DARE, Thailand’s only Pro Mixed Martial Arts promotion, recently announced that they would award an incredible $1 million in prize money to the winners of their tournaments. There are eight 16-man tournaments in total, meaning that the winner …
DARE, Thailand’s only Pro Mixed Martial Arts promotion, recently announced that they would award an incredible $1 million in prize money to the winners of their tournaments.
There are eight 16-man tournaments in total, meaning that the winner of each will take home $125,000. There are, literally, no prizes for second place, and fights will continue to take place at DARE events until a winner in each of the eight weight classes is found.
The first event took place at Club Insomnia in Bangkok on June 25th, and a number of fighters booked their places in the quarterfinals including Thai featherweight Ngoo Ditty, Korean lightweight Brian Choi and French middleweight Yoann Gouiada.
The next show is scheduled for September 24th in the same venue and will feature seven more fights with the winner of each progressing to the quarterfinals. One of the main events will be a welterweight contest between unbeaten Swedish fighter “SLAYER” —Wiktor Svensson who trains at Tiger Muay Thai and MMA in Phuket—and “HAJA”—Krysztof Hajtalowicz from Poland who will represent Golden Triangle International Martial Arts in Chiang Mai.
There will also be a number of Thai fighters making their professional debuts, including former national Judo champion “BODIN” —Bodin Panjabutra. He will compete against BJJ black belt “PROFESSOR” Rodrigo Praxedes in the welterweight tournament.
The welterweight division looks set to be one of the most competitive and also features another main fight of the evening between Malaysian former Muay Thai champion “SHOGUN” Adam Kayoom and Korean One Fighting Championship veteran “KIM” Seok Mo Kim. Kayoom has also won numerous BJJ titles and is a long-term Bangkok resident who is likely to bring a lot of fans to the Insomnia Night Club.
All the fighters know that a place in the quarterfinals of their respective tournament is at stake, and that they are only four wins away from claiming their share in an incredible $1 million prize money.
The event will also be streamed live on the Internet at www.darelive.tv and will be available to view for an online pay per view price of $4.95.
“DARE is going to take the experience of watching MMA into a new level and the first step for us is to start the online streaming of DARE events, live from the original fight capital of the world, Bangkok. This is the first time that MMA is broadcasted in Thailand in any live form and what better incentive could there be for fighters to win than the possibility of getting their share from the million dollars.”
Bas Rutten is a former UFC heavyweight champion, but he is probably best known today as a TV presenter, and the host of the Inside MMA program. He was recently in Singapore to work as a commentator for ONE Fighting Championship’s inaugural event and to…
Bas Rutten is a former UFC heavyweight champion, but he is probably best known today as a TV presenter, and the host of the Inside MMA program. He was recently in Singapore to work as a commentator for ONE Fighting Championship’s inaugural event and took time out to answer some questions for Bleacher Report.
What did you think when you were first asked to come and commentate for ONE FC?
I thought to myself, ‘Singapore? Ok I have never been to Singapore so I might as well check it out…’ They said they want to become the new Pride, what’s not to like?
Did you know much about the ONE FC fighters before you saw the show?
I didn’t have the time to do a lot of homework on the fighters because I just shot a movie and a TV show. I liked Colossa a lot, he impressed me, heavy hands, really good and he won with a jab which surprised me. I liked Folayang, the Filipino, and his opponent (A Sol Kwon) was good, that fight was back and forth.
I liked Yoshida, he was very calm and relaxed. I liked Eddie Ng, I thought he (Yuan Chun Bo) had him in the armbar but Ng did well to escape, and he was fortunate because it was early in the fight and he wasn’t sweating. The power that he showed for the one punch knock out… BOOM! It was Benji Radach style.
I really liked the fight between Chilson and Kelly, it went back and forth. Kelly was the grappler but he wanted to stand up, and Chilson was the guy with a one punch knock out on his record but he went for the takedown. That was a good fight.
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs Phil Baroni was probably the most interesting fight from the point of view of a Western audience, what did you think of that?
Yoshida did what everybody does with Baroni. They look at all the big muscles and he decided to just shoot and start hanging, holding him up against the cage and putting weight against him to put lactic acid in those muscles. When Phil walked in, he was punching in the air and you saw how fast that was, but after 2 ½ minutes of Yoshida doing that his whole timing and everything was off.
I think Yoshida had a very smart game plan and was very relaxed, and he didn’t get caught up in the antics. Those Judo guys are tough guys. They are always tough, name me one Judo guy who fights who’s not a tough guy?
