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30 May 2019 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Malaysian mixed martial arts sensation and former ONE World Title challenger Agilan “Alligator” Thani is set to make his highly-anticipated return to action opposite Japanese veteran Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama. The pair will lock horns at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST, set for 15 June at the Baoshan Arena in Shanghai, China.
Thani took the time out to meet with Malaysian media at Monarchy MMA Gym in Kuala Lumpur where he talked about his upcoming bout and his return to the ONE Championship ring.
Ticket information for ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST is available at www.onefc.com.
Agilan Thani, ONE Athlete, stated: “I have prepared very well and made some adjustments to my camp. Right now, I feel at a hundred percent and very healthy. I’m coming back stronger than ever before. I want to make my fans in Malaysia and all over the world proud, so I’ve worked very hard to improve all aspects of my game. Most importantly, my confidence right now is extremely high. I know I’m going to take on a legend in Yoshihiro Akiyama, but I’m ready to face whatever challenges he brings to the table. I don’t expect his fight to be easy, but I promise I’m going to be the best version of Agilan Thani possible on fight night.”
Former ONE Welterweight World Title challenger Agilan Thani is one of the most remarkable athletes Malaysia has ever produced. Ever since making his debut, the man they call “Alligator” has torn through the competition. Undefeated as an amateur, Thani captured a Malaysian national championship before turning professional, winning six bouts in a row on the global stage of ONE Championship to earn a shot at Ben Askren’s coveted title.
However, the Malaysian hero’s most significant achievements took place outside of the Circle. As a child, Thani struggled with obesity, and weighed almost 140kg at one point. This led to him being mercilessly bullied, prompting him to seek martial arts training to lose weight and learn how to defend himself. This proved to be a life-changing decision, as he managed to lose an incredible 55kg in the space of a single year by training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and other disciplines, transforming himself from an overweight teenager to an elite athlete.
To this day, the top contender still trains daily at Monarchy MMA in Kuala Lumpur under well-respected Belgian BJJ coach Samir Mrabet, but also regularly travels to the United States to sharpen his skills at the world-famous Team Quest in hopes of capturing the ONE Welterweight World Championship.
For more updates on ONE Championship, please visit www.onefc.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @ONEChampionship, and like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ONEChampionship.
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