For starters, it marked the first time that the promotion had hosted an event in the country of Japan and it was undeniably their biggest card to date. Its four title fights accompanied by the debuts of former UFC champions, Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez were all the evidence needed of that. That’s not even to mention additional stand out performances from legendary Thaiboxer, Yodsanklai Fairtex, and BJJ ace turned rising featherweight, Garry Tonon.

Ultimately there was one fight that stood tall out of the loaded night of combat sports greatness and it was the evening’s co-main event.

In said bout, fans were treated to the second-ever female champion vs champion super fight. It would be the undefeated 9-0 atomweight queen, Angela “Unstoppable” Lee’s big attempt to try and become a dual division titleholder by claiming the strawweight strap. However, the reigning and defending strawweight champion, China’s “Panda,” Xiong JingNan, had drastically different plans.

The two champions would put on a fight of the year contender as they battled back and forth over the course of four rounds and some change. In the end, JingNan would snatch Lee’s zero away when she continued to unleash her onslaught of punches and kicks to the body of her deflated opponent early into the fifth round.

For China’s finest, the win would act as somewhat of a coming-out party as she silenced the doubters on the largest possible stage. The stoppage extended her current winning streak to nine straight and was her third title defense.

“It’s a champion’s duty and responsibility to defend his/her title,” JingNan stated when speaking to The Body Lock. “Being a champion means much more than just the moment that you take the glory and the belt on stage.

“I might not be the most talented, but I will be the hardest working one. I am truly honored that I get to represent my country on the global stage and in a Tokyo event once again. I think me being part of ONE: Century shows the increasing competition level of Chinese MMA. It’s my turn to let the world hear China.”

This Sunday, October 13, ONE returns to Japan for yet another blockbuster event, ONE: Century. Largely surpassing their prior all-time biggest event in the aforementioned A New Era, the 100th major show in ONE: Century will be split into two separate parts with the first being headlined by the JingNan vs Lee sequel.

This time around, it will be the Bali MMA product’s turn to try and further etch her name into the walls of the MMA history museum.

As JingNan prepares for her massive rematch with Lee, she’ll be doing so with an added element; the weight cut.

Going down to atomweight to try and remove her opposition’s title from their grasp, this will be JingNan’s first time back at 115-pounds since she made her ONE debut in December 2017 against April Osenio. Prior to that, she had only fought in the division once.

“I think none of us likes weight cutting,” she said. “Weight cutting is definitely challenging, imagine to be put on a low-calorie diet, combined with high-intensive training every day. Guaranteed to be grumpier than before. But I’m coming off alright, weight is on point, I’m looking forward to being in that cage again!”

In the pairing’s initial encounter, JingNan was seemingly the one with the most to lose. If Lee won, she would be the history maker crowned as only the second women’s double champion in MMA history and the very first in ONE Championship.

Any fight at the highest level of the sport comes with a decent serving of pressure. Throw in a title and it’s amplified significantly. Make that on one of the most sizable cards in recent memory, regardless of promotion, and the tension only gets thicker.

Combine all of that with the addition of a second world championship and the weight of the world’s largest nation on your back and the scenario practically demands that the athlete comes out on the other side shining bright like a diamond.

Now with the roles reversed opposed to ONE: A New Era, “The Panda” has everything to gain.

“That’s a really good question,” JingNan said with a laugh when asked to compare the pressures of both fights. “Having been on both sides of the coin definitely helps to humble me. Of course, I’m nervous, it is my turn to take the pride home for my country. But more importantly, I’m truly excited and honored that I was the chosen one to represent China on this historic card. Pressure? Sure, but that’s what keeps me going every day.”

Although JingNan is looking to remain her country’s top trendsetter, Lee is in a rather unique position herself for this rematch.

Following her first career defeat, the Singaporean would take another fight in the meantime. This one also took place at strawweight rather than her usual home of atomweight’s 115-pounds.

In July, Michelle Niccolini would hand Lee yet another loss. The “Unstoppable” now rides a two-fight losing streak going into a fight with her prized possession on the line. And because of that, it could just make her even more dangerous.

“Like I said many times, Lee is a well-rounded athlete,” JingNan explained. “Her being born into a martial arts family and her father being her head coach does make a difference. I think what I learned from her last time wouldn’t matter much this time. As a professional athlete, we learn to evolve every day. I look forward to being in the cage with the evolved version of Lee again!

“Both of her losses are at strawweight, a weight class that’s not natural to her own, she’s still undefeated in atomweight. If I were in her position, it’s only going to give me more of a desire to win this time.”

While JingNan looks to capture her second divisional title, she actually won’t be the only champion dropping down in weight aspiring to do the same thing.

Part II of ONE: Century is headlined by another champion vs champion matchup. This one featuring the heavyweight king, Brandon Vera, as he hopes to obtain Aung La N Sang’s light heavyweight crown. The defending champion of that matchup in N Sang happens to already be a double champ as he currently holds the ONE middleweight strap as well.

As much of a savage striker in the cage or ring that the 31-year old “Panda” may be , outside of it, she’s a fan and regular person just like everyone else. So as invested as she is in her own champ vs champ clash, she’ll have her eyes on the other too.

“Every athlete chosen for these two cards are phenomenal,” JingNan said. “Each of them has put in huge amounts of work to be where they are. Personally, I really look forward to watch N Sang vs. Brandon Vera. I have the utmost respect for both of them and I think what they have achieved in their own weight classes are very impressive. I think it’d be a great one to watch on the competition side!”

In the burgeoning Chinese MMA scene, Xiong JingNan has been the first to accomplish several groundbreaking achievements. Another win over Angela Lee at ONE: Century would just create a welcome addition to her ever-expanding list.

And no matter the outcome, she will still be a champion after this weekend. Despite that quite literally being true, the strong support of her country will always be there treating her as such… shiny gold belt included or not.

“Of course I would love to defend my belt in my own country [next],” JingNan expressed. “All the cheering makes a huge difference. We have the most population in the world, we have some of the best stadiums and we shall see more global promotions like ONE.”

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The post Xiong JingNan aims to continue trailblazing for China at ONE: Century appeared first on The Body Lock.

But for ONE Championship’s Gary Mangat, carrying the weight of India on his shoulders is an honor, and motivates him every time he steps into the unforgiving cage. Mangat exclusively spoke to John Hyon Ko of The Body Lock about his ONE debut, being the pound-for-pound king in India, and the Toronto Raptors.

The best in a billion

In March, Gary “Saint Lion” Mangat (14-2) made his highly anticipated ONE Championship debut when he took on experienced finisher Toni Taura.

Nerves were not an issue for the Indian, who battered his opponent on the feet for the first five minutes before landing a takedown and finishing his opponent with ruthless ground and pound in the second round. It was the best the flyweight had ever looked, and he reflected on that life-changing performance to The Body Lock.

“I changed up a few things,” said Mangat, “I came out to Vegas. Vegas is just a different environment man – the heat, the training partners are a high level, the amount of workload you do, the coaching – [then] I went to Tiger Muay Thai to finish up so I could get acclimated. I also started working with a sports psychologist.”

He elaborated on how important getting acclimated is, and why it is such a big issue for him.

“A lot of guys I’m going to be facing [in ONE] are from Asia already, such as Indonesia [his opponent’s country]. [My opponent] is already acclimated, he’s already down there” the flyweight expressed. “My biggest issue is jetlag. Even my corner that comes with me, we have so much trouble just trying to wake up, [workout] and get our bodies adjusted. It’s tough, [but] if I can get out there a week early and still do a week of training, then by the time its fight week I will already have been acclimated.”

His ONE Championship debut marked the first time “Saint Lion” had competed in over a year, and even that was put in jeopardy just hours before the contest.

Mangat revealed that he was hospitalized a day before the bout due to food poisoning, but he elected to go into the fight on an empty stomach rather than withdraw from the fight, postponing his promotional debut.

“I was actually admitted to the hospital the night before the fight. It was really bad food poisoning; I wasn’t able to hold down anything. I was about to be pulled out the fight, but I told them, ‘Listen, I’m fine.’ I went in there with an empty stomach and still had the best performance of my life,” Mangat said.

