Taiwanese mixed martial arts (MMA) pioneer Sung Ming-yen is set for his second ONE FC fight in three months when he takes on Singapore’s Radeem Rahman in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, tomorrow night.
Sung (3-1-0) made an emphatic ONE FC debut in Taipei in July, when he submitted Singapore’s Nick Lee by guillotine choke only 1 minute, 10 seconds into the first round.
Prior to that fight, Sung had been absent from the cage for two-and-a-half years after suffering a questionable technical knockout loss to Agustin Delarmino in the now-defunct Hong Kong-based MMA organization Legend FC.
Photo courtesy of ONE FC
“I admit that I got careless in that bout [against Delarmino] and that led to my eventual downfall. I do think it was stopped a little early, though,” he told the Taipei Times. “I would have appreciated the chance to try to recover. If I did, I think the result would have been different.”
However, the 34-year-old Hsinchu native said that during his lengthy layoff he was only biding his time for the chance to showcase his skills again.
“I was happy to continue improving my skills and wait for the right opportunity to come around,” he said. “I knew ONE FC was going to call, so I stayed patient and was rewarded with the honor of fighting in Asia’s biggest MMA organization in Taipei.”
“I’ve worked so hard in the meantime after the loss, and I was so honored and excited to compete in Taiwan. I am glad I got the win and a bit relieved as well that I did not let my countrymen down,” he said. “Competing in ONE FC is a test of my and Taiwan’s ability, and I’m glad I passed the test, but want to do even better next time.”
Sung plans to again don a dress shirt and tie when he makes his entrance to the cage.
“It has two meanings. The first is that in Taiwan a lot of people work too hard and get depressed with their jobs. I want to show that when the time comes, you can loosen that tie, take off the shirt and do whatever you want. The second part is that I want to show that as mixed martial artists, we are all gentlemen,” he said.
In Rahman, 27, Sung faces a young, undefeated Muay Thai-based fighter whose two wins came by knockouts and who fights out of Singapore’s Evolve MMA, widely regarded as Asia’s leading MMA camp.
“Radeem is a very good and worthy opponent,” Sung said. “He comes from Evolve MMA, which has a list of world champions to train with, so I’m sure he will be well-prepared.”
“My strategy, to channel Bruce Lee, is to be like water. To go with the flow and use the movements to guide you. I always train for the long term and not for a specific fight, so training has been great as usual,” he said.
Sung began applying Bruce Lee’s philosophy of incorporating whatever elements and techniques a fighter finds useful from a variety of martial arts early on, studying disciplines ranging from taekwondo, judo, sanda and Muay Thai to Brazilian jiujitsu, wrestling and even the Chinese internal martial art baguazhang.
MMA allowed him to put all of these skills to use, and he began training fighters in it seven years ago and organizing amateur MMA tournaments. His chain of Martial Armour gyms (www.wu-ja.com), previously known as Tough MMA, is training a new generation of Taiwanese fighters, for whom Sung sees a bright future.
“The new breed of Taiwanese mixed martial artists will be a force to be reckoned with. There is such a huge pool of fighters now, and iron sharpens iron,” he said. “Since ONE FC came to Taiwan, the sport is really blowing up and I cannot show my appreciation for them enough. I am personally very optimistic about the future development of this sport in Taiwan. Everything I have seen so far shows that the progress has been amazing.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely