Throughout his nine-year professional mixed martial arts career, Radeem Rahman encountered several challenging moments, but he could always count on the support of one man to disprove his doubts – his father, Abdul Rahman.

The Singaporean bantamweight – who returns after a long layoff from injury to face Jeff Chan at ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE next Friday, 28 February – will be entering the Circle in name of his bedridden father, who is recovering from a stroke.

The past few months have been hard for Rahman, as he struggles to cope with his dad’s health issues.

“My father passed out when he was walking with us and it started to become really dangerous. He lost his job because of that,” Rahman said.

“Then he was hospitalized after a mild stroke, and that’s when things really changed for us.”

Abdul was the sole breadwinner for Rahman and his three younger siblings. But with his father now recovering from a stroke, the Singaporean and his mother had to step in to take the reins.

“My mom went back to work to help with the medical bills, and I held some side jobs to finance my siblings’ school fees,” he said.

“It was hard to find a place in Singapore that could help train me and develop my skills. At the same time, there were many things going on. I was dealing with injury, and getting engaged.”

Although at times the immense responsibilities seem like too much for Rahman to bear, he admits his father keeps him going.

“My dad was the biggest influence on me growing up,” the ONE Championship athlete said.

“He was a combat sports fan and I was on the couch with him, watching Muay Thai and boxing together. That’s how it all started.

“He knew that I had a passion for martial arts, and he told me, ‘Do not ever get complacent. There is always someone out there better than you.’ That is why I’ve always reminded myself to work harder and to never quit.”

The words of encouragement have also helped Rahman combat the adversity he faces outside of the Circle.

After several knee surgeries hampered his ability to compete, the Singaporean bantamweight persevered through rehabilitation and found his way back to competition.

“My dad always told me that if I wanted to do something, I had to see it through. He was there for me at the start, at every match when he was still healthy and able to walk,” Rahman said.

“Now seeing him bedridden, it breaks my heart. He tries to talk to me, but it’s hard because he’s still recovering. All of this makes me even more motivated to win this match – and after that, I will go spend time with him.”

Be sure to support Rahman as he competes for his father on 28 February at ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The lead card starts on meWATCH at 5:30pm Singapore Standard Time (SGT).

To watch the main card, tune-in to meWATCH at 8:30pm SGT.

Also, Channel 5 will air the main card on a delay at 12:00am SGT on Saturday, 29 February.

Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action live and for free.

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