When I look at Phil I think he cuts too much weight and there lays the problem. I never did weight training, I did a power training circuit with a minimum of 30 repetitions. Once you start heavy lifting you are training your muscles to do something five or six times, but you need to condition them for longer periods of time. I think that’s the problem with him.
Were you surprised to see so many good fighters coming from countries which people in the US wouldn’t traditionally associate with MMA?
I was surprised to see so much talent because you don’t know what is going on with these countries, but now it all depends on the character of the fighters. If (Radeem) Rahman can put his stuff together he could be great and have a really good career.
Some people get side tracked and start partying and I hope it doesn’t happen to these guys. I don’t think it will because they all have their eye on the prize and want to become great fighters.
How did the fights at ONE FC compare to the fights in top tier shows in the US?
I enjoyed the ONE FC fights. The UFC and the WEC put on great shows with great fighters, but you tend to get a lot of decisions because the fighters are so close together. I think One FC is a bit more unpredictable.
ONE FC is at the beginning, and it is great because you have the striker versus the ground guy, or you got two ground guys who brawl it out or two strikers who go to the ground. Like in the fight between Yodsanan (Sitydtong) and (Daniel) Mashamaite, they were both strikers but they went to the ground, and in the fight between Zoro (Moreira) and Andy Wang, they are both BJJ black belts but they stood up almost the entire time. It’s like they didn’t want to lose in their style so they said ‘let’s brawl it out!’
Commentators in the US are often speculating about what it would be like to have a world class boxer start training MMA seriously. Yodsanan Sityodtong is a former WBA Super Featherweight champion with 47 knock outs, what did you think of him?
I enjoyed seeing a great boxer like Yodsanan in the cage. He had trouble finding his rhythm to start off with, but once he started hooking to the body I knew it was not going to last long, because I knew he had really hard body shots.
I was surprised to see him taking his opponent down and, being a boxer, finishing a fight with a knee was surprising. Although I supposed he is from Thailand, which is the home of Muay Thai, so it’s not that surprising.
How did the commentary go?
I liked working with the TV crew, and with (co commentator) Steve Dawson from ESPN Star Sports. The dynamic between us was awesome because he is very relaxed and I start going over the top and singing songs.
There were some things I did and he thought I was crazy and he didn’t know what was going on, but I really like him and he is very relaxed. Some commentators act like it is radio and call every shot, for me that dumbs your public down because you can see what’s going on. You don’t need to call a jab, it’s not radio, people can see it.
What did you think of the ONE FC show?
I was pleasantly surprised by the show, it was like Japan, you come here and they give you a list of what to do and give you a phone which is smart, although you have to make sure fighters can’t phone America because fighters are like strippers and they will take advantage of that!
The organization was perfect and everything seemed to go smoothly behind the scenes.
There were almost 7,000 fans in the arena for the show, were you surprised by how popular MMA is in Singapore?
I walked around in Singapore and a lot of people recognize me, which means a lot of people are watching MMA and they love it. There is ONE FC advertising everywhere, they are doing a great job.
I don’t like companies that say we are going to be like the UFC and they go gunning for the UFC, that’s not the way to work. ONE FC put on a quality show with a good producer and it’s a quality event, that’s the way to do it.
Now it’s just a question of building a guy who comes from Singapore like Rahman. Every country in the world needs a local champion, like a Sakuraba. If he hadn’t been there, Pride wouldn’t have been there, I truly believe that
In the past, people there never had anybody to cheer for, but now you have someone fighting for Singapore who represents them. They need a local guy who is going to beat up the rest of the world, and if they find one it’s going to be the biggest thing ever.
It’s like with K-1, they say ‘K-1 never broke through in America’ and I say ‘yeah because they have no American champions.’ People need someone to root for, you want your own country being represented.
ONE FC has been described as the ‘natural successor to Pride’. Do you agree with that?
The music they used between rounds sounded the same as the music that Pride used, which was really cool, and that sort of thing gives you the illusion that ONE FC wants to be the next Pride. But I think they are smarter because they are putting their event on normal TV.
When MMA started there was Pay-per-view, I said ‘they should just put this on regular TV, that’s where the big bucks are, not PPV’. That’s what ONE FC is doing, there’s no PPV, it’s going to be on regular TV and everyone’s going to be able to watch it. That’s the smart thing because that’s where the sponsorship money comes in, and it makes people household names. I’ve been preaching this for ten years.
