Merdeka Day will be very special for combat sports fans in Sabah. Muay Fight Night (MFN) will returns with its 2nd edition. This competition will be held at the Team Karabaw Gym HQ at 88 Marketplace, Kepayan, Kota Kinabalu.

This edition will be special as it's offering the first ever Muay Thai Ladies Cup. This Ladies Cup competition is the first women only Muay Thai tournament held in Malaysia.

On top of that a Wai Khru  competition which is open to both male & female will also be first time competed in Borneo. This competition is open to all Muay Thai association club and gym.

Wai Khru is the form of patterns or ritual which is commonly display before a Muay Thai competition (check out the link for more information)

MFN 2 is a continuous development program set in place by Muaythai Association of Sabah, headed by Hj Nazri Razak, the president.

MFN 2 - Ladies Cup intend to give female Muay Thai participants a chance to display their skills in the ring at an amatuer level. Female Muay Thai practitioner will be able to showcase what they have learn over the few months of preparation by their respective team.

click to watch the intro videos from some of the Ladies Cup participants

This competition also intends to be a catalyst for female to pick up Muay Thai as a form of self defense, building a healthier & fit body and as a way to boost their confidence and self believe.

It takes courage to enter the ring. Many fighting on this Merdeka day will be a first timer which is a good sign as this shows that more and more newbies are participating.

MuayThai Sabah has many program to unearth and develop Muay Thai talent through tournament such as Inter-District and Inter-Club, in MFN 2 Muaythai Sabah decided to introduce Wai Khru as a competition to encourage Muay Thai practitioner to learn the art aspect of Muay Thai.

Through learning of Wai Khru, participants are able to learn the deeper meaning & roots of Muay Thai, delving into it's history and tradition and learning the cultural & art aspect. At the same time, building ethics, etiquette and respect.

It is also a very good sign that many of Wai Khru participants are teenagers, these is a positive sign as to build a strong foundation you need to mold them from young.

It will certainly be a entertaining fight night with these two new competition first time held here. Don't miss out the event, celebrate Merdeka by supporting your local martial art event!

Martin Nguyen pays tribute to late father after becoming ONE Featherweight World Champion

18 August 2017, Stadium Negara again shocks the world of MMA when Martin Nguyen knock out defending Featherweight Champion Marat Gafurov with a huge overhand right.

It was in Oct 2015 when in Stadium Negara, I watched how a newcomer to ONE, Vitaly Bigdash came back from being dominated in round 1 to knock out Igor Svirid to capture the Middleweight Belt. 

The feeling of witnessing this historically moment again in MMA was thrilling!

and NEW, ONE C Featherweight Champion of the world!

You can also hear it in the voice commentator Michael Shciavello ( new to ONE but a veteran commentator in combat sports ), in which he repeatedly shouted " Martin Nguyen Shocks the World!" until you think he will shout himself hoarse.

Enroute from Sydney airport to KL to collect gold, (from Left : his striking coach Chrysler Esma De Castro, KMA Head coach Fari Salievski )

Nguyen vs Gafurov was a rematch of the first fight that happened on Sept 2015 in Jakarta for the Interim ONE C Featherweight Belt. Martin jumped on the chance to fight for gold even though it was in very short notice. It ended in just 41 seconds via Marat's infamous rear naked choke.

After that loss, Martin went back to Sydney's KMA MMA Top Team and under head coach Fari Salievski put in extra hard work which earned him four straight round 1 victory; putting him enroute to a  rematch with Gafurov

Martin and his team believe whole heartedly that they were able to create an upset, even though Marat's credentials and invincible aura seems to be unbeatable. It was almost a repeat of the first fight when in round 1 Marat's grappling prowess proof effective when he dominate with effective take down and was able to take Martin's back & secured a rear naked choke. But Martin had prepared for all this, he has trained hard for weeks with BJJ Black Belt Bernado Magalhaes to anticipate Marat's move and weathered the storm in round 1.

weathering the Gafurov storm ( pix by YK TANG )

In round 2, recognizing an opening, Nguyen countered Gafurov’s low kick with an overhand right that knocked out the Dagestani grappler, face first to the center of the ONE Championship cage.

the overhand that settles the score (pix YK TANG)

the aftermath (pix; YK TANG )

Standing on top of ONEC oval cage has become a Martin Nguyen's signature victory pose (pix YK TANG )

Achieving this dream for Martin was a wonderful reward for his hard work & the support and commitment from his coaches and team, but however, the sweet victory was about more than just the belt for himself, instead it was all for his family.

Admitting that he was a trouble maker during his teens, Martin never had to look far to find inspiration and set himself on the right path. For him, it was right at home and came in the form of the man he called “dad.”

“My dad worked hard just for us to get by. We were not the richest family, and we were not as poor as other people out here, but we got by. He was my sole inspiration to work hard, just the way he was able to provide for his family,” 

he said.