“I give a big contribution to that to the training that I was doing not only inside the gym but outside; [all of] the recovery and mindset stuff I was doing, [and] altitude training.”

A rising star, Gary Mangat is originally from India, a country home to over a billion people. The nation makes up nearly 17% of the entire world’s population. So being promoted as ‘the best fighter from India’ – a title that he one hundred percent agrees with – is a source of great pride for Mangat.

“There isn’t another one [other Indian fighter] on my level. Whether you’re [a] lightweight, flyweight, heavyweight – it doesn’t matter. [Out of] any organization, I am the most decorated, I am the most exciting, [and] I am the best one out there.

“I take great pride in that because I started [with] no background in nothing, I didn’t come into this with anything. From having a dream of opening a fight on a local show like King of the Cage to now fighting in one of the biggest promotions.”

Gary Mangat returns to the cage on July 12 at ONE: Masters of Destiny, where he will be taking on Abro Fernandes, a deadly Indonesian with six finishes to his name.

He spoke about the tough test that awaits him in Fernandes, and how multiple opponents pulled out of the fight in the initial stages.

“I had other offers, but those fighters backed out, [so] then they brought me him,” Mangat stated. “It wasn’t so much the option of picking who I’d like to fight, it was more so when did I want to fight.”

“I don’t care who they put in front of me because I know millions of eyes will be watching.”

Glad to be a part of ONE

In June, the Toronto Raptors won their first NBA championship in the team’s history. It was an iconic moment in Canadian sports, with millions around the world celebrating the achievement. As he lives in Canada, Gary Mangat was one of those people, and he reflected on the historic win and celebrations.

“It was wild, man. Just the whole scene of being in Canada and stuff, it was crazy. I don’t think our country has come together since Canada won the gold medal at the 2010 Olympics. The Raptors aren’t just Toronto’s team, they’re Canada’s team.”

The buzz surrounding the Raptor’s win has helped Mangat through his training camp, and he was grateful to be apart of the moment.

He has his sights set on the ONE Championship flyweight title currently held by Adriano Moraes, a lethal Brazilian with nine submission wins to his name.

Although that is the goal, Mangat is not going to rush the process as he knows the opportunity will present itself in the future, but is firm on becoming the first MMA world champion from India.

“I’m really in no rush. I know the flyweight Grand Prix is going on, so they’ve got to figure it out amongst themselves first. Whoever wins that will face the flyweight champ, which I’m guessing will probably be [around] February.”

“I’m on the outside of the flyweight Grand Prix so I’m thinking I can probably get two more fights because there are some top contenders outside of the Grand Prix, and I think I’ll be able to slip my way in by the time that’s all done. Whoever is champion at the time will look to a contender who was never part of it, and I think I can be that guy. I hope I can make history and become the first ever Indian world champion in mixed martial arts.”

ONE Championship continues to expand its brand with every event; rumors of a potential show in the United States, United Kingdom and now India have spurred mass amounts of excitement throughout the organization’s fanbase. If true, Mangat and his nation’s talent will be on full display for the world to see, and that is a pressure that lies with the best out of a billion.

“There’s just been rumors here and there [of a ONE event in India], possibly 2020, but nothing has been set. Right now I think they’re trying to grow the Indian talent. I do believe a lot of it rides on me [as] they need somebody they can take who the people can embrace as their own,” said Mangat.

The mixed martial arts market in Asia has been an open playing field for decades, but that is quickly changing, with ONE Championship is filling the void. Due to this, Mangat believes that the UFC missed a huge opportunity by not investing in the Asian population, but is glad they never.

“They [UFC] missed an opportunity. They had the opportunity to get a billion people, and they missed [it]. ONE saw it. ONE is the perfect promotion for me because I don’t want to act a certain way; I don’t want to trash talk. They also live by the values. It’s a blessing it worked out the way it did.”

Mangat also revealed that he was losing interest in the sport until he received the long-awaited phone call from ONE.

“I enjoy fighting again. I was losing a lot of interest, but once I went to ONE and saw my first event in Japan, I fell in love with it again. I couldn’t wait to get out there again [and] I couldn’t wait to embrace the fans again. It’s because of ONE that I’ve fallen in love with this sport again.”

The post Gary Mangat: There isn’t another Indian fighter “on my level” appeared first on The Body Lock.

One of the biggest possible support systems that a fighter could have in terms of the country is that of China… which, in fact, would make for the absolute biggest as the nation holds the largest population in the world with 1.4 billion residents.

Obviously, that could make for an incredible amount of weight and pressure to put on a single individuals shoulders to lead the way for the rest. But for MMA in 2019, multiple athletes are starting to make some serious noise from the land of the dragon.

Having started competing professionally the most recently in comparison to her UFC counterparts in Weili Zhang and Yan Xiaonan, is ‘The Panda’ Xiong Jing Nan. Despite that, she’s gone on to achieve the best success in the shortest amount of time.

Debuting in August 2014, Jing Nan joined the notable Chinese MMA promotion, Kunlun Fights where she took on Inna Hutsul and won via first-round armbar in just 51 seconds. In her two bouts that followed, two knockouts would be added to her resume thus providing a good sample size for what the future held.

It would be five straight fights and five straight victories via finish for the Jining native all of which came in the span of eight months. In Jing Nan’s sixth career bout, she would face Colleen Schneider and suffer her first and only career defeat. As rough as the first loss can be, it will act as a make or break type of point in a fighter’s career. There is only one way to go and that’s forward or back… and Jing Nan took the former and went full steam ahead as a strong representative of her country.

“Once you stand on the global stage, you are not only yourself, you carry on the hope of your family, your city, your country and all the people that ever believed in you and supported you no matter what,” Jing Nan told The Body Lock. “I want to tell the world that there’s always hope if you do not give up.”

Following the loss, Jing Nan would win four more bouts before getting the call in 2017 to fight in ONE Championship, her biggest stage yet. With Chinese MMA’s growth and Jing Nan’s fast success, two things that are cohesive, it forced her to perhaps get better in a quicker timely fashion as well. Because for the bar to be set high, it needs to be set in the first place.

“I feel proud to see my country being heard in this field,” she said. “Pressure? Absolutely! But pressure means motivation to me. It makes me grow and toughens me up. And it has always been a champion’s mission to carry on others’ hope and dreams alongside your own.”

If that regular pressure from her homeland wasn’t enough, add on that her second fight in ONE would be for the strawweight championship, her first time fighting for a title belt.

Taking on the unbeaten four-fight ONE Championship veteran in Tiffany Teo, Jing Nan would rise to the occasion in impressive fashion as the two battled it out for three and a half rounds until The Panda closed the show via strikes thus making her the first and only Chinese champion in a major MMA organization. Because of that, Xiong Jing Nan is truly standing on an island all on her own. But she believes that she stands out for more reasons than just that.

“Like what Ronda Rousey said, ‘Champions always do more. Champions do more than people who think that they’ve done more.'” Jing Nan quoted. “That’s what sets champions apart from the rest. As for me, it does not matter which ground I stand on, I will never forget who I am and what I want to achieve in this sport. Naturally, when under the spotlight, there will be lovers and haters. There will be people who praise you and people who despise. When I was younger, I used to defend myself. But now I’m more seasoned, I learned to block the outside noises that I have no control of but focus on the forces that I do. And that I believe is what makes me different.

“To be honest, I treat every match as my last one. I want to give my absolute best so no matter what comes in the end, I know I have nothing to regret about. I earned my belt the hard way and I will defend it with all what I have.”

Having already cemented herself in the MMA history books, Xiong Jing Nan was far from finished setting new standards.

At this point, Xiong Jing Nan had done it. She had officially put herself and her country on the map. And for her first title defense, she would get to fight back in her homeland on the biggest MMA stage.

ONE: Pinnacle of Power would take place in Beijing on June 23, 2018. The champion would go on to successfully defend her crown in front of everyone that has and continues to support her along her journey. However, outside of these certain pockets of the world, the striking sensation had seemingly continued to fly under the radar although she was now an established fighting champion.