Do you prefer the Japanese style judging to the Western style judging and what did you think of the combined rule set which allowed knees and elbows to a grounded opponent?
MMA evolves all the time, and if I have to choose a weapon between knees and elbows I say knees, because they actually knock people out, whereas elbows are more likely to cut. But knees AND elbows is perfect. I love these rules, and I also love the way the fights are being judged. There have been fights in America which I thought ‘the other guy won’ but that’s because I am used to the Pride rules (for judging), which are the better rules.
Who finishes strongest? You have a three round fight and for the first two rounds one guy is kicking the other guys ass, but round three the other guy comes back, I give it to the guy who comes back.
In America they say the guy who won the first two rounds wins and I say ‘no, that’s not true’ because in a street fight the other guy would have won because he kept going. I like that much better.
Will you be commentating at the next ONE FC event, and can we expect to see ONE FC featured on Inside MMA?
I’m really looking forward to the next event, I don’t know if they are going to have it in Thailand, Taiwan, Beijing or Malaysia, but I have never been to these places and I am happy. They also gave me the OK to have the highlights for their show, and it was the first thing that Inside MMA asked me, they said ‘please can you get us the highlights?’
For more information about Bas Rutten visit his website.
Filipino Fighters Rule The Roost at ONE Fighting Championship ‘Champion vs Champion’3rd September, Singapore Indoor Stadium – ONE Fighting Championship’s inaugural event was witnessed by a sellout crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium…
Filipino Fighters Rule The Roost at ONE Fighting Championship ‘Champion vs Champion’ 3rd September, Singapore Indoor Stadium – ONE Fighting Championship’s inaugural event was witnessed by a sellout crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and millions more watching around the world on an internet stream. There were champions from all over the world on display but in the end it was two Filipinos who stole the show.
Eric Kelly is the URCC Featherweight Champion and Eduard Folayang is the URCC Welterweight Champion and both emerged victorious from contests with highly competitive opponents. Kelly was up against Singapore based Mitch Chilson and the two unbeaten fighters went to war right from the opening bell.
Chilson was able to take Kelly down but the Filipino is dangerous off his back and landed an elbow which opened up a sizeable cut above the Singapore based American’s eye. The fight was paused momentarily while the doctors examined the cut and when it resumed a wounded Chilson came out swinging.
The crowd sounded their appreciation but when the two men ended up clinching against the cage Kelly, who has submitted all five of his previous opponents, was able to wrap his arms around Chilson’s neck and sink in a rear naked choke. The American refused to tap, preferring instead to lose consciousness and the referee was forced to pull a victorious Kelly off his back.
“I am so happy because I was able to represent the Philippines and defeat a great opponent in Mitch Chilson. I have fought many times in the Philippines but this was my first international fight, the crowd were very loud but I did not think about that, I just focused on my opponent. I never have a game plan going into a fight, I always just find a way to win when I am inside the cage and fortunately that is what happened tonight,” he said.
There was a large contingent of Filipinos in the crowd and they went home happy after Folayang defeated A Sol Kwon in the final fight of the night. After an injury to Ole Laursen the highly rated Korean, who is on a six fight win streak, stepped up to take his place in the main event. Kwon has extensive experience fighting in both Japan and Korea but this was his first opportunity to impress in front of a truly international audience. He came into the fight with a reputation as a trash talking, hard hitting aggressive fighter but was surprisingly patient in the opening round.
Folayang was the aggressor landing a series of inside leg kicks as Kwon looked to counter strike and catch him on the way in. The Filipino, whose speciality is normally ground and pound, landed an eye catching hip throw late in the round but his opponent sprung quickly back to his feet.
The blood pouring from a wound on Folayang’s eye at the end of the opening round bore testament to the accuracy of Kwon’s countering. The second round continued in a similar pattern with the URCC champion bringing the fight to his opponent who appeared a little reluctant to engage, despite enjoying success on the rare occasions that he did counter.
Kwon was seemingly well behind on the scorecards going into the third and final round and needed to make a big impression, but once again it was Folayang who was by far the busier of the two fighters. In the dying seconds the Filipino, who is legendary for his enormous heart and never say die attitude, burst forward with one final flurry to leave an indelible impression in the eyes of the judges.
The Filipino was bruised and battered and his nose appeared to be broken but he just kept on coming and will have won himself a lot of fans with this performance.
