Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev has put the ONE Championship lightweight division on notice.

Ever since his professional debut two years ago, the unbeaten Corvos MMA product has steamrolled through his rivals with relative ease, and has collectively finished all four of them in less than two minutes.

The 22-year-old plans to continue the trend. On Saturday Night, 14 January, he will square off against Bulgaria’s Georgi “Stanchev” Stoyanov at ONE: QUEST FOR POWER, which takes place at the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia.

Although Stoyanov is filling in for an injured Rasul Yakhyaev on ten days’ notice, it does not matter to Arslanaliev whom his opponent is. He is confident all challengers will experience the same fate as his past foes.

“I guarantee you that anyone who steps in the cage [with me] will have a serious headache the next day,” says Arslanaliev.

It is not difficult for anyone to understand why the Dagestan, Russia-bred youth is as confident as he is in his skill set, and how determined he is to become the ONE Lightweight World Champion one day.

After all, he has been preparing for this particular career his entire life. Arslanaliev’s martial arts journey began in a difficult place, as his mother and father divorced soon after he was born. Although the process is tough on any young child, fortunately for the young prodigy, it also saw the start of something positive for him – martial arts training.

“I lived with my parents until I was five. Then they split up, and they enrolled me into a school where all we did all day was train,” he remembers.

Enjoyment of sport came naturally to the Dagestani child, so he took to the training. As he practiced more, he improved and earned the respect of those around him.

“I always liked sports,” he continues. “I enjoy training and fighting. When my mother saw that I was talented, she started to support my career as a fighter. The more I improved, the more people like my friends, coaches, and relatives took me seriously.”

Another motivating factor was the environment he was raised in. 

“I am from Buynaksk in Dagestan,” he begins. “The city is famous for its fighters. I believe I am lucky because as I grew up, I was surrounded by very tough guys. The city has a high unemployment rate. Everyone is trying hard to make it through sports.”

Dagi was certainly successful at the martial arts in his childhood. When he was 12, he became the Dagestan Champion in wushu-sanda. He would hold the title two additional times, and would also become a Russian, Armenian, and Azerbaijan National Champion in the discipline.

Nearly a decade into his athletic training, around the age of 14, Arslanaliev started watching the MMA precursor style of Pankration fighting. The discipline enthralled him. 

Two years later, when his family relocated to Turkey, he witnessed and experienced Brazilian jiu-jitsu first-hand at the Istanbul-based Corvos MMA gym. Immediately, the young man knew he needed work on his submission game in order to, in his own words, “be able to make to it.”

The mixing of martial arts styles immediately fascinated Dagi. He became enamored with efficacy of proper technique.

“I was very amazed that I could use all the arts together. That sounded like fun,” he says, reflecting on his first experiences with the sport. “Also, I remember coming to Corvos and training with their BJJ team. I never before knew BJJ could be so effective on the ground, so I decided to study BJJ deeper.” 

He proved to be a quick study, earning a brown belt and winning many competitions to date, including becoming an Azerbaijan No Gi Grappling Champion.

Turkey may have introduced Arslanaliev to the world of jiu-jitsu, but the cold reality is the nation has yet to embrace MMA. 

“Living in a country where the sport is not well known was difficult,” he acknowledges. “I came to reach this point in my career just by my and my team’s efforts. I did not have any sponsors. In fact, I still do not have any local Turkish sponsors. 

“This is very sad because I believe I am representing my current home in an international arena very well. Even though it has been difficult, I am always optimistic. Hopefully things will change in the near future.”

Arslanaliev certainly deserves for them to. His record and performances to date have been stellar, making him one of the hottest prospects in Asian MMA today.

Truth be told, there has always been a high expectation from Arslanaliev and those around him. From the outset of the 22-year-old’s career, his coach Burak Değer Biçer set lofty goals for him, and with each fight, he is getting closer and closer to accomplishing the primary objective.

“When I entered ONE, I did not enter to just win a few fights,” he says. “Even when we were getting ready for my debut fight, we were really getting ready for the man who holds the title belt. My coach Burak always sets high goals. I will take that shiny ONE Championship belt home.”

Aung La N Sang has answered the call. Now, he is being rewarded with the golden opportunity of a lifetime.

With Marcin Prachnio forced to withdraw from his scheduled title match due to injury, the “Burmese Python” is stepping in to challenge ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash for the belt at ONE: QUEST FOR POWER, which broadcasts live from the Jakarta Convention Center in Indonesia on Saturday Night, 14 January.

Though he took the fight on less than two weeks’ notice, the Myanmar hero feels he is the one who has the edge.

“It is a good match-up for me,” the 31-year-old says. “Honestly, I think I have an advantage in striking, grappling, and everywhere. I have more experience than he does, and I have fought higher-caliber fighters than he has. I am pretty confident for this fight, and if people count me out, they are going to be very surprised.”

Aung La N Sang, who trains out of Crazy 88 MMA in Baltimore, Maryland, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt with a solid Muay Thai and Western boxing background. He currently holds a 19-9 record, with 11 of those wins coming by way of submission and another seven by TKO.

Despite riding a four-fight win streak and being undefeated in his ONE campaign, The Burmese Python thinks he is being unjustly pegged as the underdog.

“[It is] probably because of my record,” he begins. “It is not the best record, but it would be stupid to not give me a chance for this fight because I am a tough fight for most people, and I feel like I am better than him at everything.”

The record is certainly deceiving. This contender has paid his dues, and did so on his own terms.

Although he spent his childhood in Myitkyina, the capital city of Myanmar’s Kachin State, Aung La N Sang emigrated to the United States in 2003 to study Agriculture Science at Andrews University in Michigan. The following year, while he was working out at the school’s gym, he saw a large Samoan student hitting the heavy bag. He was in awe.

