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Impressive youngster
Amir Khan is a second generation Indian who was born and bred in Singapore where he is being touted as the most exciting MMA prospect to ever emerge from the ‘Lion City’, which is a melting pot of different races and cultures.
The 19-year old recently spent time studying in the US where he competed for his High School wrestling team, won gold medals at a number of grappling competitions and ran up a 4-0 amateur record but he is now back in Singapore preparing for his professional MMA debut which is set for ONE FC: Rise of the Kingdom in Cambodia this month.
On September 12th, Khan will be competing against 4-4 Malaysian Jian Kai Chee at the Koh Pich Theatre in Phnom Penh and he is determined to get his professional career off to a winning start,
“I started training Muay Thai when I was 13 years old and now I am fighting for the biggest MMA organization in Asia. It’s an exciting opportunity even though my opponent is much more experienced than me and I hope I can put on a good display and show off my skills to the world,” he said.
It’s an exciting sport
Although still a teenager, Khan has been competing in various combat sports for five years and made his professional Muay Thai debut at the age of 14. He holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but believes his striking is what makes him most dangerous,
“My greatest strength is my standup and my main weapons are my kicks and knees. I train with Muay Thai world champions every day at Evolve MMA in Singapore so I am always improving.”
Interest in MMA is exploding all over Asia and Khan says that although he initially aspired to be a Muay Thai fighter, he could not resist the allure of this exciting new sport,
“At first I wanted to do Muay Thai but after a couple of years of training I became interested in MMA and when I was 15 I moved to the US with my Dad where there were a lot of opportunities to train and compete in MMA. Since then MMA has really taken off in Singapore and after I moved back earlier this year I was offered a place with Evolve MMA, which is the number one team in Asia.”
Championship dreams
The ONE FC featherweight title is currently the property of Jadamba Naruntungalag while the division is also home to some of the top fighters in Asia including Eric Kelly, Koji Oishi, Rob Lisita, Yusuke Kawanago and Honorio Banario. It’s an impressive list and Khan says he is hoping to work his way up the rankings,
“I think every figther dreams of winning the belt and I am no different. It is my goal to be a ONE FC champion one day but there are a lot of good fighters in this division so it won’t be easy.”
Cambodia might seem like a surprising location for an MMA event but the scene there is thriving with televized events taking place every weekend. Khan’s professional career is just beginning but he says that his dream is to one day fight in the land of his Father’s birth,
“My Dad is drom Chennai, he speaks Hindi and Tamil but he moved to Singapore in 1990 after marrying my Mum who is Malay. ONE FC is going to every single major city in Asia and I would love to fight in India one day.”