Earlier in the night two MMA legends, Japanese fighter Yoshiyuki Yoshida and the self-styled ‘New York Badass’ Phil Baroni, met in a match which has been five years in the making. ONE Fighting Championship is focused on featuring the best Asian and Asian based fighters and also bringing in the occasional big name international opponent with Baroni falling firmly into this category.
This match up was one of the most eagerly awaited of the evening and it was the Japanese Judoka who prevailed with an extremely assured performance. Baroni has spent much of his career fighting at 185 lbs and with this fight taking place at a catch weight of 175 lbs there were always going to be question marks over his stamina.
In the end Baroni comfortably lasted the full three rounds and came close with a couple of guillotine attempts but it was Yoshida’s composure and control which caught the judges eye with the Japanese fighter winning with a unanimous decision.
Earlier in the evening Singapore’s own Radeem Rahman secured a quick stoppage win over Indian Karate expert Susovan Ghosh to the delight of the partisan home crowd. The roof almost came off the Singapore Indoor Stadium when Rahman made his entrance and he responded in style, putting on a Muay Thai clinic which forced the referee to step in and save Ghosh three minutes into the opening round.
His Evolve MMA team mates also impressed with Thai boxing world champion Yodsanan Sityodtong demonstrating that his skills are equally effective inside the cage. His opponent, Daniel Mashamaite, was more experienced in MMA and has won world titles at Muay Thai but was no match for the man who is known as the ‘Thai Tyson’ because of his devastating punching power.
Mashamaite was able to survive the opening round but only just as Yodsanan began to unload with vicious punches to the body. He seemed a little unsteady at the start of the second and the Thai fighter, who has been working hard on his ground game, moved in for the kill finishing the fight with a knee which sent his South African opponent staggering.
At the end of the night ONE Fighting Championship CEO / Owner Victor Cui was so impressed that he decided to hand out three substantial bonuses. Eduard Folayang got $5000 for his performance, Eric Kelly was awarded $5000 for submission of the night and Radeem Rahman was awarded $5000 for knockout of the night.
Speaking after the event Cui thanked everyone involved and vowed that this would be the first of many successful ONE Fighting Championship cards,
“I would like to thank all the fighters for putting on such a great show and making it a night for the fans to remember. It was fantastic to see so many fans turn out for our first event and I am sure they will have gone home happy because this card had everything, knock outs, decisions, submissions, the lot. People want to see action packed fights and tonight ONE Fighting Championship definitely provided them,” he said.
Results:
Soo Chul Kim vs Leandro Issa Issa wins by unanimous decision
Daniel Mashamaite vs Yodsanan Sityodtong Yodsanan wins by TKO after 14 seconds of round two
Ma Xing Yu vs Vuyisile Colossa Colossa wins by KO after 49 seconds of round one
Susovan Ghosh vs Radeem Rahman Rahman wins by TKO after 3 minutes 18 seconds of round one
Yuan Chun Bo vs Eddie Ng Ng wins by KO after 45 seconds of round one
Andy Wang vs Zorobabel Moreira Moreira wins by TKO after 1:59 of round two
Seok Mo Kim vs Gregor Gracie Gracie wins by unanimous decision
Eric Kelly vs Mitch Chilson Kelly wins by submission (rear naked choke) 3:10 of round one
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs Phil Baroni Yoshida wins by unanimous decision
Eduard Folayang vs A Sol Kwon Folayang wins by unanimous decision
Mitch Chilson is a name which will be very familiar to people in Singapore, but this American fighter has yet to forge anything approaching a global reputation. That could all change on September 3, when Chilson takes on Eric Kelly at ONE Fighting Cham…
Mitch Chilson is a name which will be very familiar to people in Singapore, but this American fighter has yet to forge anything approaching a global reputation. That could all change on September 3, when Chilson takes on Eric Kelly at ONE Fighting Championship, Asia’s most prestigious mixed martial arts event.
ONE FC will be viewed by more people than potentially any other event in mixed martial arts history, and Chilson will be able to display his considerable talents to an audience which is of unprecedented proportions.
What makes this fight such an exciting opportunity for the two time Martial Combat Super Fight Champion is that it is against a man who is without doubt the No. 1 featherweight in the Philippines. Kelly is the URCC Featherweight champion and is unbeaten in his MMA career, having submitted all five of his previous professional opponents.
Chilson is one of the faces of One Fighting Championship in Singapore. Fans flocked to see him at Martial Combat last year, and his image is currently emblazoned all over almost every imaginable form of public transport as well as being highly visible in TV commercials.
