By CHRISTINE CHEAH
alltherage@thestar.com.my

MALAYSIAN mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Ann Osman might be making headlines the world over with her fledgling yet eye-catching career recently, but the truth is, the sport has been growing slowly but surely over the past few years now. In fact, there is an increasing number of young people who have been taking up MMA not only as a sport, but as a lifestyle.

Taylors University student Ho Tian Feng, 18, has only been attending MMA classes since July last year, but will be competing in an MMA tournament this month. He’s not the biggest guy, but he hasn’t allowed that to deter his fighting career. In MMA, size isn’t everything.

Ho got into jiu-jitsu as a healthy distraction from school life.

“I started going for classes initially because it seemed interesting. Later, I got seriously into it and began to play closer attention to the syllabus.”

It didn’t take long before he got bored of it, just like he did with his karate lessons in school. A chance glimpse of MMA on the television sparked his interest in the sport. Roping in classmate and fellow jiu-jitsu student Muhammad Danial Muhammad, Ho attended trial classes at an MMA gym nearby.

“After the first week, we were hooked on to it. Jiu-jitsu is more traditional, but MMA is a mix of everything, and, like any sport, you have to know all aspects of the game to win,” said Danial.

Indeed, MMA is known to be one of the toughest, most brutal combat sports around. It was created as a competition to pit exponents of various martial arts disciplines against each other, to see which discipline was the most effective – which is why minimal rules were put in place initially. But don’t worry, the sport today is very safe, with new rules implemented for safety.

(From left) Muhammad Danial Muhammad, Ho Tian Feng, Amirul Faqim Ahmad Zukepre and Vinod have only been involved in MMA for less than a year, and they competed at their first MMA tournament earlier this year.

In its current form, MMA is almost a martial arts discipline on its own. Danial said his background and experience in jiu-jitsu counted for little in MMA fights. “It’s so challenging and unique that you have to be able to apply what you have learned in the gym … but there are just too many techniques to master.”

Engineering student Amirul Faqim Ahmad Zukepre, 24, was likewise immersed in his own choice of martial arts, silat, and he later dabbled in weightlifting. A self-professed fitness advocate, he trained at a gym for two years before getting bored of the routine, and that’s when MMA came into his life.

“When you fight in MMA, it’s not about the pain and it’s not about winning or losing – it’s about the hard work that’s put in before you enter the cage. It’s also interesting how there are so many techniques to be learnt,” said Amirul. “MMA involves a lot of creativity and mental strength.”

All in the mind
Tan Wooi Keat, 30, has been competing at MMA tournaments since he took up the sport two years ago. “People think it’s all about strength, but it’s actually all here (pointing at his head).”

“The moment you enter the cage, it is a different world. If you are not mentally strong, you would just stand there and stare blankly. An experienced fighter would be able to counter that problem,” said Tan, the father of a three-year-old boy.

According to sport psychologist Brian Cain, in an article from martialarts.about.com, MMA training is about 90% physical work, and 10% mental work; but when it comes to the actual fight, it is 90% mental and 10% physical.

Tan, who has a full-time job as a sales manager, attends training diligently, five days a week, not just to condition his body – but also to build his mental toughness.

Tan compared three rounds of an amateur MMA fight (three minutes per round) to doing 45 minutes of continuous cardio work.

“Your heart rate will be at its maximum after 45 minutes of cardio, and you need to get used to it because during a fight, your adrenaline will start pumping, and that will elevate your heart rate,” explained Tan.

MMA Fighters require a lot of mental and physical discipline, which makes the sport healthy for young people in more ways than one.

If success in MMA is all about the conditioning of the mind, then 26-year-old Vinod Dave Singh Greywal would the perfect example.

The gym consultant admits that he used to have serious anger management issues, before his friends encouraged him to try out MMA.

“Whenever I come here, I let everything out, which lets me feel more controlled,” said Vinod. “And people around me have said that I have improved, too.”

According to him, pushing the limits in the gym invariably teaches an MMA student humility as well.

“Granted, it’s a lot of pain and hard work, but it gives you a sense of satisfaction that you achieved something.

“But just when you think you are done, you see people who are better than you and you push to do more, and (when you achieve it) that’s the best possible feeling,” he added.

Prior to MMA, Vinod was a chef, and he exercised regularly, but MMA has contributed to both his mental and physical development.

“Now, I watch my diet because I need to fight in a certain weight category, and keeping track of my consumption helps in training, too. So, there is an element of mental discipline as well.”

Get your MMA on
Here’s a list of MMA gyms you can try out.

Monarchy MMA
Wisma MPl, Jalan Raja Chulan, 50200 Kuala Lumpur.
monarchymma.com

Ultimate MMA Academy
9, Jalan Mutiara Emas 10/19, Taman Mount Austin,
81100, Johor Bahru.
ultimategym.blogspot.com

Borneo Tribal Squad MMA All Fit Gym
Blue 7 Building, Batu 4, Jalan Penampang, 89500, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
borneotribalmma.weebly.com

MuayFit
C-27-01 & C-27-06, 3 Two Square, No. 2 Jalan 19/1, 46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
muayfit.com

Elitez MMA Fitness Academy
No 22 (3rd Floor), Jalan SS15/4D, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor
facebook.com/Elitez.MMA

T-REX Muay Thai & MMA Gym
F.1.19A, Sunway Pyramid, No. 3 Jalan PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway, 46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
facebook.com/trexgym