Eddie Ng inspires as a martial artist, fighter and instructor

In the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA), the quest for supremacy is undoubtedly evident.

Fighters seek power over one another. Power that begets the right to wealth, influence, and in its strongest form, a legacy; a guarantee to be remembered, long after one’s greatest days have passed.

The stage of MMA was perhaps created for this very purpose of supremacy, and obtaining a legacy.

Yet sometimes, in extraordinary circumstances, the definition of such a legacy ventures far beyond that of one’s mere accomplishments as a fighter.

Sometimes, a fighter’s legacy is defined and solidified also by the lives, attitudes, and actions of those inspired by that very fighter.

Inspired by Bruce Lee and seeking a solution to the harsh treatments he received from being in an environment of racial discrimination growing up in the UK, Eddie Ng found love in martial arts at the age of 12.

Today, at age 28, Ng’s accomplishments and exciting performances as a professional fighter in the sport of MMA have established him as one of the most promising MMA fighters from Asia.

His status in MMA and as a martial artist has also placed him in a position not every fighter has the privilege of being in; a position that allows him to guide and oversee the development of the skills, health, and fitness of more than a hundred students from every age and gender group each day.

As a martial artist, fighter and instructor, Ng spends his days training alongside his teammates and teaching MMA as well as strength and conditioning classes at Evolve MMA.

When asked about his role and approach as an instructor, Ng said “I see myself more of friend and a mentor than just an instructor. I try to go beyond just barking out commands to my students. I believe in finding different ways and methods that work best to nurture the skills of a particular student in a way that is unique to them. You have to know what works for different people because nobody is identical.”

The result of Ng’s approach is perhaps best exemplified through many of the young fighters and students who have trained under him.

Confidence building

One such student is local amateur MMA fighter, Asraf Asuir, who credits Ng for helping him with his confidence and work ethic in fighting.

“When I just started out training in MMA, Eddie would always pick on me differently as compared to my teammate. He would always point me out as a bad example to the class and have the bigger and better guys to go hard on me” Asuir recalled.

When asked about how this approach has helped him, the polytechnic year one student said, “It was really demoralizing at the beginning, but I soon realised that he was trying to help me by making me bolder and stronger both mentally and physically. Eddie showed me the importance of hard work and that life is never always easy.”

However, the impact that Ng has had on his students has gone beyond that of just an instructor.

It would seem that Ng’s past struggles and the way he carries himself as a fighter and human being, both inside and outside of fighting, have become a source of inspiration for those around him.

Role model

Most notably for amateur MMA featherweight national champion, Benedict Ang, who has become well known for his admiration of Ng.

The 18-year-old MMA prospect from Singapore was inspired to begin a career in MMA after watching one of Ng’s fights under the ONE Championship banner.

“His discipline, humility, and respect for others are things that always inspire me. He is constantly looking to improve himself and helping others get better. He is an overall wonderful human being as well and I look up to him like an older brother” Ang said when asked what inspires him most about Ng.

Ang will be making his much-awaited ONE debut at ONE: WARRIOR’S QUEST at the Singapore Indoor Stadium next month.

Highly motivated

For another student, Kwan Yan Wei, the inspiration drawn from Ng stemmed from Ng’s past and experience as a victim of bullying in the UK.

“We both were victims of bullying. He was bullied for being different growing up in the UK, and I was very often bullied for being overweight,” said the 27-year-old teacher.

“I was inspired by how he had managed to overcome his adversities through martial arts and decided to lose weight so that people would stop calling me names.”

Kwan went on to lose about 44 pounds in his first year of training at Evolve and proceeded to train under Ng with bigger ambitions that would test his fitness even further.

“It was also my goal to join Sasuke/Ninja Warrior. When I told Eddie, he pushed me as hard as possible. Eventually, I took part in Sasuke Singapore in 2012 and went on to represent Singapore in Sasuke ASEAN in 2014”, Kwan said.

The positive effect Ng has on his students as a fighter, an instructor, and a human being is unquestionable - an effect that generates results that perhaps is crucial in a popular sport like MMA where young fighters and budding martial artists could one day be in the limelight themselves.

To Ng, the role of a martial artist, fighter, or instructor as a role model or an inspiration to others is as important as the abilities and skills that is needed for such a status.

“Whatever you do, there will always be people who look up to you for many different reasons. And you’ll never know who’s watching you, so you would serve to inspire such people and point them in the right path.”

The journey of a martial artist is one filled with many paths, but perhaps one of the most privileged and honourable paths is when he is able to inspire others the same way he or she had been inspired by their own heroes.

Just as he had been inspired by Bruce Lee as a young man, Ng is now inspiring those around him with the same principles and values he has adopted from his own hero.

A privilege that he maintains is a blessing in his never ending journey to improve himself as a human being and a martial artist.

On 22 May, Ng will be making a comeback to MMA after a one-year hiatus due to injury.

Going against Brazilian Rafael Nunes (10-1), ‘The Magician’ is hungry to get back to his winning ways and you can be sure all his students at Evolve will turn up to cheer him on.