Wazzup Pilipinas!
Do not be misled by my good looks.
This was the warning given by undefeated Malaysian mixed martial arts contender Gianni Subba to Filipino Eugene Toquero.
Subba will bring to the cage a competitiveness and tenacity that made him undefeated so far in his last three professional fights under the ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) banner.
“The competitiveness of the sport really got me into MMA. Also watching my fellow Malaysian peers compete in great organizations like ONE FC made me really want to challenge myself,” Subba said.
Subba will be facing Toquero, a tough and more experienced Filipino fighter who has also a string of victories before falling last December in the ONE FC event at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
The Hawaii-born Malaysian is confident he will defeat Tuquero on May 2 at ONE FC: Rise of Heroes, also at the MOA Arena, owing to certain advantages in his skills. “I believe that I have more tools than Toquero and I will be able to mix things up better,” Subba said.
At the young age of 22, the Malaysian is already being labelled as a well-rounded fighter with a solid offensive ground game that complements an excellent striking. This was proven in his professional MMA debut at ONE FC 6: Rise of Kings in October 2012 in Singapore where he scored a knockout over hometown favorite Bruce Loh in just 33 seconds of the first round. He then dominated his next two bouts in Malaysia.
Subba is aware of his good looks, which could easily endear him to fans, but he is more concerned about making a lasting impression as a fighter and entertaining spectators during fights. When told he looks more like a teen idol than an MMA fighter, Subba quipped: “I suppose that's a good thing and if it helps me get the Filipino fans on my side then great! I'll try to put on an exciting fight!”
He said he is not rushing himself to fight for a belt as he wants first to fully develop his skills. “Personally I would like more time to develop myself into a more complete mixed martial artist.”
Subba, who is thinking of finishing a college course, has this to say to the present generation: “I'm not the wisest person, but I guess I can say from experience that whatever you want to go into you can do it. It will
not be easy and there will be many better or more talented than you, but if you just keep at it I guarantee many opportunities will come.”
The fighter spent his first two years as a kid in Laie, Hawaii, before moving to Kathmandu, Nepal where his dad is living, then to Malaysia where his mom is from. He lived in Malaysia for 12 years before he and his
brother were sent to the US to finish high school. He did a year of college in Hawaii before heading back to Malaysia.
According to Subba, his idols are his mother and father who helped him where he is today. As to being idolized, the Malaysian said: “I don't want to be idolized. If somehow what I do can help people get off their butts and work hard, that would be nice."
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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