Tack on one more successful title defense to her record and The Panda was now set for the biggest fight of her career in what wound up being the second true female super fight in MMA history as she met with the undefeated atomweight queen and ONE superstar, ‘Unstoppable’ Angela Lee in Japan at the end of March.

Lee would be the one coming up in weight as she attempted to capture a second divisional title by stealing away all Jing Nan had worked for. After an incredible war, China’s finest would be the one standing tall with her title still around her waist and her country’s flag raised high as she became the first and only fighter to defeat the young and incredibly talented champion that is Lee.

While the story in the West was more about Lee losing than Xiong Jing Nan winning, the defending champion remained unphased before and after, all while understanding what she overcame.

“We obviously are reading different news presses,” she said. “The presses here in China are all over my victory stories. But in fact, I have already proved myself in front of the whole world in Ryogoku Kokugikan [in Tokyo for ONE: A New Era] that night. That for me suffice already. People have opinion either ways, what really matters is to always stay true to yourself despite what others say.

“Angela Lee is a tough opponent to face and the best in her weight class so it was impossible to not be nervous. But I’d say I was more excited than nervous. I’ve been preparing for this match for a while and I was thrilled that I could get to apply what I prepared for in that cage… well, some of them I obviously did not prepare for.” Jing Nan finished with a laugh.

Fighting is an endeavor that requires the enduring of many different types of struggles and adversities, whether mental or physical. For Jing Nan and her Chinese athletes, they are no different.

With many trying and falling before her, she’s been the one who’s pushed forward the hardest and broken through in significant fashion. And certain little moments just encapsulate how much it has all meant to her. A perfect example of that would be the fourth round in her champion vs champion bout with Lee where she was caught in one of the deepest armbars you’ll ever see in this sport. Surviving off of sheer toughens and determination to not let her country down, Jing Nan would escape which led to her inevitable victory in the following round… something that made the win that much more satisfying.

As much of a selfish sport as MMA is at its core, many of those who reside within its world couldn’t be more selfless. Of course, they have their wants and their goals for themselves. But for many, they’re thinking about a greater purpose that goes much farther beyond just themselves.

For the ONE Championship strawweight champion, Xiong Jing Nan, she may absolutely be one of a kind, but she’s not leaving her mark without representing more than anyone else could possibly imagine.

The post Xiong Jing Nan: One of a kind appeared first on The Body Lock.

At UFC 237, “Thug Rose” will defend her 125-pound title in Brazil against Jessica Andrade, where she will enter as an underdog once again. Andrade, who brutally knocked out Karolina Kowalkiewicz in her last bout, has won six of her last seven fights. That lone loss came when she failed to capture the strawweight title from former champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk, and Andrade will undoubtedly be hungry not to fall short twice.

Should Namajunas defend her title for the second time, she will enter the short list of fighters who have defended their title against Brazilians in Brazil and will cement her place among the UFC’s best champions. Rose has overcome a number of obstacles before, and a victory in Rio de Janeiro will be yet another outstanding achievement on an already impressive resume.

Flying Armbar at Invicta FC 5

Rose Namajunas def. Kathina Lowe via submission (flying armbar) – Invicta FC 5

At the age of 20, Namajunas faced 2-1 Kathina Lowe, who went 5-0 as an amateur with each victory via TKO. ‘Thug Rose’ had recently finished Emily Kagan at Invicta 4 and in her second professional fight, wasted absolutely no time.

Once the opening bell sounded, Namajunas pressured Lowe and her opponent looked to enter the clinch. Rose immediately grabbed Lowe’s arm and showed her impressive jiu-jitsu with an outstanding flying armbar that promptly forced the tap. The submission earned her multiple Women’s ‘Submission of the Year’ awards and was certainly a sign of things to come.

Stopping Joanne Calderwood with a Kimura

Rose Namajunas def. Joanne Calderwood via submission (kimura) – The Ultimate Fighter Season 20

Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter attracted much of the current UFC strawweight roster to the promotion, as the victor would be crowned the first UFC 125-pound champion. Former Invicta FC standouts such as Carla Esparza, Jessica Penne and Tecia Torres were among the highly-ranked fighters entering the tournament, while Rose was ranked #7. After submitting Alex Chambers in her first bout, Namajunas faced #2 ranked Joanne Calderwood, another former-Invicta fighter who entered TUF 7-0.

In the first round, Rose fought impressively, clipping Calderwood a number of times with left and right hooks on the feet and attacking an armbar after being taken down. In the second round, Calderwood landed some good shots, however, during a flurry of punches found herself taken down. From there, Namajunas was able to grab ‘Jojo’s’ arm and attack a Kimura to force the stoppage.

Against the #2 ranked fighter in the tournament, Rose not only earned the ‘Fight of the Season’ award but also proved that she was a force to be reckoned. While she lost in the final to Carla Esparza, such outstanding performances displayed serious potential early on in her UFC career.

Defeating Paige VanZant at UFC Fight Night 80

Rose Namajunas def. Paige VanZant via submission (rear-naked choke) – UFC Fight Night 80

UFC Fight Night 80 was Rose Namajunas’ first main event, aside from the TUF 20 Finale, in any promotion. However, for the UFC, she was simply Paige VanZant’s opponent and VanZant was the main attraction.

While the UFC promoted the fight significantly, Namajunas appeared unfazed by the attention and utterly dominated her opponent from start to finish. In a remarkable show of skill, Namajunas out-struck and out-grappled VanZant before finishing the fight via rear-naked choke in the final round after attacking countless submissions throughout.

Namajunas could perhaps have finished the fight sooner, had it not been for VanZant’s remarkable toughness, but Namajunas still proved to be one of the strawweight division’s fastest rising stars. She would go on to avenge an earlier loss to Tecia Torres in her next bout, and while she would then narrowly lose a split decision to Karolina Kowalkiewicz in a ‘Fight of the Night’ performance, she would recover by defeating Michelle Waterson via rear-naked choke at UFC on Fox 24.

Stopping Joanna Jędrzejczyk’s reign at UFC 217

Rose Namajunas def. Joanna Jędrzejczyk via TKO (punches) – UFC 217

The defining win of Rose Namajunas’ career.

Joanna Jędrzejczyk had ruled over the strawweight division for two years, dominating the likes of Jessica Penne, Claudia Gadelha, and Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Employing vicious Muay Thai striking and trash talking her opponents at every opportunity, Joanna might have been considered MMA’s Queen of Violence. Namajunas entered their bout as a +500 underdog, with many expecting the submission artist to be yet another of Joanna’s victims.

However, ‘Thug Rose’ stunned MMA fans around the world, knocking out Jędrzejczyk in just three minutes. Countering her opponent’s Muay Thai striking with smooth boxing, Namajunas caught Joanna several times before dropping her with a left hook. While the Polish fighter was able to return to her feet, ‘Thug Rose’ caught her moments later with another left hook. This time, Joanna would not recover, and Rose Namajunas became the new UFC strawweight champion. 

Although numerous fans and media members had counted ‘Thug Rose’ out, she became the first woman to defeat Jędrzejczyk inside the octagon and she did so in perhaps the most unexpected manner.

Joanna Jędrzejczyk 2 at UFC 223

Rose Namajunas def. Joanna Jędrzejczyk via unanimous decision – UFC 223

While this time Namajunas was not a huge underdog, she still entered the bout facing serious adversity. Just two days prior to the bout, Namajunas was on the bus that Conor McGregor attacked and while she was not physically hurt by the attack, she was very obviously shaken by the event. Despite doubts that she would compete, Namajunas still entered the Octagon and defended her belt against the former champion. It is a testament to Namajunas’ strength that she was able to perform quite so impressively, despite still struggling with the incident for months after and demonstrates why Namajunas’ is one of MMA’s premier champions.

Rose Namajunas faces Jessica Andrade at UFC 237 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The card features some of Brazil’s finest MMA stars. Anderson Silva will return to Brazil to face Jared Cannonier. Silva is 2-0 at the Jeunesse Arena and will be looking to take out former heavyweight Cannonier in what is surely one of his final UFC bouts. Jose Aldo will face Alexander Volkanovski in a classic battle between the former champion and the surging contender.

