Singaporean snubbed a career as a pro golfer to take up MMA
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AMIR Khan is Singapore’s most successful mixed martial artist. He’s won three fights out of four for ONE Championship and the 20-year-old has rapidly established himself as a fan favourite in a country where genuinely homegrown sporting heroes are few and far between.
Khan seemed destined for sporting success from an early age. He had his first professional Muay Thai fight in Thailand when he was just 14 and made his MMA debut just a few weeks after celebrating his 18th birthday.
What most people don’t know about Khan is that before turning his attention full time to martial arts he was on course to become a professional golfer. Growing up, the Singaporean’s idol was not a Muay Thai fighter or mixed martial artist but the man who was setting the PGA tour alight at the time,
“As my dad is a golf instructor I often joined him for golf games and watched golf tournaments. I started playing golf when I was in primary school, at the age of 12. I love watching Tiger Woods and wanted to be like him.”
Khan’s aspirations to follow in the footsteps of a man who has won 14 major championships were not entirely unrealistic. He excelled at golf and showed enough promise at the start of his career to suggest that he might one day break into the professional ranks,
“During school I won a few inter school competitions and if I didn’t win, I would always finish in the top ten. I was playing a handicap of 4 when I last played.”
Coming up, Khan is slated to face Filipino featherweight Jimmy Yabo at ONE: PRIDE OF LIONS. The fight is set for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on November 13 and there will be 12,000 fans cheering his name. It’s a long way from the more sedate world of golf where he believes he could have forged a successful career,
“I feel I could have been a professional golfer but my heart has always been in martial arts. I feel more comfortable in the cage and decided to follow my heart and do what I love most.”
‘The cage’ is a place where opponents can attack you with fists, elbows, knees and shins as well as attempting submissions and takedowns. The concept of being comfortable there might sound a strange one, particularly to golf fans, but Khan says the lessons he learned on the fairways have actually stood him in good stead during his fighting career,
“Golf taught me to be very focused, to overcome any difficult situation. In the game of golf there is a saying ‘play every hole as a new hole’ so you learn from any mistakes and move on to the next challenge.”
Athleticism, speed and strength are assets that mixed martial artists require. But the sport also requires immense mental discipline and this is where Khan feels his experience as a promising young golfer can potentially give him an edge over opponents.
In his last fight he lost to top Thai featherweight Shannon Wiratchai. It was a hotly contested split decision with two of the three judges voting against the Singaporean. Other fighters might dwell on such a contentious defeat but Khan has simply moved on. “At the time I thought I had done enough to win but now I am just focused on my next fight. I’m lucky to train with some of the best trainers and training partners in the world at Evolve MMA in Singapore and they always make sure I am ready to fight, both physically and mentally.”
Whereas Singapore is not known for producing world class golfers the country has emerged as an epicenter for mixed martial arts. Asia’s biggest MMA promotion, ONE Championship, is headquartered there and the ‘Lion City’ is also home to one of the most famous training facilities on the planet.
Evolve MMA boasts a roster of trainers from all over the world and famous champions like Shinya Aoki, Ben Askren and Rafael Dos Anjos are all on the fight team. There are also a number of up and coming Singaporeans coming out of that camp and Khan is the most exciting prospect in the current crop.
It’s a lot of pressure to put on the shoulders of a 20 year old. MMA fans in Singapore would love nothing more than to see a homegrown fighter win a world title and Khan, who competes in the featherweight division, is being tipped to eventually reach the top.
He will be looking to score his fourth win of his professional career at ONE: PRIDE OF LIONS but if the pressure ever gets too much and needs a relaxing day off he knows exactly where to head,
“When I am not busy training I will join my Dad and his friends for a round of golf.”
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