As the chorus for live sporting events continues to grow amid the lockdown, there are finally signs of hope for soccer fans. ONE Championship bantamweight Radeem Rahman is among those excited for the return of English football.
After the league’s initial suspension on 3 April following the COVID-19 outbreak, English Premier League officials now expect matches to resume by 12 June.
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Rahman – an ardent Liverpool F.C. supporter – cannot wait to see his favorite club back in action.
“It’s about time!” Rahman said. “Honestly, I want to see Liverpool lift the EPL title. We are just lucky as fans that we are still able to watch our team play no matter where we are.”
Like the legions of Liverpool fans throughout the world, Rahman is confident of the club’s chances at domestic silverware this season.
“We’ve been performing great and before things stopped, Liverpool were top of the table,” he said.
The Reds hold a sizeable 25-point lead over the second-place Manchester City in the Premier League’s standings.
After the defending European Champions crashed out of the Champions League, it was a silver lining despite the bitter defeat.
“I think because of what happened against Athletico Madrid, the squad is now focused on the EPL title,” he said. “Just look at our record at home this season.”
Liverpool set the English top-flight football record of 22 consecutive wins this season, and Rahman is hopeful they can continue their streak.
In the meantime, even though the COVID-19 pandemic put a temporary stop to all sports, soccer-starved Rahman is still scoring goals on the virtual pitch.
“Yeah, I haven’t played futsal with my friends since this whole thing happened,” Rahman said. “So, I’ve been on FIFA 20 Pro Club every day with my friends online.”
However, once the lockdown in Singapore is lifted, Rahman expects it to be business as usual at Neue Fit where he trains.
“I loved football since I was a kid, that was my aspiration,” he admitted. “But once I found martial arts, it became my interest. I got better at it and I’ve continued to apply myself. So, this will be no different when things get back to normal.”
Though soccer remains a pastime, Rahman frequently plays to supplement his martial arts training.
“I think soccer is very underrated as many people don’t realize just how much it helps to maintain your cardio and improve your focus,” he said.
Cross-training has become a growing topic of interest among athletes and fitness enthusiasts. As a professional mixed martial artist who has experimented with different training methods, Rahman can provide a balanced perspective.
“It is not advisable for martial artists to train soccer like a professional as the injury rate in soccer is pretty high, but I also feel that it’s good to cross-train in other disciplines because that’s the essence of mixed martial arts,” Rahman said.
“Soccer is easy to get into and anyone can play. So, I would say train smartly and just utilize the benefits of both.”
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