You can watch Rose Namajunas’ fights with Joanna Jędrzejczyk and her other fights in the UFC on ESPN+.

The post 5 defining moments of Rose Namajunas’ career before UFC 237 appeared first on The Body Lock.

This Friday, ONE Championship will return to The Philippines in the first event since last month’s remarkably star-studded Tokyo debut. At the ONE: A New Era, three of the four opening-round matchups of the Flyweight Grand Prix took place.

Kazakhstan’s Kairat Akhmetov outpointed Reece McLaren, Danny Kingad took a unanimous decision over Senzo Ikeda, and ex-UFC champion Demetrious Johnson tapped Yuya Wakamatsu with a vicious guillotine choke.

At the Roots of Honor event on Friday, the final bout of the first round of the Flyweight Grand Prix will take place between Tatsumitsu Wada (20-10-2, 1 NC) and newly-signed Gustavo Balart (8-1). Balart was signed to replace the injured Ivanildo Delfino.

Balart spoke to The Body Lock ahead of his ONE Championship debut about his background, the transition to MMA from wrestling, and what it means to compete in the Grand Prix.

Balart’s humble growth in Cuba

Gustavo Balart, 32, was born on February 10, 1987, in Santiago de Cuba, a major city in the southeast of the island. Santiago de Cuba is one of the country’s most prominent cities, widely considered second to only Havana in terms of its importance to the island nation.

Balart, like many Cubans, grew up without extensive privilege.

“It was a humble life,” Balart told The Body Lock. “Everyone knew each other, and I spent a lot of time with friends and cousins playing [and hanging] out.”

At a young age, however, Balart embarked on a journey that would fundamentally alter the rest of his life.

“[I] started [wrestling] at the age of seven years, and what inspired me [to begin training] was watching my father wrestling growing up,” said Balart.

Cuba has a long history of outstanding athletic talent across a wide variety of sports. Chiefly, the country is known for its prolific ability to produce All-Star caliber baseball players, but Cuba’s wrestling programs are world-renowned.

Cuba has nearly two dozen Olympic medals in wrestling, sending scores of competitors to the world’s most prestigious mats. Cuban wrestlers like Mijaín López, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and five-time World champion; Juan Marén, a three-time Olympic medalist; and Filiberto Azcuy, a two-time Olympic gold medalist; stand out as examples of this international prominence.

Gustavo Balart added his name to those ranks in 2011, with a gold-medal-winning performance at the Pan American Games. For Balart, the victory was a long-awaited validation of his talents and an emphatic message to his doubters.

“A lot of people didn’t believe in me because of my height,” recalled Balart, who stands at 4 feet 11 inches tall.

“Winning the Pan American Games in 2011… That was a big victory, for not only me, but for my family and for my country as well.”

A year later, in 2012, Balart was selected to compete as a Cuban representative at the London Olympics. Though Balart failed to advance past the quarter-finals, he relishes the experience of competing at the Olympic level.

“It was a great, exciting experience because I had the honor to represent my country, and I [had] the opportunity to get known around the world.”

Leaving the mats for the cage

Over the years, many wrestlers have made the transition from the mats to the cages and rings of mixed martial arts, often with significant success.

Cuban wrestlers are no different. Take, for instance, Yoel Romero and Michel Batista. Romero, 41, is widely considered to be one of the best fighters to never win a UFC championship. Batista, meanwhile, a Pan American gold medalist and Olympian who holds a wrestling victory over Daniel Cormier, currently maintains a 4-1 (1 NC) record in MMA.

Balart followed a similar path, though his move to MMA was prompted by something Romero and Batista never had to worry about: the inception of his weight class.

“Once I heard that my weight was being added to MMA, which is 125 pounds, I decided to leave Cuba and pursue my career.”

Being a naturally shorter fighter, the inclusion of a flyweight division was of paramount importance to Balart. Even still, Balart regularly weighs in below even the flyweight limit, typically tipping the scales at 123-124 pounds.

While many might see Balart’s stature as a detriment, the 32-year-old considers it a significant advantage.

“Being small… I believe it’s an advantage because my opponents don’t expect me to be strong, and move as fast, as I do,” said Balart.

It’s true; though he might not sport a record littered with brutal knockouts, anyone who has watched a Gustavo Balart fight came away from it awed by the Cuban’s shocking power and agility.

That striking acumen, says Balart, didn’t come easily.

“I dedicated a lot of time in boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Sanda, and giving it my 100%. All this has helped me to develop good striking skills.”

Gustavo Balart’s Road to the ONE Flyweight Grand Prix

This Friday, Gustavo Balart will compete for ONE Championship in The Philippines for his promotional debut. However, the Cuban dynamo began his career much closer to home.

Balart turned pro in 2017, winning a unanimous decision in his debut for Latin Fighter Championship, a now-defunct Colombian MMA promotion.

Following a two-year gap, Balart resumed his career stateside, fighting in South Florida’s powerhouse promotion, Titan FC.

“Titan FC is a great company that gives that boost to new fighters and [gives them] the opportunity to get to the next level,” said Balart. “I can say that Titan FC will always be my home.”

Balart and Titan FC were a match made in heaven. Over two years, Balart fought eight times for the promotion, including an impressive streak of six events in a row (Titan FC 43-48).

Titan FC and the fans certainly appreciated Balart’s fast-paced, fan-friendly style of fighting. A raucous arena greeted the Olympian every time he made his walk to the cage. Balart believes the support of the South Florida fans gave him an added boost of confidence.

“I’m grateful for my fans, and they are part of the reason why keep pushing myself. I’m happy to feel the love.”

Until Titan FC 48, when he faced now-champion Juan Puerta in a flyweight title eliminator, Balart held an undefeated professional record.

Balart dropped that fight to Puerta, losing by way of a vicious flying knee knockout. He was set to rematch Puerta – this time for the belt – at Titan FC 53, but the Florida Boxing Commission disqualified Puerta just moments before the fight as a result of a positive marijuana test.

Balart was undoubtedly upset regarding the dissolution of that matchup, but he reiterated his respect for Puerta’s abilities and his understanding of the situation.

“I was disappointed to not [be] able to fight him again because I was working hard for that fight. I believe he is a great fighter, and I loved where our rivalry was going. I believe he didn’t quite understand how the [Commission’s] marijuana testing worked and how important it is to stay clean when preparing for a fight,” said Balart.

Ultimately, an opportunity to step in on short notice for ONE Championship presented itself. Balart jumped at the chance.

“With the help of [my management agency,] Ironclad, I had the opportunity to sign a deal with ONE Championship, [whom] I’ve been wanting to sign with.”

Grand plans for the Grand Prix

Just like that, Gustavo Balart is in the Flyweight Grand Prix. Except for Balart, it’s more like a bantamweight – or even featherweight – tournament.

Balart, who stands at 4-foot-11, is by far the shortest competitor in the tournament. Demetrious Johnson stands 5-foot-3, and Kairat Akhmetov and Danny Kingad are 5-foot-5, respectively.

Even Johnson himself noted the difference in the size of his opponents coming from the UFC to ONE. In an interview with MMAFighting after his fight, Johnson said, “Now, I’m not fighting guys who are 5-foot-3, 5-foot-4; I’m fighting guys who are like, 5-foot-5, 5-foot-7.

As aforementioned, Balart often weighs in lighter than the 125-pound mark in Titan FC’s flyweight division, but ONE Championship’s flyweight division allowance is 136 pounds, ten pounds heavier. It’s unlikely that Balart will take advantage of that extra wiggle room, while his opponents certainly will.

However, Balart isn’t fazed by the process. Frankly, he says he just has to experience it first.

“It’s a new way to measure weight, and in my case, I haven’t done it like that before. I don’t know if it’s going to be favorable for me on the day of the fight. After the first fight with ONE Championship, I can provide a better opinion regarding it.”

New weigh-in procedures aside, Balart is eager to compete in the Grand Prix. Balart is no stranger to gold, having won it at the Pan American Games, and he hopes to add the ONE Championship title to his mantle, too.

