BALI MMA is home to some of Malaysia’s finest mixed martial arts talents including Ev ‘E.T.’ Ting, ‘Jungle Cat’ Muhammad Aiman, and Gianni Subba.
Now, the latest Malaysian to train at the popular Indonesian fitness center is none other than Agilan ‘Alligator’ Thani.
Video link #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8tINhVyJdM
With his bout against Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama confirmed for ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST on Saturday, June 15 in Shanghai, China, the welterweight star will spend his final few weeks of preparation at the tropical gym paradise.
“It’s my first time training here, and it’s all been pretty good so far,” the 23-year-old Kuala Lumpur resident shared.
“Everyone here is nice and welcoming. Of course, there are a few familiar faces too like Gianni and Aiman, but what captured my attention most is the location of the gym.
“All of them here are like family. It gets crazy during training, but otherwise, it’s calm. Everyone makes you feel at home, which is very important for an athlete as you do not want to feel left out like an outsider.”
Thani’s upcoming ONE appearance will be his first of the year, and the young star is determined to prove why he remains one of the division’s top martial artists.
According to him, nothing beats a good training session with fellow teammates who are preparing for their respective matches.
“I left Monarchy MMA for a while because all my teammates are on a break from their fights for now,” he said.
Video link #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfHWWSQP4Pc&t=16s
“I came here to see out my final few weeks because there are other athletes here who are preparing for their upcoming matches. The intensity is good, and I love it so far.”
The Sentul native knows he has to be in the best shape of his life when he takes on the Japanese-Korean mixed martial arts icon at the Baoshan Arena.
Despite having youth and hunger on his side, “Alligator” is aware that he cannot underestimate his experienced opponent, who has a 15-year professional mixed martial arts career.
“I’ve been training hard without worrying too much about how big of a name he is. Come on, everybody knows him,” Thani said.
“I’m not getting distracted. I’m constantly focused on my program for now. I hope to perform to the best [of my abilities] in China.”