It is a lot of attention to be lavished upon a fighter who maintains a perfect professional MMA record. Beating Kelly would be a form of validation for Chilson and would instantly demonstrate that there is substance behind the style and he is good enough to be considered among the finest 145 lb. fighters in the region.
“I view this an a huge opportunity because I want to fight the best and I want to test myself against the best 145ers out there. I am looking forward to the challenge and seeing myself in adverts everyday is a constant reminder that I need to train harder and be at my absolute best,” he said.
His life started to change when he knocked out Chinese stand up specialist Zhang Jing Xiong midway through the third round of an out and out war at Martial Combat 2. An uninitiated audience were instantly converted to the sport of MMA, and Chilson, who has been based in Singapore for several years, was awarded hometown hero status.
His next win was much more businesslike and came only 90 seconds into his fight with Chinese MMA veteran Guobin Xue. This time, there was no war, only an efficient performance which ended in a rear naked choke win that demonstrated just how rapidly Chilson is evolving as a mixed martial artist.
The bad news for his next opponent, who has submitted every fighter he has ever faced, is that Chilson has had almost a year to continue this evolution at the appropriately named Evolve MMA. He feels Kelly is going to find his ground game far more formidable than he has any of his previous five opponents,
“Everyday at Evolve MMA I train with some of the best BJJ black belts on the planet. I work tirelessly on understanding the ground game. When you grapple with BJJ World Champions everyday, you spend a lot if time working on your defense. If Kelly thinks he is going to be able to win with an easy submission he is in for a big surprise,” he said.
As a full time member of the Evolve MMA fight team, Chilson is constantly training and improving alongside training partners including Dream Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki, UFC veteran Rafael Dos Anjos, BJJ Mundials Winners Leandro Issa and Zorobabel Moreira, Muay Thai champions Anuwat Kaewsamrit, Orono Wor Petchpun and Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn and former boxing world champion Yodsanan Sityodtong.
Chilson is good looking and well spoken and is in many ways the perfect poster boy for a sport like mixed martial arts, which is still in its infancy in Southeast Asia. However, he is also subjected to a daily routine at Evolve MMA so intensive it will either make or break a potential world champion, and there are absolutely no signs of the former fitness instructor breaking.
“Evolve MMA is a special place because we have so many of the best fighters in one place. There are no egos or arrogance; we are just all helping each other to become better martial artists. We train, eat and teach together, and I have worked with the likes of Rich Franklin, Matt Hume and Shinya Aoki. We have coaches from all over the world brought to one place with the single goal of creating the best MMA academy in the world,” he said.
In a short space of time, Evolve MMA has established itself as one of the top mixed martial arts academies in the world. It has been in the right place at the right time to benefit from the explosion of interest in MMA in Singapore and every single member of the fight team is a full time employee.
Chatri Sityodtong is the brainchild behind Evolve and will also formulate the game plan going into each fight. He has gathered together a team of elite martial artists who, other than helping to train Evolve MMA students, have absolutely no distractions from their professional fighting career.
It is this environment which has allowed Chilson to thrive, and he believes that this level of training is what will ultimately give him the edge over his more experienced opponent at One Fighting Championship’s inaugural event.
“I started martial arts at the age of six and studied Karate, Kendo, Judo, Kung Fu and later Muay Thai. I joined Evolve with big dreams of becoming an MMA Champion, and Evolve made my dreams come true. As an MMA, fighter you couldn’t ask for a better training camp. Everyday my confidence grows and each training session I become better,” he said.
On September 3, in front of 12,000 people at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and millions more watching around the world, Chilson will have the opportunity to showcase that improvement and to demonstrate that he is a natural in the cage as well in front of the camera.
It has been described as the biggest event in the history of mixed martial arts in Asia and will be the sporting highlight of the year in Singapore, Chilson’s adopted home. The odds are against him, but he will have the support of a partisan home crowd, and if Chilson can emerge victorious from his fight with the Filipino champion, the whole world will soon start believing the hype.
A brand new mixed martial arts promotion ONE Fighting Championship has been set up in Asia. The inaugural event is set to take place in Singapore on September 3 and promises to bring “Asia’s Greatest Battle of Champions” to the 12,000 capa…
A brand new mixed martial arts promotion ONE Fighting Championship has been set up in Asia. The inaugural event is set to take place in Singapore on September 3 and promises to bring “Asia’s Greatest Battle of Champions” to the 12,000 capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium.