“Being a champ in ONE would be something [that is] very important for me, and like I mentioned before, my biggest wish is to become the best 125-pound [fighter] in the world,” said Balart.

To reach the finals, Balart must first defeat Tatsumitsu Wada. If he does so, he’ll face none other than Demetrious Johnson in the semi-finals. Facing Johnson would be a dream come true for Balart.

“It’s a great opportunity, and I’m very hyped to have the opportunity to face him because he has been the 125 lb fighter with the biggest success. My objective as a ONE fighter is to be the best in the world and to be the best, I have to face and defeat the best.”

“This would be a great opportunity to demonstrate and prove that I can be the best 125 lb [fighter] of the world.”

Entering the ONE Championship Grand Prix on short-notice, some might get swept up in the sheer scale of it all. But Balart appreciates the opportunity ahead of him.

“ONE has grown tremendously and offers the opportunity to [a] young fighter like me to grow. I’m very happy to be [a] part of this great company.”

Gustavo Balart will face Tatsumitsu Wada at ONE Championship: Roots of Honor on Friday, April 12. ONE lists the event as available on the ONE Super App, with a separate stream on B/R Live likely in the United States.

The post Gustavo Balart: ONE Championship’s 4-foot-11 flyweight dark horse appeared first on The Body Lock.

Regardless, it’s a rare sight to see lesser experienced athletes that are just starting out be able to excel in MMA with elite levels of success. Of course, it has been done before and young competitors fairly often make names for themselves… But extremely rarely in championship based capacities.

When thinking of two of the youngest champions in MMA history, the obvious first two that come to mind are the youngest UFC champions in Josh Barnett and Jon Jones who won their titles at 24 and 23 respectively. However, for Singapore’s Angela Lee, she became a world champion at the supremely young age of just 20-years old.

Now 22, Lee has established herself as one of the faces of ONE Championship as all nine of her professional bouts have come under the promotion and none of those fights have seen her not get her hand raised in the aftermath.

The ‘Unstoppable’ Lee burst onto the scene at age 19 in 2015 when she fought four times and submitted all four of her opponents. Most impressively of those four was her third pro bout against Natalie Gonzalez Hills whom she scored a twister against. A submission that could arguably be considered the unicorn of submissions in MMA thus showing how high of a skill level Lee already possessed.

Fast forward to 2019 and Lee is on top of the world as the four-time ONE atomweight champion looking to capture a different division’s title in the second female super fight that MMA has ever seen. She’s proven to demand high expectations with her very quick amounts of success, and with the youth, unblemished record, and title around her waist all considered, pressure isn’t something that’s hard to come by.

“There will always be expectations,” Lee told The Body Lock. “Not gonna lie, in the beginning, I use to be overwhelmed by it. Now I’ve learned to deal with it better. I’ve dealt with the pressure and expectations by staying true to who I am. I constantly remind myself of my ‘why’. Why I do what I do. For me, my ‘why’ is my family and my future/my legacy.

“I’m an extremely competitive person. I hate losing and I don’t plan on tainting my record any time soon. I put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself to perform to the best of my ability each and every time.”

As a truly homegrown star of ONE’s, Lee has literally been growing up as a champion of the organization and she has made and continues to make the absolute most of her opportunity.

However, with her rapid success has come a shallowness in regards to new challenges, perhaps thus being a good reason for the move up in weight aside from the great obstacle it is to tackle. In the end, the young champion has goals that extend out much farther than just the MMA world.

“ONE Championship has been really good to me and I greatly appreciate that,” Lee explained. “It’s true that the women’s roster was light in the beginning but as you can see, the company is skyrocketing and they are constantly signing new female fighters each and every day. My long-term goal is to use my career to impact and influence the next generation of kids. I want to encourage them to work hard, chase their dreams, and do what they love.”

On March 31 this Sunday in Tokyo, Japan, ONE will hold their inaugural event in the country when Lee attempts to dethrone the reigning strawweight champion, Xiong Jing Nan.

Having been along for the ride with ONE throughout her entire career, Lee has seen the promotion grow with each big step whether it be with her help or the other great talents that call it home. 2018 closed out as a big year for the Asian powerhouse, therefore setting it up for a massive 2019… And that begins with the absurdly stacked card that is ONE: A New Era.

In ONE Championship, the athletes have the luxury of not being allowed to cut extreme amounts of weight as they fight closer to their natural weights with ONE’s readjusting of the divisional limits. Meaning that for example, ONE’s atomweight class, a division fought at a 105-pounds, is actually fought at 115-pounds in ONE. Which is what we commonly know as strawweight.

For Lee in her big champion vs champion match-up, she’ll get to cut even less weight as she goes up to 125-pounds. And as we’ve seen with all of the recent super fights/champion vs champion bouts in recent years, the fighter moving up has done almost unanimously well for themselves. The Singaporean believes that the same effect will be in her favor as well.

“I feel that moving up in weight has made me more dangerous than ever,” Lee stated. “Instead of worrying about my weight descent, I’ve had 100 percent focus on my fight and game plan. I’m so excited to put on my best performance [on] March 31.”

Incredibly, with her age in mind, Lee has already accomplished more in three-plus years than most athletes ever get to in their entire careers. Her nickname, ‘Unstoppable,’ has definitely been accurate to this point and considering that she’s only getting better, it could remain a defining term for a very long time.

Like there are chapters to every point in time, ONE: A New Era won’t just be true for the promotion itself, but it could very well be true for Angela Lee too.

The post Angela Lee: Shining star with no burnout in sight appeared first on The Body Lock.

After several ups and downs in the United States, atomweight Bi Nguyen will now be competing in Asia. And she’s come to take over…

Return to the Jungle

After an impressive run in her beginnings as a Muay Thai fighter, Bi Nguyen tore into the MMA scene amassing a 5-1 amateur record in promotions like Fury FC, 559 Fights, and Legacy FC. A 3-0 record as professional soon followed, establishing her as one of the hottest female MMA prospects. Now, following injury troubles and recent losses to Lindsey Van Zandt and Jayme Hinshaw, ‘Kill Her’ Bi is going back to her roots in preparation for her long-awaited come-back, cutting her teeth in the shark-infested waters of Tiger Muay Thai.

Speaking to John Hyon Ko of The Body Lock, Bi is revelling in the opportunity to train in one of the world’s best striking camps and believes that the relentless pace in camp will mean nothing but good things for her return to the cage.

“I’m a whole-hearted believer in train tough, fight easy. I’m getting beat up and getting better so I know that coming into this fight, nothing is going to surprise me.”

Her opponent, Indonesian striker Dwi ani Retno Wulan is also a newcomer to ONE Championship, winning her debut with the promotion last November, outpointing respected Muay Thai practitioner Putri Padmi in a unanimous decision. For Nguyen, this has all the makings of a statement fight, an opportunity she is relishing.

“I’m going to be fast, I’m going to be strong, it’s in a big stage… If you can feel my excitement right now, that’s how this fight is going to be.”

The camp, run by George Hickman, is a frequent stop-over for the combat sports world’s best, and this year is no exception, hosting current UFC women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko and her sister Antonina as they prepare for bouts in June and April respectively. For Bi, however, the move east is providing opportunities that were hard to come by back in the US.

“In Asia, you get smaller guys to work with. In American gyms, there’s a lot of big guys and not many people for me to work with. Here, they can push me hard and not baby me like the big guys would but also not injure you, it’s just so beneficial”.

Survivor

Despite time away from the sport, Nguyen’s following has exploded in recent months, having starred in CBS’ Survivor: David vs. Goliath, a show recruiting contestants representing underdogs and overachievers, a la the biblical tale. In the wake of some tough contest, the opportunity to temporarily step away from MMA and re-group was a welcome one for Nguyen and she believes that starring on the most successful reality show in television history (averaging 10 million viewers an episode) was beneficial for both her and the viewing public.

“I don’t watch TV, so it’s opened my eyes to a whole new world” she jokes, “my popularity rose in a different demographic, which is great, and I’m really proud of showing MMA to them as well.”

