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A.J. Pyro: The silat master of MMA


One look at A.J. Vaas Mansoor - or better known as A.J. Pyro in the cage - and you can tell that he’s no ordinary person. His bulging biceps and rock-hard abs suggest that he’s a seasoned mixed martial artist (which he is, by the way) and his no-nonsense demeanor suggests that you shouldn’t mess with him (really, you shouldn’t).

But then again, there’s more to the 37-year Sabahan than meets the eye: he is the first – and only – MMA Fighter with a silat background. That’s right; while other fighters deliver lightning fast punches and deadly roundhouse kicks, Pyro prefers sticking to silat to, umm, ‘dance’ with his opponents before striking them out.

So, how does he defeat his opponents using the art of silat?

AJ Pyro sat down with Yahoo! Malaysia recently to talk about his unorthodox fighting style, how he picked up martial arts and how he plans to defeat a Muay Thai expert in an upcoming MMA match.



How did you get your fight name ‘Pyro’? Was it something that you thought of, or someone gave you the nickname?
I thought about it myself. I’ve been practicing martial arts since I was a little kid, and it took me a while to figure out what type of character I am.

What does your nickname mean?
Pyro is like the fire inside me. That’s who I am. No matter if it’s rain or shine, my fire is always there so, that’s how I got the nickname. I love it.

You mentioned that you started practicing martial arts when you were a kid. How did you get involved with martial arts?

I’m a typical kampung boy; I came from a small village. In small villages, silat is really popular, so I started off by doing silat. It was also for self defense, so I thought why not.

Where did you learn the art of silat from?

In the village, there was a silat master who conducts classes, and there was where all the boys trained. I wanted to go, because my brother was really into silat. So, I went there, I trained and that was how I got into silat.

So did you have sparring matches with your brother?

(Laughs) No. He was ten years older than me, and he would always beat me up. I just sparred with the other kids. But he inspired me a lot. He took me to tournaments and I saw him compete. I thought, “If he can do this, I can do it too”.



We have to say, silat is a very unconventional fighting style in the MMA. What would you say is the advantage silat gives you against other fighters?
For me, silat is no different from Taekwondo, karate or boxing, or Muay Thai; they have their own strength and weaknesses. But the biggest plus point of silat is the ‘warrior spirit’. So, when I train or prepare for a match, the spirit gives me strength not only in the cage, but in my daily life. It teaches me not to give up, to just keep going.

When you step into the MMA cage, what goes through your mind?
When I step into the cage, it’s just all war, you know? You got to think about your game plan, your strategy, what you want to do; but it’s all war, you got to give your hundred per cent. There’s no way back, you got to win it.

You will be facing off against Jian Kai Chee, a Muay Thai expert, in your next MMA bout here in Malaysia. How is your training coming along?
The training is coming along really good. I’ve been training for eight weeks, and the first four weeks I was training in Thailand. Kai Chee is a Muay Thai striker, so I went to Thailand to train with my coach, so that’s how committed I am. The last four weeks, I’ve been doing hard training. These eight weeks, I’ve learnt a lot of things and sacrificed a lot.

How confident are you in defeating him?
I’m very confident. I feel solid in every department; my strength, my conditioning, my striking game, my ground game. I’m ready for the fight, and I’m going to win this.

What would you say is his greatest strength?
He has a very good striking technique; he’s very, very dangerous. He can knock you out. But I can knock him out also. (Laughs)

How important is winning this match for you?
This is the semi-final of the National Featherweight Championship, so it’s very, very crucial. I really want this title. This is going to be a big opportunity for me to achieve something big in the MMA, not only for me, but for my friends, my family, my fans, those back in my hometown. If I win this, I can inspire them. I really want to win this title.

A.J. Pyro will face off against Jian Kai Chee in the 4-man ONE FC: RETURN OF WARRIORS Malaysian Featherweight Championship Tournament on 2 February 2013 in Stadium Putra.