ONE Fighting Championship CEO/owner Victor Cui was the driving force behind last year’s successful ESPN Martial Combat FC and also helped to develop a number of extremely successful sporting events such as X Games Asia, World Cup Indoor Soccer, Guinness World Series of Pool, and many others during his time at ESPN Star Sports. He has since left ESPN Star Sports to launch ONE Fighting Championship. As a former Senior Director at ESPN Star Sports, he arguably has the most MMA and sports event management experience for any business executive in Asia. He will rely on that experience to help make this ambitious new promotion the biggest in Asia. Additionally, Cui is rumoured to have a large capital base from a group of foreign investors from the Middle East.
A domestic TV deal has already been secured in Singapore and there are strong rumours that ESPN Star Sports has already taken an equity stake in Cui’s new venture too. Given Cui’s connections, ESPN Star Sports are likely to get on board and broadcast the event to 24 Asian countries, making it the largest MMA event in Asia. Cui’s goal is to focus 100 percent on Asia only and to develop Asian fighters. In terms of competition, Cui points out the smaller Legend Fighting Championship and the well established DREAM FC as his main competitors.
The fledgling Legend Fighting Championship has established itself as the top MMA event in Hong Kong under the leadership of two newly-minted Columbia MBAs despite having a comparatively small budget. The Japanese organization DREAM has a lot of talent on the books but the match making and production seems to be aimed exclusively at a Japanese audience. ONE Fighting Championship aims to have a pan-Asian focus, featuring Asian fighters and/or Asian-based fighters.
ONE Fighting Championship has already put together the largest team in Asia with extensive experience working within Asia and is hoping to use this local knowledge to introduce MMA to an entirely new audience. Equally important, ONE Fighting Championship already has the richest talent pool of fighters in the region.
Early indications are that fighters from Singapore camp Evolve MMA will feature prominently in the first event on September 3, given that it is also located in Singapore. This camp boasts one of the most impressive fight teams outside of the US, with DREAM Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki, Rafael Dos Anjos, and numerous other world champions. Contractual obligations make it highly unlikely that Aoki or Dos Anjos will be fighting for ONE Fighting Championship this year, but a lot of the Evolve MMA fighters who made a name for themselves on Martial Combat FC are likely to be signed.
Zorobabel Moreira Jnr is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world champion who put in the most impressive performance of his MMA career last weekend when he beat highly experienced Judo Olympian Ferrid Kheder at Dare Fight Sports in Bangkok.
Moreira showed in this fight that he has been working hard on his stand up since suffering a surprise knockout at the hands of exciting prospect Joe Ray, who subsequently signed with Strikeforce. He was able to dominate the stand up exchanges against Kheder and is about to drop down all the way from the middleweight division to the lightweight division where he will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.
The team at Evolve MMA consists mainly of Thais from a stand up background and Brazilians with an outstanding ground game. Among the Thai fighters are Muay Thai legends Namsaknoi and Anuwat Kaewsamrit and former boxing world champion Yodsanan Sityodtong. All of them have been taking BJJ lessons and Yodsanan is rumoured to be ready for his MMA debut. If this is true he will be one of the most accomplished boxers to ever strap on the 5oz gloves.
While the Thai fighters are at an early stage of their MMA careers, Evolve MMA boasts a number of experienced Brazilians. Arthur Cesar was on an eight-fight win streak until dropping a controversial split decision in his most recent outing and will be a force to be reckoned with at either middleweight or light heavyweight.
Leandro Issa is another BJJ world champion and is about to drop down from bantamweight to featherweight. He is on a run of five consecutive submission wins which have all come using separate submissions. Unbeaten prospects Mitch Chilson and Brian Choi are also likely to be among the contingent of Evolve MMA fighters showcased on the ONE FC cards.
ONE Fighting Championship’s cards are likely to consist mainly, but not exclusively, of Asian and Asian-based mixed martial artists meaning fighters from Tiger Muay Thai are also likely to be involved. BJJ black belt Ray Elbe is currently riding a six-fight win streak and will be looking to dominate the welterweight division. With repeat TMT guests Mike Swick and Roger Huerta about to open their own camp in Phuket it will be interesting to see if more fighters from the US switch to training and even fighting in Asia.
Top rated Filipino fighter Eduard Folayang is almost guaranteed to feature and his Lakay Wushu team mate Kevin Bellingon, an exciting featherweight prospect, might also find himself a home at ONE Fighting Championship. Meanwhile Vuyisille Colossa, a South African based in Hong Kong, is another fighter who is rapidly developing submission skills to go with some world class Muay Thai and looks set to be one of the stars of ONE Fighting Championship.