While Nguyen’s father was not particularly fond of his son stepping into the cage, he watched with a keen eye and supported him nonetheless. In July 2012, Nguyen made his professional debut and proved to be quite the talent as soon as the bell rang. Nguyen was flawless, winning every bout en route to capturing the BRACE featherweight championship belt in November 2013. Like a good son, he brought the belt to his father shortly after winning it.

winning the BRACE Featherweight title

“My dad looked at it. He was all happy and taking pictures with it. It was awesome,” 

he recalled. 

“And then he said, ‘Alright, you got the belt now. Enough. Just call it quits."

No parent likes to see their child getting injured in a match or anything like that, so he said, ‘Enough now. No more.’” Sadly, it was the last thing Nguyen’s father said to him with regard to his professional martial arts career as his dad tragically passed away just a few weeks later.

His father had undergone a bone marrow transplant so he could get more white blood cells into his body. The procedure was initially a success, but the healing process taking longer than usual. As doctors were preparing to do more testing, Nguyen’s father contracted the flu, and that eventually turned into pneumonia and took his life.

“I never experienced any hardship or heartbreak until then, and I will never forget that day. He was in Melbourne at that time, so I flew into Melbourne to see him. Everything was happening so fast, and then he was gone. I did not even get to speak to him, and there are a lot of things I wish I could have said to him. It was heartbreaking,”

Nguyen shared.

Martin's beloved late father Francisco Nguyen

Nearly four years later, Nguyen still carries the loss of his father like an anchor around his neck. Even though Nguyen is constantly reminded of his dad, he knows that his world-title winning performance was a fitting way to pay tribute to him.

With tears streaming from his eyes, Nguyen kneeled at the center of the ONE Championship cage, basking in the adulation poured upon him. While the sought-after belt is draped over his shoulder, Nguyen expressed a wondrous rhetoric in his post-bout interview.

Shower of gold. (pix: YK TANG)

(pix: YK TANG)

pix : ONEC

“This is for my dad. He was my inspiration for the whole camp when I mentally broke. (He and) the boys kept me together,”

he stated.

Two days after accomplishing the monumental victory and claiming the No. 1 status in ONE Championship’s stacked featherweight division, Nguyen visited his father's grave with the belt.

“I am doing this all for him. One big title to put the icing on the cake. It’s the only thing I wanted to do once I got home. I hope he is so proud right now.”

visiting his late dad

Martin will be aiming to make his late father proud again. This time he is proposing to ONE to let him challenge for Bibiano Fernandes bantamweight belt. If he succeed, he will be the first two weight Champion for ONE Championship!

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ONE CHAMPIONSHIP : QUEST FOR GREATNESS - A NIGHT OF THRILLS, SPILLS AND DOMINATING WILL

KUALA LUMPUR 18 AUGUST 2017.
ONE CHAMPIONSHIP : QUEST FOR GREATNESS.

ONE returned to the city of Kuala Lumpur in the month of Malaysia's Merdeka month. Five Malaysian 'Tune Talk' Warriors enters the cage for their quest for greatness in which the night ended with mixed results.

ONE presents the fighters in the main cards in a show of glitzy videos and fireworks

In the main event of ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS, Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Australia completed his journey through ONE Championship’s featherweight ranks by upsetting previously-unbeaten Russian champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov via knockout within two rounds to clinch the highly-coveted ONE Featherweight World Championship.

read my post on Martin's victory here

pix provided by ONE

In the co-main event of the evening, former world title challenger Ev “E.T.” Ting of Malaysia placed his name back in the winner’s column by overwhelming Japanese veteran and former ONE Welterweight World Champion Nobutatsu Suzuki to win by devastating technical knockout.

From the opening bell, Ting paced himself well, keeping Suzuki at range with his accurate striking before executing the end sequence. After staggering Suzuki with a combination counter, Ting lunged in with a jumping knee, backed Suzuki to the cage. He pressured him there and lifted Suzuki up in the air and slams him on the canvas. Suzuki tried to control Ev's head. Ev peppered him with short punches. Once his head got free, he postured up and rain rapid thunderous left & right which referee Olivier Coste have seen enough & stopped the fight.

watch the full fight here

Ev is hungry for a rematch with Eduard Folayang . In his victory speech, he call out again to Eduard, that he is ready anywhere, anytime.

Post fight interview, on when he wants the rematch, Ev said,
" I am ready to fight any month of the year. I am a fighter by nature and this is a luxury to fight in front of all of you. We are fighting everyday in the gym, this is just a glorified platform and we are very blessed to be here; Anytime, anytime ( for that rematch )

Ev dedicates this win to his grandmother in Sarawak. A lot of his family & relatives came to KL to support him for this fight and after this he will be visiting his grandma whom is not feeling well in Sarawak.

pix by YK TANG

pix by YK TANG

22-year-old Agilan “The Alligator” Thani, gave The "Shark" a good beating to give himself a good reeason to celebrate his birthday on 18 August 2017. His dominant performances placed himself back on the winning track with a unanimous decision victory over Sherif “The Shark” Mohamed of Egypt.

read about the pre fight story here

Showing off new skills and techniques that he learned from training with the world-famous Team Quest, Thani swamped Mohamed with his wrestling while stifling his opponent with submission attempts. The former world title challenger finished the three-round welterweight contest on a strong note, delivering crisp ground strikes to the delight of his roaring countrymen.

pix provide by ONE

Steve Dawson commented that facing Sherif whom used to fight as a heavyweight & light heavyweight presented a danger for Agilan; that his usual strength and power which he uses to great effect in his pass 6 wins will not be his strong point. But Agilan proofed him wrong when he easily lifted Sherif & slams in on the canvas a couple of times.

