Malaysia’s Marc “The Borneon Tiger” Marcellinus (0-2) will make his professional return to the cage at ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI, and is better equipped for success as he seeks his first win.
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The 37-year-old first encountered martial arts as a child on the island of Borneo, where he was taught the ancient martial art of kuntau silat by his grandfather.
“He would teach us kuntau silat so we could defend the family,” he remembers. “Most of the family followed the code of survival of the fittest.
“In those days, you needed to defend your village and defend your land. But my grandfather would teach us moves, and teach us about the code and its ethics – it is not for starting fights, it is for defense.”
The third of eight children, Marcellinus’ world was shattered when he was just 16, as he lost both his parents. His father perished in a car accident, and his mother succumbed to cervical cancer.
“I fell into a very deep depression,” he explains. “There was a lot of pressure on me. We had a big family. But my father used to say that you cannot count on anyone. You cannot be a burden on anyone.”
Marcellinus did his part, and helped to support his family by working odd jobs after school. Soon thereafter, during his freshman year at MARA University of Technology, he discovered Muay Thai.
That prompted him to embark on a 50-bout career before trying his hand in the cage. However, Marcellinus had a late start to the game and had a difficult transition at first, and lost both of his two matches.
“I was still learning, because I did not know the ground game,” he explains. “In martial arts, anything can happen. That is why you need to work on every aspect — your striking and your ground work.”
A natural striker from his Muay Thai days, Marcellinus has since come under the instruction of retired Australian heavyweight Anthony Perosh to build up his ground skills, and better prepare himself for upcoming matches.
“I am really humbled that he took me under his wing, and showed me what is required to be an martial artist.”
The Malaysian will bring that improvement into his battle this weekend at ONE CHAMPIONSHIP: SHANGHAI. He was originally slated to clash with Vietnamese debutant ‘Monster’ Tran Quang Loc, but Tran was forced to withdraw and has since been replaced by Chinese Featherweight prospect Xie Chao (2-2).
“To be in the cage, you need to know all the elements. I think he will bring all the elements in. It is going to be a test of endurance, heart, and skill,” he explains. “I am excited to be back in the cage. I have not competed for three years, so it will be exciting to see how far I have come in my training.”