Half Filipino fighter Ole Laursen, who owns the Legacy Gym in Thailand, is also likely to be back in action. Laursen has already faced some of the best that Asia has to offer in the shape of Genki Sudo and Caol Uno and is currently riding a five figth win streak.
Although the team behind ONE Fighting Championship are promising this new promotion will be bigger and better than Martial Combat, the fighters that impressed on that show are almost guaranteed another shot. Cui is known to have a lot of belief in the likes of Eduard Folayang, Kevin Bellingon, Zoro Moreira, and Leandro Issa and Asian or Asian born fighters such as Ronnie Mann, Taiki Tsuchiya and Justin Cruz have also been linked with the show.
Any talent from China, Japan and Korea is also likely to be of interest and ONE Fighting Championship allegedly has been extremely competitive when it comes to snapping up some of the top mixed martial artists in Asia. Strong rumours indicate that several current and former champions have already signed up with ONE Fighting Championship.
The full fight card has yet to be released but there was so much demand for tickets when they went on sale from Sistic in Singapore that the server was unable to cope and repeatedly crashed, much to the frustration of fight fans.
Such is the excitement that this new promotion has generated that cage side seats sold out almost instantly despite their being very little publicity outside of the MMA media. It appears inevitable that the Singapore Indoor Stadium will be sold out on September 3 for this promotion which aims to be among the most popular on the planet. With a seasoned management team, a ton of capital, and the richest talent pool of Asian fighters in Asia, ONE Fighting Championship is well-poised to take over Asia. The question remains, however, whether the hype is greater than the reality. All indications are that ONE Fighting Championship is the real deal.
For updates on the fight card you can follow One FC on Twitter or like them on Facebook.
This interview appears courtesy of Evolve Mixed Martial Arts:One of UFC’s biggest stars, Rich “Ace” Franklin recently came to Evolve MMA in Singapore to train with the Evolve Fight Team, Asia’s most decorated professional fight team with worl…
One of UFC’s biggest stars, Rich “Ace” Franklin recently came to Evolve MMA in Singapore to train with the Evolve Fight Team, Asia’s most decorated professional fight team with world champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, mixed martial arts, boxing and No Gi Grappling.
Rich Franklin: My coach, Matt Hume, and Chatri discussed the opportunity for us to come over here to Singapore.
I had never been to Singapore…It’s been a great experience…to exchange knowledge. I consider myself a martial artist…always looking for ways to add things to my game…we worked a lot with the professional fighters here to help them on the MMA aspect of things and we also learned from the World Champions here.
I get asked to do seminars all the time, but my schedule is super busy with fights, movies, and other projects. So I have to pick and choose the right opportunities…Evolve MMA has been an amazing experience. In many ways.
It’s been an eye-opening one…I’ve been all over the world to a lot of MMA gyms…and I can say…I can tell you that Evolve MMA is the best that I’ve seen…the unbelievable training with all the world champs, the facilities…I plan on coming back, man!
Who is your next fight in the UFC?
Nothing’s been signed yet, but it looks like it will be Little Nog (Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) at UFC 133 in August. Stylistically, it’s a good match up for me. I’ll be heading into training camp in a few weeks…
You’ve had an amazing career. Is there anyone you’d like to fight right now?
Not really, man. Whoever they put in front of me is fine. This is what I love.
What is your typical training routine like?
I’m a martial artist. So I don’t really take time off. For me, I train every day whether I have a fight or not. I eat clean and I live clean.
I mean…most fighters don’t do this, but I weigh all my food. For every meal, I know how many grams of protein I’m having, how much carbohydrates…I read a lot about peak athletic performance…I don’t drink alcohol or smoke…in fact, I’ve never had a drop of alcohol or anything in my entire life.
If I have a fight, I will train six days a week…mixing it up between BJJ, Boxing, Muay Thai…and of course, I do strength and conditioning too…and MMA sparring too. I’ll train twice a day for a big part of the week. When I have a fight, I head into camp usually eight weeks before a fight.
Do you train specifically for an opponent or do you just work on everything?
We’ll review tapes…study my opponent…and come up with a game plan…yeah, we are pretty scientific on how we do things.
We try to impose my strengths onto the weaknesses of my opponents. My coaches plan out the eight-week camp by day. We will work specific things…for the game plan…for my opponent…
How much do you weigh right now? Do you plan on fighting at 205 lbs or 185 lbs?