She also hopes that sharing her ups and downs both personally and professionally can provide some comfort to those going through tough times.

“Sometimes I think that people feel like they need to be a certain character to get accepted, to get liked and change themselves. But what I really learned through this is just be yourself, there’s no need to fake who you are”.

Despite having to leave the show after four episodes to prevent further damaging an existing MCL injury, the show gave her new perspectives on life, her career as a mixed martial artist and an attitude to carry with her as she starts her new chapter in Asia.

“I think I had a more personal experience [than most], they recruited me the same week my dad passed away. So that, as well as the challenges and making that tough decision when I had to leave, it just changed me for the better and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Fighting light

Now, fully rested and recuperated, her focus is entirely turned towards a dominant performance next month, a fight echoing similarities of her days on the show as a David against Goliath.

“She’s coming down from strawweight, so I would imagine she’s bigger, but what’s new for me, right? I don’t even know who she is. I don’t care. I’m going to show ONE FC I deserve to be here and I’m going to show them that I deserve to fight for the belt.”

To further add to her confidence, ONE FC employs the progressive policy of making fighters compete at their walk-around weights, a fact that Nguyen, echoing many voices in the sport, considers of the utmost importance.

“Previously, I’ve had to cut so much water weight that sometimes I think that I take hits and they affect me a lot more because I’m dehydrated. I have always said, I wish I could just step in fight and that’s what I’m able to do here. I’m finally going to be able to see my full potential.”

The future is certainly bright for Nguyen. A fresh start in the promotion on everyone’s lips gives her stock the platform to rise higher than ever before and the opportunity to realise a life-long dream, following the announcement of a card in her native Vietnam in September.

“It’s crazy because life has a way of giving you what you want, but not exactly how you would see it. When I started fighting, living in Houston I was like, if I could just debut in the UFC and Houston, that would be amazing, but now it’s bigger than I could ever imagine. I get to debut in my country… I hope that I can keep it together!”

April 12 is set for the re-birth of a winning record for Bi Nguyen and when the cage door closes, all the hardship, toil and setbacks in recent months will be in there with her as fuel for the fire. Mark your calendars, “Kill Her” is coming to Manila…

View Bi Nguyen’s full interview with John Hyon Ko on Kumite TV below, and subscribe for more ONE Championship interviews:

The post Bi Nguyen is ready for war at ONE Championship debut: “I don’t even know who she is… I don’t care.” appeared first on The Body Lock.

This Saturday night, the UFC returns to Kansas state where they touch down in Wichita. And when they do so, the welterweight division will get to keep on shining.

To obtain certain credibility and establish one’s self as a viable contender, putting together strong winning streaks is a must. And as difficult as it may be in the UFC alone, it’s just not a simple task in all of MMA in general. Especially if the style being fought with continuously throws caution to the wind each and every time out.

With those attributes belonging to Brazil’s Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, he has quietly yet impressively been setting himself apart from the rest of the pack as a threat within the deep shark-infested waters of the 170-pound weight class.

The man known as ‘Capoeira’ holds a 20-5 record and hasn’t lost since his UFC debut in 2015 which was a split decision against Nicolas Dalby. Six fights later and he finds himself as the #14 ranked UFC welterweight contender as he looks to keep climbing the ladder and extending his winning pattern.

At UFC Wichita this Saturday night, the 10-year MMA veteran is presented with his biggest opportunity to date as despite not yet receiving the ranked opponent that he desires, he will be the co-main event opposite hot-prospect, Curtis Millender.

“I believe that my work has been done well,” Zaleski dos Santos told The Body Lock.

“I prepared myself for this fight like I was going to fight the best of the weight class anyway. My opponent is someone who is also rising, but no, I don’t feel frustrated because I’ve been doing my job and I do it with much pleasure and I’m happy to fight again on March 9, that is the most important step. And after that, I believe it’s quite impossible for them not to give me a better-ranked opponent.

“It’s going to be a great fight,” Zaleski dos Santos said of his opponent. “He is coming off a good winning streak, he likes the striking, so it has everything to be one of the greatest fights of the evening and I’m ready for that. So I hope we can deliver a great fight for the fans.”

When not fighting or training, the Brazilian is just like anyone else as he likes to spend time with his friends and family while helping out on his father’s farm. But with three fight of the night bonuses and three knockouts to his name inside the UFC, just going and watching any of Zaleski dos Santos’ fights will show that it’s not hard to see why he’s such an exciting fan-friendly fighter once that Octagon door closes. In fact, only 4 of his 20 career victories have ended via decision (14 KO/TKOs, two submissions).

Even though ‘Capoeira’ can more often than not be found engaging in back and forth striking onslaughts with whoever is standing across from him, there are still calculated and technical approaches to be made for such a chaotic and ‘in your face’ type of style.

“Everything is studied with strategy [in preparation] and we try to take the advantage to my side and to complicate the opponent’s life as much as we can,” Zaleski dos Santos explained.

“Basically, that’s it. To play the game the best way we can so we can finish the fight as fast as possible. Sometimes that leads to a finish but others times it also put me in harm’s way which [has] led to some of the wars that I’ve had so far and earned me three fight of the night bonuses.”

When Zaleski dos Santos fights, very rarely is the crowd not noticeably enthralled by the action that he provides. And with his last three outings all coming in his home country of Brazil, that is to be even more expected than it would be elsewhere.

As the true fighter that he is though, the location doesn’t matter to the 32-year-old. The energy from the Brazilian fans is admittedly nice, but if he comes in best prepared like he always intends to, a show is going to put on no matter where the bout is booked for and no matter how many eyeballs it garners.

Being as active as he possibly can, Zaleski dos Santos has fought your typical average two fights a year since joining the UFC. However, he was looking at three in 2018 after his last win in September against Luigi Vendramini.

Unfortunately, a leg injury would be suffered by Zaleski dos Santos thus forcing him out of his UFC Beijing clash with Li Jingliang in November. That has just made him all the more excited to return then hopefully turn right back around to compete at UFC 237 in May when the UFC heads back to Brazil.

“Yes, of course!” Zaleski dos Santos replied when asked if he would like to fight at UFC 237. “It would be great to fight again in two months and it would be an honor to fight again in front of the Brazilian fans.

“I’m very happy to return to the Octagon. Unfortunately, I was injured last year, nothing too serious, but because of it, I wasn’t suitable for the fight on the scheduled date [at UFC Beijing]. It was a knee injury that happened during training, but now I am fine. I kept training in the same way, even injured, just preserving the leg. But now I am well prepared for the next challenge.”

More often than not, for all fighters there will have been some inspiration drawn from somewhere. Whether it’s other fighters or different types of athletes, there’s no limitation. But it definitely doesn’t hurt to analyze and try and grow one’s game through fellow participants of their sport.

In Zaleski dos Santos’ case, there are plenty of iconic and legendary figures from his homeland to look up to. And when hearing who his favorites are, it makes all the more sense as to why he fights the way that he does.

“There are great athletes, for example, Cristiano Marcelo, with whom I have the pleasure of working with in the CM System,” Zaleski dos Santos shared. “Also from Brazil, there is Mauricio ‘Shogun’ [Rua] and Wanderlei Silva. And to know that these guys are from Curitiba is an extra motivation. I also have great admiration for GSP (Georges St-Pierre), who is a very strategic and intelligent fighter.”

Like all great fighters that there has ever been, they’ve all just had to keep on winning time and time again to achieve their goals before they reached their respective pinnacles.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos should arguably be getting treated better at this point with some bigger name match-ups, but he isn’t deterred and will keep on doing what he does best… And that’s fighting whoever is put in his way.

“I’ve been doing my job and fighting the best that I can and now it’s up to UFC to give me the opportunity,” Zaleski dos Santos said. “But I guess with two more fights against two highly ranked opponents, I could see myself in the title picture.”

The post The Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos story: Verbalizing via strikes appeared first on The Body Lock.

