Malaysian welterweight contender and Kuala Lumpur resident Agilan “Alligator” Thani is considered one of the best fighters in MMA. He competes in Singapore-based ONE Championship, the world’s largest martial arts organization.

Like many people around the world, however, Agilan’s life has been greatly affected by the impact COVID-19 had on the world. Over the past few months, he’s mostly stayed home, working odd jobs as a delivery boy, and teaching martial arts to students to keep financially afloat.

All the while, Agilan has been waiting for a call from ONE Championship for his next bout. That moment has finally arrived, and Agilan is excited to make his much anticipated return to the ONE Circle.

Agilan is scheduled to face fellow former ONE World Title challenger Tyler McGuire at ONE: BIG BANG II, a previously recorded event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for global broadcast this Friday, 11 December.

“Tyler McGuire is a very nice guy. He’s very humble. I think he’s a dangerous guy everywhere – standing or on the ground. I just have to do my best against him, and he has to bring the best of him as well,” said Agilan.

“I’ve worked very hard. But given the situation in Malaysia currently, there’s nothing much we could do to tailor our training honestly. We just work with what we have. I’m very blessed to have my coach around. He’s been helping me from pre-camp to end of the camp, he was always there telling me what to do.

“And then I had some really good sparring partners. I had a gym that was really looking after me, letting me use their facilities. In a way, we just used what we have. We couldn’t bring in more people. We couldn’t ask for more things. We just polished up our tools.”

At 25, Agilan has already accomplished more than what many have at the same age. He’s competed against some of the biggest names in MMA, such as Ben Askren, Zebaztian Kadestam, reigning ONE Welterweight World Champion Kiamrian Abbasov, as well as UFC legends Yoshihiro Akiyama and Yushin Okami.

Against McGuire, Agilan faces another tough challenge. He’s ultimately looking to move himself back up the ladder, and a win over his American opponent will certainly move the needle in that direction.

When asked if he believes another shot at the title is just around the corner, Agilan said he’s not looking past the man in front of him.

“You never know, only time can tell that. I’m just looking forward to doing my best against Tyler for now. The most important thing that I’ve learned from fighting all these big names is that I have to do my best against anyone put in front of me. I shouldn’t look past anything,” said Agilan.

“Obviously the best fight to get would be against the champion of my division. But I think I need to put together a few more wins to get to that level again.”

ONE Championship earlier this year announced a partnership with food delivery service, Foodpanda. The two companies are working together on a variety of initiatives and activations, aimed at bringing fans closer to their favorite Malaysian athletes.

Agilan has been tapped as part of this initiative, to become a champion for proper nutrition, and to satisfy cravings through the popular food delivery app. The “Alligator” is thankful for how Foodpanda has become part of Malaysian society, helping nourish families with good food and excellent service.

“Honestly, Foodpanda has been an amazing part of our lives here in Malaysia,” said Agilan.

“When the lockdowns hit, we all tried our best to make our own food, which is great and all but being able to have the convenience of ordering your favorite dishes online in a quick and easy way has been amazing. It’s easy and saves a lot of time without being too expensive. My family always orders through Foodpanda.

ONE Championship returns with ONE: BIG BANG II, a previously recorded event for global broadcast on Friday, 11 December. In the main event, former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion and current #3-ranked contender Jonathan “The General” Haggerty of the United Kingdom takes on Taiki “Silent Sniper” Naito of Japan.

Watch ONE: BIG BANG II this Friday, 11 December on Astro SuperSport, RTM Sports, or RTM TV2 at 8:30 p.m. Malaysia Time (MYT).