ASIAN mixed martial arts (MMA) superstars Christian and Angela Lee took time off from their busy schedules to impart their vast knowledge of the sport with Singaporean Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Joseph Schooling.
Schooling was the special guest of the MMA seminar that was led by the Lee siblings at the Evolve MMA Gym in Far East Square in Singapore recently.
Schooling beat his childhood hero, the legendary Michael Phelps, for the 100-meter butterfly gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August.
Christian and Angela taught Schooling some basic MMA techniques, as the swimming prodigy engaged in a plethora of both striking and grappling drills.
Christian handled the striking aspect of the public workout, teaching Schooling the proper execution of landing various kicks and punches.
Angela, on the other hand, shared the trade secrets of her highly regarded submission skills to Schooling, as the reigning One Women’s Atomweight World Champion holds five submission wins in her pristine 6-0 record.
Angela, who highlighted her prizefighting career under the One Championship banner in 2015, sees potential in Schooling as an MMA fighter. Personally holding the punch mitts for Schooling, Angela revealed that the 21-year-old Olympian possesses power in both hands.
“Joseph [Schooling] is a strong athlete, which I find very impressive. I know Olympic swimming doesn’t involve anything even remotely near fighting, but he just has that natural power. I was able to feel it while I was holding the pads,” she said.
According to Angela, Schooling is a natural athlete who can easily adapt to any sport, which has convinced her that if he so chooses, Schooling can pretty much accomplish anything.
“Being a fighter or a world champion in MMA is not an overnight success. A lot of hard work goes into it. No one is ever born a champion. A lot of people don’t see what goes on behind the scenes,” Angela said. “But Joseph is really strong and flexible, his body composition is perfect for martial arts. He’s a natural.”
Christian himself reiterated that even though Schooling belongs to a sport with less physical contact, he respects his dedication as an athlete, even if swimming and MMA are completely different sports.
“MMA and Olympic swimming are two different sports, but as athletes, I feel we are all the same. We spend tremendous amounts of time and effort to reach our goals. The swimming pool is Joseph’s battlefield just as much as the cage is ours. I tip my hat off to him with respect,” Christian asserted.
Coming from a family of athletes, Schooling made a big splash on the elite swimming scene by joining the Southeast Asian Games in 2011.