Kiwi MMA fighter Ev Ting bracing for ONE Championship world title tilt

While the phenomenon of mixed martial arts has now comprehensively cracked the veneer of the mainstream in what has become the fastest growing sport in the world, many casual observers still tend to associate it as synonymous with the UFC.

The American behemoth is undoubtedly foremost in popularity, but it's also inspired a host of new promotions across the globe where fighters are able to ply their trade.

The largest of those is Asia's ONE Championship, where Kiwi-Malaysian Ev Ting has emerged as one of it's premier lightweight fighters.

The Singapore-based organisation is currently the number one sports media property in Asia, broadcasting to 118 countries and over 1 billion viewers worldwide, spanning a network which stretches as far abroad as Mongolia and Egypt.

Ting is currently in the thick of his preparations for a shot at the lightweight title in Manila on April 21st against local hero Eduard Folayang, undoubtedly the biggest opportunity of his career to date on a stage unprecedented in its reach.

The 27-year-old is fiercely loyal to his home gym of Auckland MMA, nestled in the city's eastern suburbs, where he worked through the early stages of his pre-fight regime with long-time coach Hamish Robertson before making his way to Bali to help acclimatise for the fight.

"Auckland MMA has always been my home – my day one gym," Ting told Newshub.

"We set all the programs, all the techniques [in Auckland]. It's really just travelling to sharpen and prepare myself for the fight.

"I'm pretty much focusing on my physique, work on all my injuries, getting all my muscles to the standard that I know they should be."

Born in Kuala Lumpur and raised in Auckland, Ting began his career on the New Zealand amateur scene back in 2010 before impressing enough during stints with the U.K's Cage Warriors and Legend FC in Hong Kong to earn a contract with ONE Championship, at the time known as One FC.

Now sporting a professional record of 13 wins and three losses, Ting's won seven of his last eight fights and is currently amidst a four-fight win streak, with his most recent victory coming against former UFC veteran Kamal Shalorus.

He's also invested a number of years as a coach, predominantly in Indonesia.

That's lead to the development of a secondary base in Bali, where he's helped curate a stable of fighters and training partners which has proven invaluable.

Ting is currently on a four-fight win streak (Supplied)
Ting is currently on a four-fight win streak (Supplied)

The contrast with the relatively under-developed world of MMA in New Zealand is glaring, but Ting doesn't see the lack of financial backing as having any impact on the talent coming out of Aotearoa.

"In New Zealand the level is right up there – I'd rate it top three for kickboxing and MMA, I truly believe that.

"We've got the fighters to back it up as well, but we simply don’t have the big powerhouses of support and sponsorship.

"Obviously were not going to be able to compare to a country with millions of people. The fight scene in NZ is driven by passion and simply, the community."

It's proven a constant source of motivation for Ting, who cites upcoming amateur contemporaries such as Ina Manase and John Brewin as unlikely inspirations rather than the more commonly celebrated names of the MMA world.

"In the past I would name Fedor Emelianenko, Mark Hunt, Jose Aldo, Anderson Silva, but as of lately I'd say it's the amateur fighters, all the New Zealand guys coming up.

"It's these guys who are inspiring and reminding me how hungry I need to be if I want to get to where I want to be."

All that said, there's certainly no danger that he'll be taking Folayang's considerable challenge lightly with the Filipino fresh off an upset win over former Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki, killing off a nine-fight win streak via first-round TKO to capture the lightweight belt.

"I'm definitely not overconfident, I'm not overlooking any little details.

"He's very respected, he beat a very high level champion, so I'm not looking past him at all."

It's set to be an intriguing clash of styles – Ting employing a more conventional style of boxing in contrast with Folayang's unorthodox, wushu-inspired striking.

Either way, the contest is unlikely to make its way to the mat with both men favouring the stand-up aspects of MMA.

It's shaping as a culmination of years of sacrifice and toil for Ting which is commonplace in the unforgiving and often lonely world of the mixed martial artist, where the financial rewards don't lend themselves to much more than a life of subsistence.

"I truly believe over the past eight years I've put in all the hard work, gone to all the trainings, I've sacrificed so much.

"I've saved all my money for petrol, I believe I've done everything it took to get to where I am today, and when I get that belt around my waist on the 21st of April, that's just going to be the icing on top."

Those sound like the words of a true champion in waiting.

Video courtesy of Logan Swinkels (@swinkfilms)

Newshub.