6 November 2012, Singapore – Ever wonder why do people want to be a professional Mixed Martial Arts Fighter? MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world, and people of all ages male and female are taking great interest in the sport. We speak to an aspiring MMA Fighter and see what its like for him to pursue this passion of his.
We had a short chat with Jonathan Soh about pursuing his dreams to be a MMA Fighter
M: After dabbling in MMA the past 2 years, what have you achieved?
J: A Yellow Belt (1st kyu) for Judo, and that is not the end for sure. I do regret not having participating in fights/tournaments earlier, and shouldn’t have let opinions of others affect me.
M: In order to pursue this passion of yours, what do you have to sacrifice?
J: I sacrificed my relationships and and my career. Maybe that will explain why I am single and pretty much broke. I tore my ACL, MCL, Meniscus and fractured my knee in a Judo Randori (sparring) when my opponent and I went all out on each other. In ‘fighting training’ there is seldom any holding back. You just have to go all out to see how good you are, and to allow your opponent to be tested. Then, we will be able to improve.
M: That seems like a high price to pay. What got you interested in MMA?
J:I started watching Pride Fighting Championship (a Japanese Mixed Martial Arts promotion) back in 1998. Fell in love with it, and decided that i will pick up Mixed Martial Arts some day. Eventually started training Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) when I was 25 as I spent most of my younger days doing just weights training. I regret not starting earlier! Despite cross training in Muaythai Judo, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Boxing and MMA; Muaythai will still always be my favourite “combat sport”. I grew up watching Wanderlei Silva wreck havoc in Pride FC!
M: So what are your future plans?
J: I am still recovering from my torn ACL, MCL, Meniscus injury. Had my reconstruction surgery in September and will likely take at least 6 months before I can go back to any sports. I am already 27 this year. Not much time left, hence would like to be able to participate in a few amateur/semi-pro fights and perhaps in future just coach the younger generations in my favourite sport!
There is so much more that goes into being an MMA fighter than just being tough and liking to get hit really hard. Fighters spend majority of their days, actually their lives training and preparing them selves for the fight. 10% physical ability, everything else is a blend of dedication and heart, and sheer determination to win your opponent.
So, do you want to be a MMA Fighter?
How i want to be a mma fighter