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MMA gym vows to produce Indonesian world champ
Defense: MMA (Mixed Martial Art) coach Martijn de Jong (standing) explains few defense moves during a visit to The Jakarta Post on Monday
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span class="inline inline-center">Defense: MMA (Mixed Martial Art) coach Martijn de Jong (standing) explains few defense moves during a visit to The Jakarta Post on Monday.(JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
Indonesia is the home of pencak silat, a classic form of martial art, yet has never produced a world champion in mixed martial arts (MMA), the world’s fastest-growing combat sport.
One MMA coach, however, is trying to change that.
“My goal is to find the next world champion from Indonesia,” retired Dutch MMA fighter and coach Martijn de Jong said during a visit to The Jakarta Post on Monday.
De Jong believes Indonesia has the raw talent and cultural background to produce world class MMA fighters but the road to get there would take some time. He accidentally found out about these a few years ago.
“A few years ago, I put a status on my Facebook that I wanted to go to Indonesia for a holiday. Suddenly, all kinds of gyms in Indonesia contacted me to give seminars on MMA. I saw the love [for MMA] was pretty good and there was a huge demand,” he said.
“With demand comes the growth. The whole concept and mindset of practicing MMA is already in the background of Indonesians with silat, but to make a full transformation, it will take a few years.”
Echoing de Jong’s opinion is his colleague and current Dutch MMA fighter Anthony Engelen.
“I have been here for a few years and I have met some good training partners but also up until this time, [the MMA scene in Indonesia] has been lacking a little bit in the coaching department,” Engelen said.
To fill the gap in the coaching department, de Jong will be opening his Tatsujin Dojo gym in Jakarta in the near future, where he also aims to produce not only fighters but also instructors.
De Jong and Engelen are themselves living proof that people of Indonesian heritage can become world-class MMA fighters, if given access to high-quality training facilities. De Jong, a fighter nicknamed “The Specialist” during his prime because of his systematic approach in dismantling his opponents, has a North Sumatran father, while Engelen is half-Manadonese, the dominant tribe in North Sulawesi.
High-quality MMA training facilities in Indonesia, however, do not come cheap. With high demand and only a handful of available facilities, it is economically logical for MMA gym owners in Indonesia to put a hefty price tag on their programs.
Coach de Jong, however, said that he was willing to provide talented and passionate Indonesian fighters a chance to train with him for free as long as they showed the drive to become the best.
One of the platforms that could be used by upcoming Indonesian MMA fighters to showcase their skills is the ONE Championship, Asia’s largest combat sports promotion company, which has locked in at least 90 percent of the top fighters in the region.
The company, which previously held regular MMA events in Indonesia, is set to feature a number of its talents at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on Aug. 27.
“Indonesia is a great example of how MMA has grown. A few years ago when we came here for the first time, only one person knew what MMA was. We made an investment through our events and in the media and it becomes a sport that people are very familiar with,” ONE Championship senior director for public relations Loren Mack said.
