Radeem Rahman finds home for training in Singapore
Radeem Rahman is the first professional mixed martial artist to compete out of a new Singapore gym.
For his second stint in ONE Championship, the Lion City resident is representing Neue Fit, which was founded this year.
He has chosen to train and support this new facility in his native land, rather than venturing overseas to live away from home.
“I represent Neue Fit as I work and train there, so I save time on traveling,” he says.
“When I don’t have an upcoming bout, I do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) with my two professors. I chose to represent Neue Fit as there is Muay Thai, BJJ, and also conditioning classes.”
The 31-year-old has had two bouts in The Home Of Martial Arts since his return from a hiatus of almost four years in May.
After such a long absence from the cage, he is focused on a career as a full-time mixed martial artist.
That means he cannot afford to have an off-season. Rahman says he must continue to work every day so he can succeed on the global stage.
“I believe in daily training and, as a martial artist, my goal is to improve my striking and ground game,” he says.
“I don’t think of myself as a fighter because a fighter only trains when there is a competition. Instead, I see myself as a martial artist that trains for progression.”
That also means he is always ready to be match-ready, even on short notice – as he was for his last contest.
However, as Rahman is currently the only ONE athlete the gym, he still has to take some time away from Neue Fit to mix his martial arts, and sharpen his skills alongside other elite athletes
For now, when he has a bout scheduled, Rahman travels to Thailand to train at one of the top gyms in the region.
“It is tough, as I am training two separate disciplines,” he said.
“Ideally, it would be great to train mixed martial arts so that I can do drills on both striking and the ground aspect.”
“When there is an upcoming bout, the intensity of training increases, and I fly to my second home, Phuket Top Team, to prepare specifically for mixed martial arts and set up a game plan.”
Though it is early days for Neue Fit, Rahman will be able to bring his experiences back with him and share them with his students and coaching colleagues.
In time, that should lead to the development of another promising hub for the next generation of competitors in Singapore. Maybe then, Rahman will not have to set foot outside his hometown to be fit to compete in the cage.
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