At the age of 27, “The Lion Killer” has made his name as one of the most exciting and prolific grapplers in all of competitive jiu-jitsu. The Renzo Gracie representative has seen it all on the mats, competing at ADCC, taking home three Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) titles, and winning an IBJJF Pan American No Gi championship, but Tonon admitted that even he still harbored some anxiety ahead of his MMA debut.

“I was super nervous, man,” Tonon told The Body Lock. “I remember getting my hands wrapped and, oh, man, at the moment the hand wraps started to come on… because I had never even had that happen before! Nobody’s ever wrapped my hands with tape and gauze and everything, and I’m like, ‘Oh, guess this is real! There’s no backing out now.'”

In the lead up to Tonon’s debut, there was, of course, some stand-up sparring. But, he notes, that obviously isn’t the same as a full-fledged fight.

“Maybe I did like a little bit of sparring here and there, but, you know, it’s like getting hit with pillows. It’s a little scarier when it’s somebody’s closed fists, and it’s those tiny gloves,” said Tonon.

By facing that fear during his debut, a fight against the Philippines’ Richard Corminal, Tonon was elated.

“I remember after the first fight saying, like, ‘Oh, man, this is exciting! I can’t wait to get in there again.'”

Tonon’s post-fight thoughts following his second fight, a grueling third-round submission win over Rahul Raju, were slightly different:

“I think my exact words were, ‘MMA should be illegal. This is not okay. This is such a weird (expletive) sport,” recalls Tonon with a laugh. “I mean, it’s a little different every single time, but I’m liking it more and more as I do it.”

Trying to be comfortable being uncomfortable

In Garry Tonon’s professional debut, many fans and pundits expected the renowned grappler to, well, grapple. For example, 83 percent of Tapology users picked Tonon to win by submission.

Yet, for Tonon, there was an emphasis on staying on the feet: learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

“I wanted to do as much standup as I could, because in my eyes, especially in my earlier fights, I really needed to start building as much experience in the standing position as I can,” said Tonon. 

“Despite what you do in sparring every day – and of course you’re working on skills and stuff like that – there’s just no substitute for actually doing something in a real fight.”

Against Corminal, “The Lion Killer” was able to accomplish a goal only he could hope for: getting punched in the face.

“Leading up to that fight, I had talked quite a bit; saying, like, ‘Hey, man, I want to stand with this guy. I want to test myself, I want to see what it’s like getting punched in the face. This, that, and the other thing. The truth of the matter is that old adage: ‘you never really know exactly what you’re gonna do until you get punched in the face.'”

Tonon would go on to win the fight via second-round TKO, earning his first professional win as a martial artist.

The contrast between grappling in jiu-jitsu versus MMA

While Garry Tonon has been adamant about his desire to “get [his] feet wet in the standing position,” it is his jiu-jitsu that has the MMA world buzzing about his flourishing career.

As a jiu-jitsu practitioner, Tonon participated in – and won – some of the most exhilarating matches in recent memory. His finishing rate is one of the most impressive in the sport, sitting at a lofty 72 percent (46 submissions/64 wins), per BJJ Heroes.

Tonon’s ability to finish the fight has translated seamlessly to MMA, where he sports three finishes, two of which came by way of submission.

But although Tonon outclassed each of his opponents on the ground, even submitting two of them, he says he received a great deal of criticism.

“I got heavy criticism – ironically, I was actually really surprised – for not finishing my opponent [Rahul Raju] in two heel hooks I had locked in during that fight. I just thought it was kind of funny, that kind of criticism, because [grappling in MMA] is very different.”

As for how grappling is different in MMA, Tonon lists several examples. For one, the willingness not to tap.

“There’s (sic) times wherein an MMA fight, you can lock up a submission hold, and the guy’s going to tap immediately because he’s just not as experienced in jiu-jitsu, but there’s (sic) some tough guys out there who take breaks and, you know, if it’s not the most devastating submission in the world… You know, there’s a lot of submissions – aside from strangles – that people could just eat and then keep fighting.”

There are also those pesky punches.

“You get into a position in jiu jitsu, and the only danger you have in those positions – especially something like a cross ashi garami heel hook – your only real worry is your opponent escaping. My opponent literally can’t attack me from that position in jiu-jitsu. The only thing I have to worry about is, ‘All right, hold onto this dude’s two legs and eventually find a way to get to his heel.’ In MMA, it’s completely different.”

“I can get in that position and the moment I lose the heel, it’s like, I’m getting punched in the face, you know? So when I go to fully extend for a submission hold and the guy hasn’t tapped, even if I did damage, man, I gotta be ready to react and prepare for that. I’m not going to stay in that position for 30 seconds to a minute cranking on somebody’s leg and getting punched in the face. It’s just not smart in my opinion.”

The presence of strikes changed many facets of Tonon’s grappling game, from the length of time he spends on certain submission attempts to his willingness to play guard.

“I’m not particularly looking to try to stay on bottom with someone unless I have submission holds ready to go. Hell, man, I want to get back up, or I want to transfer to another submission hold very quickly.”

A new perspective on fighting

But beyond tactical differences, Tonon says fighting in MMA has changed his outlook more than any singular technical facet of his game.

“I think fighting, in general, has really changed my perspective, and I knew that it would. When I watch someone perform jiu-jitsu or grappling techniques in an actual fight – or really, I would say any techniques in an actual fight – since I started fighting, it’s really changed my perspective as to how I really view and criticize that, because there’s (sic) crazy things that happen in a fight, man.”

“You get clipped behind the head or something. You get a little wobbled and, like, you’re not thinking exactly the way that you would normally think if you were in a calm, nice grappling match. It’s not like you just get to do everything step-by-step, and everything’s thought out. It’s a little bit more hectic than that.”

For Tonon, his transition to MMA has shown him just how much people take for granted when comparing grappling in MMA to grappling on the competition circuit.

“People take a lot for granted when it comes to mixed martial arts and criticism of mixed martial arts, but definitely the grappling altogether.”

“I’ve spent my whole life watching MMA fights with grapplers and people being like, ‘Oh, yeah, look at his (expletive) mount escapes or this, that or the other thing. It’s like, ‘Dude, okay, but he’s also getting his face punched, and before that, the reason he’s mounted is that he took a huge shot and almost got knocked unconscious. You can’t exactly put that dude in the same category as a guy who gets mounted in a jiu-jitsu competition. You just can’t.”

Predicting the outcomes of the ONE Lightweight Grand Prix

Despite recently moving down to ONE Championship’s featherweight division (155 pounds), Garry Tonon is very cognizant of the ONE Lightweight Grand Prix, which takes place in his original division (170 pounds).

The Grand Prix features some of ONE’s top lightweight talent, including Japanese icon, Shinya Aoki; the recent, marquee signee, former UFC lightweight king Eddie Alvarez; the Philippines’ Eduard Foloyang; and striking ace, Amir Khan; among others.

Tonon sees Alvarez and Aoki as the frontrunners, but gives the edge to “The Underground King.”

“If I was going to bet on who gonna win, I would give it to Eddie. And here’s why: I think Shinya shows some inconsistency in his performances sometimes.”

Tonon is in a unique position to say so, as he’s been following Aoki’s career closely. In fact, he even competed against him.

In 2017, Tonon grappled Aoki in a jiu-jitsu superfight under the ONE Championship banner before signing with the promotion as an MMA fighter. “The Lion Killer” defeated the longtime competitor with an inside heel hook during the match.

To Tonon, one fight of Aoki’s stands out as a marker of questionable decision making, the kind that could cause Alvarez to gain the upper hand in a potential Grand Prix finale.

“I look at a fight like the fight that he had with [former ONE welterweight champion, Ben] Askren, and it puts a bunch of question marks over my head. I don’t really understand what happened here.”

“Why would you pull guard when Askren, you know, he’s not particularly known for great standup fighting. So it’s not like you’re afraid of him in a standing position. You know that you’d like to get it to the ground, but why would you… he’s gonna try to take you there anyway!”

“[Askren’s] whole style of fighting is: take the dude down and try to work from there. If you’re gonna play from the ground, just wait ’til he takes you down. Keep it standing. I don’t know. That fight really confused me. I feel as though sometimes there’s just an inconsistency in Shinya’s performances.”

