A day by the Bay with UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos
It was an absolute honour for me to meet reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos when he came to Singapore last month to train at Evolve MMA. I met him at the gym, but I also had the opportunity to hang out with his family at Gardens by the Bay one evening. He had […]
5 common misconceptions about MMA fighters
Three-time middleweight world champion and Vice President of ONE FC Rich Franklin talks about the five common misconceptions about MMA fighters When I am introduced to someone as a professional fighter, I love seeing them mentally rework the perceived notion they had of a mixed martial artist. Simply, I don’t fall into the category of […]
Juicing with Rich Franklin
3x Middleweight World Champion and MMA superstar Rich Franklin talks about juicing or blending your foods to accomplish your nutritional needs Text by Rich Franklin, photos by Cheryl Tay I eat for fuel, not taste. How did I arrive at such a nutritional philosophy? I took a nutritional class as a high school elective credit, […]
Rich Franklin is officially Vice-President of ONE FC
Dressed in a simple light blue t-shirt, berms and slippers, Rich Franklin was in a relaxed mood today when I met him at the Copthorne King’s Hotel for an exclusive interview. Yes, this is THE Rich Franklin, an icon in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), the former UFC middleweight champion, the co-founder of Ze/Lin the […]
UFC fighter Royston Wee no longer afraid to tell relatives about his profession
He used to avoid telling his relatives that he was a Muay Thai instructor or that he was pursuing mixed martial arts (MMA) as a career. Royston Wee, 27, would vaguely say he is an instructor when asked by relatives what he does, avoiding details unless pressed. “People tend to think MMA is violent and […]
Tarec Saffiedine joins Evolve MMA
Evolve Mixed Martial Arts, Asia’s top martial arts organization, officially announced the signing of Strikeforce Welterweight World Champion and UFC Welterweight title contender, Tarec ‘Sponge’ Saffiedine, to its already impressive roster of world champions and Asia’s most decorated professional fight team. Saffiedine, who made a victorious debut at UFC Fight Night 34 in Singapore, will join Asia’s most decorated […]
UFC Singapore interview: Mark Fischer
Executive vice president and managing director of UFC Asia Mark Fischer talks about the first UFC event in Southeast Asia and the MMA scene in this region. Q: MMA is still considered a new sport and hence it is still an education process. Are people catching on quickly? A: Yes absolutely. This is a great […]
Best of UFC Fight Night 34 Singapore
It’s the first time that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is in Southeast Asia and I’m really grateful for the opportunity to cover this history-writing event. Held at Marina Bay Sands, the UFC Fight Night 34 was attended by a sell-out crowd of 5,200. It was four days of UFC for me last week, starting […]
UFC Singapore: Weigh-ins
After all the pre-fight events, the excitement and anticipation starts kicking in from the official weigh-in. Held at 6.00 pm at the skating rink of Marina Bay Sands, I suddenly found a greater reason to like MMA – because these fit guys start stripping down to their underwear. Ok, just kidding! Some of them even had […]
UFC Singapore interview: Kang Kyung-Ho
Kang ‘Mr Perfect’ Kyung-Ho looks like he should be modelling instead of fighting, but the 26-year-old Korean is a respected bantamweight MMA fighter and is one of 20 fighters that will be at the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night Singapore this Saturday. Q: What’s the biggest challenge in this career? A: That you’re actually […]