I walk around 220 lbs. The UFC wants me to fight at 205 lbs. But I can fight at either weight class. We are very scientific on cutting weight too.
It’s a critical part of the game…knowing how to cut weight without affecting performance…we are very scientific in our approach…in the eight-week camp and during the weight cut process and weight recovery process.
Of course, I feel stronger at 185. But the UFC wants me at 205. So that’s where I will be fighting.
What are some of your favorite moments in your career thus far?
Hmmmm, probably the ones where I was in deep waters and I had to…I had to dig myself out of a hole.
I enjoyed the Travis Lutter fight a lot. Travis caught me in a deep submission and I had to fight.
And yes, the Chuck Liddell one too. He broke my arm in the first minute of the fight…he snapped one of my bones completely…so to come back and win like that…it means a lot to me.
Tell us about your experience here at Evolve MMA. How did you spend your time?
I pretty much trained every day, often twice a day. Part of my day was spent…Matt and I trained with the professional fighters here to help them…cage work…transitions…that type of stuff.
Then we would train with the world champions here…the Thai guys, the Brazilians…the level of instruction here is incredibly high.
One of the top world champions here, Orono Wor Petchpun, personally trained me for my Muay Thai. Man, he is lightning fast…he just fought in Lumpinee last month…when we sparred, he was kicking me all over the place.
I picked up a lot of new things. It was my first experience training with a Muay Thai world champion from Thailand…and it’s funny because everyone that walks around here is a world champion…either in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, and…and it’s kind of mind boggling.
We also trained both Gi and No Gi BJJ with the Brazilian World Champs here…Matt and I enjoyed every minute of it. Chatri also took us to Thailand to watch some Lumpinee fights…what an experience.
I had never been to Thailand and it was fascinating. Matt and I also gave a weekend seminar to the students here at Evolve MMA.
We also worked with Chatri on fighter development strategies and training practices at the UFC level…we passed on some of our experiences to him.
Were there any impressive fighters on the Evolve Fight Team? UFC level?
Yeah, definitely, lots of potential here. Chatri really has the right philosophy. He’s bringing the best of the best from around the world in every discipline. He understands the fight game…at a very deep and technical level…from all sides.
Of course, a lot of the pro fighters here are…still…early in their development as well-rounded MMA fighters. But the potential is there. Zoro is going to be a name to remember…I worked with him a bit and he’s technical…and very big for his weight class.
He’s dropping to 155 lbs this year. The training is excellent and the instructors are fantastic here. Put it this way…if I lived in Singapore, I would be training here too…and I’m not just saying that. Evolve is the real deal.
What do you do for fun?
I love reading books, man. I play the drums. I study languages and acting. I’m a very intellectually curious person.
It must be the math teacher in me or something. I’m the type of person that needs to be learning, progressing, and growing all the time.
Do you spend a lot of time reading about MMA and following the news?
You’d be surprised, but not really is the answer. It’s my job and I really try to do other things in my free time. The last thing you’ll see me doing is surfing the Internet on MMA websites.
When I get back to the US, I’m going on a two-week hike in the Appalachians…it’s going to be grueling and fast-paced. When I am not in the gym, I am doing other things.
How much longer do you see yourself fighting?
I’ll tell you what…you won’t see me fighting into my 40s…nah…I’m 36 now and I’m a young 36 because of how I treat my body. So I have a few years left in me, but I don’t plan on hanging around much more than that.
It would be cool to have the Cinderella story…to get another title shot…and to retire as a World Champion, but it’s not something I need. Even if I retire as a fighter, I see myself still training though.
I love the whole process of traiing and learning…I’m a martial artist…so I won’t walk away from the fight game totally…
Any plans on what you will do after you retire?
Not really, but I’m the type of person that needs a goal. Whatever is next in my life, I want to be consumed by it. I see it as a way to channel my competitive fire in another direction.
Look at Dana (Dana White) for example…his Octagon is the business world. We’re driven by that same competitive fire. So whether it’s movies or the UFC or who knows, I know that I’m going to give it my all.
Is there anything you want to say to your fans?
Thank you for all of your support. My fans are the best in the world…and very important to me…I am able to do what I do because of them. I’m just grateful to do what I love, man. To all my fans, thank you…
Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® is Asia’s premier brand of MMA academies. It is the top martial arts training organization in Asia. Evolve MMA ranks among the best academies in the world for Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Mixed Martial Arts.
DARE, Thailand’s only Pro Mixed Martial Arts promotion, recently announced that they would award an incredible $1 million in prize money to the winners of their tournaments.