But don’t get Tonon wrong. If Aoki’s on point, he could give Alvarez a world of trouble. Aoki does, after all, hold a submission win over Alvarez.

“I could be wrong. I think that if Shinya executes a great game plan and does the things that I told you before: you know, focuses on setting up his takedown and works on controlling Eddie on the ground and working for a submission, or TKO, or something, I think he gives Eddie a hell of a fight and it could be tough. I think that it’s possible that he could win.”

“It could definitely go the other way, but if I had to put money on it, I’d be betting on Eddie.”

What the future holds in mixed martial arts

Ultimately, though, Garry Tonon sees the Grand Prix as a list of potential future opponents.

Tonon didn’t get a bid for the tournament, but he says it would have been a difficult decision to have made if he had.

“Had they offered it to me, I would have had to weigh the pros and cons of doing so with my team, and I would have tried to make an educated decision there. Do I feel as though I’m capable of beating the guys that are in the tournament? Yeah. Do I necessarily believe that I have the greatest chances of beating them right now in my career because of the experience that I have? No.”

“Let’s put it this way, every fight that I have, every extra month that I get to train and spar, I’m increasing my chances of beating those guys.”

In particular, Tonon envisions fighting Shinya Aoki down the line.

“The Shinya matchup is going to be exciting for sure. That’s one of the harder matchups. Like, when I look ahead and I say like, ‘All right, like who’s going to be really tough that’s in my division, or that I’m essentially gonna fight?’ I look at that matchup.”

Tonon brings up his 2017 match with Aoki as an indicator of the difficulty of a potential fight, even though he was victorious.

“Even though we’ve had a grappling match and I beat him, it took, like, seven minutes and that was a straight grappling match. Now we’re talking about adding punches and kicks and things in and talking about doing a sport that he’s been doing for decades. It definitely slants things, not in my favor, in my opinion.”

“I look at that fight as something that’s gonna be a real big challenge in the future and my career.”

As for his next fight, Tonon was cryptic.

“I already have a fight lined up. There are no signatures on any contracts yet, and there are no promotional materials that have been released about said fight, so I am not at liberty to tell people when and where and all that kind of thing.”

But, Tonon gave The Body Lock a few hints.

“All I can say is that my next opponent is a knockout artist, in one of his most recent fights, he knocked someone out very quickly; very dangerous on the feet, so I can tell you that. I can tell you that I will be fighting in the first quarter of this year, and it will be at a very big show that ONE Championship is putting on. So, that is the most information I think I’m at liberty to give you.”

“I will be fighting soon, quote-unquote, at least within the first quarter of the year, for sure.”

The post Garry Tonon talks burgeoning MMA career; ONE Championship appeared first on The Body Lock.

It’s not the first time that Nguyen and Lee will collide, however. Nguyen stole the show when he slept Lee with a choke late in the opening round. “The Situ-Asian” used the victory to propel him into bigger and better things, including winning the featherweight and lightweight title, and now the two are set to rematch with a lot more on the line.

Before Nguyen returns to the cage, let’s reflect on how he became a two-division champion.

Stealing the strap from Marat Gafurov

When Martin Nguyen and Marat Gafurov (15-1) met in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in August last year, Nguyen did what no other martial artist had done before. “The Situ-Asian” defeated a mixed martial artist who had never lost in his 15-fight career.

He didn’t just become the first to defeat Gafurov, though, he also did it in tremendous style.

Before ONE: Quest for Greatness, Gafurov had toyed with his opposition inside the cage. When Gafurov was in there, you already knew how it was going to end, and it wasn’t going to be pretty. The Russian had masterfully strung together 15 victories and the majority of fans in attendance for Nguyen’s title-challenge were expecting to a see a similar outcome.

Not long after the contest started, it seemed like it was going to play out almost identically to the first time Nguyen stood toe-to-toe with Gafurov.

Just 20 seconds into the first round, the champion stunned Nguyen with a piston-like right hand. Gafurov pounced on his prey before eventually securing a body triangle. However, Nguyen turned, scraped, and eventually shook the clingy Russian away from him. Knowing that he had defended against the most dangerous of positions – something that he wasn’t able to do in 2015 – there was an apparent confidence boost for the challenger.

Commentator Michael Schiavello said what we were all thinking at the time: “I can’t believe he escaped it, I’ve never seen that happen before.”

It didn’t get any easier for Nguyen after that, either. When Gafurov shot in for another takedown attempt later in the round, Nguyen mistakenly chose to latch onto the neck of the champion and attempt an arm-in guillotine. It wasn’t effective. Gafurov then proceeded to slice through Nguyen’s guard but was never able to initiate any effective offense.

When Nguyen was still in the contest by the end of the first round, that was already considered a small victory. He had survived, but he hadn’t made it out alive just yet.

A fading champion

As the two came out to start the second round, the champion was visibly fatigued.

Despite wanting his arms around Nguyen more than a mother who is seeing their child return from an overseas holiday, he was never able to hold onto the challenger.

Nguyen’s defense was clinical. The technique was superb and his strength and dexterity helped him execute what he and the team at KMA Top Team had drilled over and over again in preparation for the Russian.

The champion continued to fade and the challenger was only starting to warm up. An outcome that was considered unthinkable before the contest was now quickly only becoming a matter of time.

When Gafurov attempted a lazy leg kick, the heavy-handed challenger responded with a perfectly timed right hand that has changed the complexion of ONE Championship ever since.

Nguyen finished the shadow of Gafurov with a series of devastating blows before referee Yuji Shimada stepped in and saved the Russian from any further harm. Gafurov protested the stoppage, but the result had been decided. Besides, the champion was about as functional as your local McDonald’s ice cream machine at 9 pm.

Nguyen climbed the cage and bathed in a tremendous roar from the crowd in Kuala Lumpur. There in attendance, myself, and the fans around me were left with their mouths wide open as we had just witnessed a thrilling underdog victory.

It might not be up there with Leicester City winning the 2015/16 English Premier League, or the 16-seeded UMBC stunning the #1 seed Virginia in the first-round of the 2018 NCAA tournament, but Nguyen’s underdog performance was remarkable just because of the way he did it.

Who knew that his efforts that night would only be the start of something truly historical?

Taking down another equally terrifying champion

Not long after his incredible performance against Gafurov, Nguyen was scheduled to move up a weight class and take on Filipino fan-favorite Eduard Folayang.

Folayang is yet another shark that exists in the waters of ONE Championship. He’s been around forever. After competing at the first-ever ONE Championship show (ONE FC 1: Champion vs. Champion), Folayang has since gone on to compete 12 times with the organization.

Despite being a consistent feature of the lightweight division, Folayang had never tasted gold until he managed to topple Shinya Aoki in November 2016. Although he has experienced a fair share of ups-and-downs through his 11-year career, becoming the champion in a relatively stacked division in the organization speaks for itself.

The thing that so many are quick to forget about Folayang, though, is that his style is absolutely terrifying. He’s built like a bag of stones and uses a blend of kickboxing and wushu techniques to overwhelm his opponent both physically and mentally. The wushu way of fighting can be puzzling for strikers who come from a Western background, and that makes standing across from Folayang a difficult puzzle to solve.

To summarize the expectations going into the fight, Nguyen – who was already relatively small for the featherweight division – was taking on a much larger and frightening lightweight.

Unlike when Nguyen challenged Gafurov, though, he stepped into the cage with Folayang as a very slight underdog. That fact alone speaks volumes for the ability of the 29-year-old.

Seeing double

The battle for the ONE Lightweight Championship was always going to be a question of whether Nguyen’s right hand packed enough power to stop the champion.

It was.

Like a highly programmed computer, Nguyen was obtaining all the coordinates that were required to land his patented right hand on the chin of the champion.

When the Filipino initiated a spinning attack in the middle of the second round, all the calculations were already complete. Nguyen launched a missile of a right hand and starched the champion 2:20 into the second round.

History was made on that night in Manila, Philippines, as Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen become a champion of two divisions.

The post How Martin Nguyen stormed past two terrifying champions appeared first on The Body Lock.