Even though it was a dominating performance but Agilan mentioned in post fight interview that he was not too happy as the plan was to win by a finish. His hydration was off the mark and he felt he could have done better. He will not be calling out anyone in particular for his next fight but will focus on sharpening his techniques to become a better fighter and leaving it to ONE's board to pick his opponent.

watch the hi-light

pix provided b y ONE

In a clash of high-caliber flyweights, Malaysia’s Gianni Subba captured a hard-earned victory in front of a jubilant hometown crowd by routing Japan’s Riku “The Outsider” Shibuya. Subba showcased his pinpoint accurate striking early on, peppering Shibuya with stinging right hands and spinning back-kicks in the first round.

Although Shibuya easily converted his take-down attempts in the succeeding rounds to avoid striking exchanges, Subba kept himself active on the canvas, fishing for submissions while landing the more telling blows. In the end, Subba’s efforts were rewarded with a unanimous decision.

pix provided by ONE

In post fight interview Gianni remark,
" This is my 3rd title contender fight. I just fought 3 guys who fought for the title, so I think I'm a step closer for the title. I really would like to go to Manila in November to get a victory. I'm hungry, I'm ready, I'm gonna go get it."

pix provided by ONE

“Mighty” May Ooi of Singapore disappointed the excited bunch of Malaysians supporters in Stadium Negara that night, as she scored a major victory in her ONE Championship debut by submitting Malaysian female martial arts superstar Ann “Athena” Osman in the first round.

In the early minutes, May survived a huge right hand from Osman and Ooi took matters to the canvas, where she maneuvered her cage counterpart with ease courtesy of her impeccable ground game. The 41-year-old Singaporean executed a flawless transition into a rear-naked choke that left Osman no choice but to tap out.

pix provided by ONE

Although sad that she didn't gave the fans a reason to cheer, Ann is taking the loss positively. It's a position she has been in before last year also in Stadium Negara, also losing by a rear naked choke. But Ann bounced back after that loss with a round 1 TKO victory in Feb this year. IT's a small bump in the road for her as she will be going back to the drawing board to correct her weakness and improve on her techniques & promise to be back stronger!

Christian “The Warrior” Lee of Singapore exhibited stellar form, proving himself a top featherweight contender in ONE Championship by scoring an impressive submission over Malaysia’s Keanu Subba. Both highly-touted prospects started out aggressively, but it was Lee who showed a more capable set of grappling skills. Lee spun a web of crafty grappling to overwhelm Subba as the 19-year-old Singaporean standout was able to get the submission finish in the third round, making Subba tap from a wrenching armbar.

pix provided by ONE

The rest of the results.

Filipino knockout artist Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon completed yet another scintillating finish, his second in a row, by defeating Australian submission specialist Reece “Lightning” McLaren by knockout. Belingon finished the job in just 62 seconds, dropping his Australian opponent with a hard right straight before punctuating with follow-up strikes on the ground to compel referee Olivier Coste to step in and halt the contest. The revered Team Lakay veteran recorded his seventh knockout win as a professional with the impressive triumph over McLaren.

pix by YK TANG

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Former ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke of Thailand brushed off a lackluster start to topple Robin “The Ilonggo” Catalan of the Philippines via second-round technical knockout. Showcasing tremendous power with every strike and drawing cheers from the crowd after each landed blow, Dejdamrong’s thunderous knees proved too much for Catalan as the Filipino lost his footing, forcing the referee to wave it off and award the victory to the celebrated Thai kickboxer.

pix by YK TANG

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Emilio “The Honey Badger” Urrutia of the United States made a triumphant promotional debut in ONE Championship by edging out Team Lakay stalwart Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly of the Philippines in their three-round featherweight encounter. Urrutia relied on his solid ground game to pacify his Filipino opponent’s firepower in the stand-up trade, wearing down Kelly and steering him to a decisive victory by way of unanimous decision.

pix by YK TANG

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Earlier on, kicking off ONE: QUEST FOR GREATNESS was a strawweight encounter between wushu practitioner Rene Catalan of the Philippines and Chinese grappling prodigy Bu Huo You Ga. After dropping his opponent with a clean left straight in first round, Catalan secured top control and went to work. With a dominant top game, Catalan notched his third straight victory, defeating Bu Huo as all three judges saw the bout in favor of Catalan to win by unanimous decision.

pix by YK TANG

ONE presented a night of  fireworks, gorgeous eye candy and glorious fights in KL

next stop is SHANGHAI!

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