“I was like, ‘wow, I would love to do that,’ and he was into mixed martial arts,” Aung La N Sang recalls. “So he took me to the [Carlson] Gracie affiliate in South Bend, Indiana, which was about 45 minutes south [of my university]. Ever since then, I started training jiu-jitsu, fell in love with jiu-jitsu, and fell in love with mixed martial arts.”

He progressed quickly. The “Burmese Python” made his professional MMA debut in 2005, and spent the next few years competing primarily throughout the American Midwest. In addition to his collegiate studies and his MMA training, he worked at a dairy farm near his campus to get some extra income.

After graduating in 2007, he relocated to Columbia, Maryland, to be closer to his sister and to find a stable job. But what he found was Crazy 88 MMA, a Baltimore-based gym a mere 30 minutes away. He refined his skills there, but left two months later for life as a beekeeper.

Only a year and a half into the new gig, however, Aung La N Sang realized the job was not sweet enough to keep him away from the sport he loves. The middleweight knew he had potential, and wanted to see that potential through.

The Myanmar fighter reflects on a lesson he learned from his college days as a dairy farmer and has applied it to his training. 

“You reap what you sow,” he says. “If you do not put in the work, you are not going to get the benefits.”

Aung La N Sang has put in the work. Although he may not have “the best record,” as he previously mentioned, he debuted only a year into his martial arts training. Every fight was literally an on-the-job learning experience, and only in recent years has he come into his own.

That has been readily apparent in ONE Championship. Ever since signing with ONE in 2014, Aung La N Sang has been unstoppable. In addition to winning all four of his fights with the Asian promotion, including his most recent victory over ex-ONE Light Heavyweight World Title challenger Michael Pasternak last October, he has become a symbol for his home nation.

Now, the hero has an opportunity to not only accomplish his longtime goal, but to inspire a country through that accomplishment and lead by example. 

“I want to be able to say I am a world champion,” he explains. “I come from a very humble beginning. Coming from a small town in Myanmar, it is unbelievable and an honor for me to do that.

“Also, by winning this world title, I can motivate people in my hometown and home country to let them know they can succeed at the highest level if they choose to and work hard, and put their mind and soul into it.”

Parents are starting their children on sports earlier.

The New Paper looks for sports for children aged five and below such as rugby, horse-riding, fencing and cricket.

Why should parents start children on sports early?

DRAGONS RUGBY CLUB

Fancy toughening up your child in a fun and safe environment?

How about rugby?

Not-for-profit Dragons Rugby Club is one option to go to.

Their rugby programme for children under five is filled with different basic game drills each week.

They go through an hour of training with each activity lasting for 10 minutes.

Parents get to participate and look after their child during the training as well.

A parent and a volunteer coach for children under five, Mr Dean Vaughan, said the training is safe because there is no contact between each other.

“It is touch rugby, where a tackle is your two hands touch the opposition team’s ball carrier ‘on the waist’ at the same time and they must fall to the ground as if they were tackled,” said the IT manager.

Mrs Cherie Lim Ball, 42, told TNP that after her five-year-old son, Cameron, attended the programme, his coordination, ability to work with others and diligence have improved.

Cameron said: “I enjoy rugby as it allows me to run fast.”

Dragons Rugby Club practices at UWCSEA East Campus in Tampines on Saturdays from 4.30pm to 5.30pm. Practice will resume from Jan 14.

Z FENCING INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY

The idea to cater to younger children came about when long-time principal and co-founder of Z Fencing International Academy, Ms Teo Ah Heok, saw many children clamouring to have fun playing swashbucklers just like their older siblings.

Z Fencing’s coach and manager, Ms Esther Wong, said the children in Z Prep, which is a class for four- to five-year-olds, do not need to buy any equipment.

“We provide them with training weapons, plastic masks and protective gear so they do not injure themselves or their friends,” said Ms Wong.

“One of the important requirements during training is for every child to learn how to observe safety rules such as not jumping and running with their friends during lessons.”

Z Fencing reduced the usual student-to-coach ratio from six to eight to four students, so coaches can spend more time with the children. Lessons cost $706.20 per term.

SHAWS LITTLE LEAGUE

Shaws Little League’s cricket programme combines the temperament of Sachin Tendulkar, the power of Adam Gilchrist, the guile of Dennis Lillee and Shane Warne, and the agility of Jonty Rhodes – all renowned cricketers.

A multi-sport and physical activity programme running since 1988, Shaws Little League caters to young children and started offering cricket to children aged from five to 12 in 2011.

Its group and individual classes are based on teaching the fundamentals of cricket while allowing children to develop their own style.

It also aims to improve skill development in all areas of cricket – batting, bowling, fielding, and running between the wickets.

A spokesman said: “Cricket is a game that regardless of your body shape and type, you can still be successful.

“This is ideal for people in Singapore given our smaller physical stature compared to people in other countries.

“Singapore has a greater chance of success in cricket compared to other team sports.”

For more info, visit its website at shawslittleleague.com

GALLOP STABLE

A combination of nature and fun – that’s what Gallop Stable, a horse-riding provider, aims to bring children and animals together.

Gallop Stable’s manager, who wanted to be known only as Mr Jackuda, said they decided to offer programmes for children because they are agile and can work on their balance and posture.

“At the same time, we help them love, interact safely, and understand animals,” he said.

“Children will also need to have proper sleep and enough water intake as the outdoor training can be straining at times due to the outdoor heat.”

Sharing that children may fall due to imbalance, speed of the ponies or bucking, he said they need to make sure safety riding gears are worn at all times.

Prices range from $200 to $400 for five lessons.

huienl@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on January 09, 2017.
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