Collecting Belts And Helping The Youth – Meet Muay Thai World Champion Youssef Assouik Before His ONE Debut
Youssef Assouik has dedicated his life to martial arts – but also to helping the next generation.
The Danish-Moroccan star – who will make his promotional debut against former ONE Word Title challenger Sinsamut Klinmee at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II on Prime Video in Bangkok – has blended his impressive Muay Thai career with social work that aids the youth of Copenhagen.
It’s not easy to juggle two demanding roles in life, but Assouik has thrived because of his dedication to both of his goals.
Before the reigning WMC Muay Thai World Champion fights in U.S. primetime on Friday, October 4, find out how he’s combined his biggest passions to make an impact.
‘You Had To Have Your Hands Up’
Assouik was born and raised in the Nordvest area of Copenhagen, Denmark, with his parents and two sisters.
Although it was one of the more deprived areas of the city back then, the 29-year-old enjoyed a happy childhood with a loving family.
Still, it was easy to fall on the wrong side of the tracks – which Assouik admits he did at times – and he had people around him who went in all directions.
He told onefc.com:
“My childhood had a lot of action. You had to have your hands up.
“I had a lot of friends. Some people became criminals, some took the school way, and some took the sport way.”
Finding The Right Path
In his early teens, it looked like Assouik could have taken the wrong road, as he found himself in trouble on the streets. However, he was always sporty, and that was his saving grace.
His dad provided the initial push toward martial arts, and he trained in taekwondo for a time, but when he found Muay Thai during a stint in Morocco, he knew it was the right place for all of his energy:
“My father supported me from day one. He wanted me to be a fighter in Muay Thai. He put me in taekwondo training for three-and-a-half years.
“I wanted to play football (soccer}, but he wasn’t happy because he liked combat sports. I tried football and handball, but at around 15, I went all in with Muay Thai. I was in Morocco. I started there.
“After I started Muay Thai, I said, ‘This is awesome.’ I wanted to become a champion. I went all in.”
Combining His Greatest Passions
In the beginning, it was tough to strike a balance between Muay Thai and the rest of his life.
After meeting his first wife and getting married, Assouik worked various jobs to pay the bills alongside his fights, but he didn’t feel fulfilled working in offices or supermarkets.
So, with a full-time gig, a baby on the way, and World Title fights lined up, he enrolled in university to study social work with the hope of supporting the local youth in his area.
Assouik remembers how hard it was to deal with all of his obligations – but he never faltered:
“I think the hardest time was in 2017. In that period, I worked in a company for 40 hours a week, and my ex-wife was pregnant. It was a hard time. My son came 10 days before I had a fight for the ISKA World Championship. I had to go to school and work to pay the bills, I had a newborn baby, and I had a big fight against a Spanish fighter.
“It was really tough. It was hard for me, but I didn’t give up. I told myself I wanted to do it. I won and became an ISKA World Champion.
“That was hard, but it was really good because I continued and followed my heart.”
These days, Assouik runs his own gym and his own company that uses his experiences in life and his accolades in martial arts to help influence young people.
It doesn’t leave much time for anything else, but when he’s not training for fights, he is teaming up with the youth to win their own battles.
He said:
“I have a gym in Denmark, and I have a company called Komeback. Its name comes from what happened in one of my fights where I was knocked down in the first round, but I stood up and kept pressing forward and won.
“I have collaborations with the [Danish] government to help children through social work. I’m one of the owners, and when I’m home in Denmark, I work with the young guys to show them a good way in life, inspire them, and warn them against taking the easy way out and against a life of crime.”
‘They Can’t Hide’
Assouik’s competitive success has not waned because of his other projects.
The Danish-Moroccan striker won National, European, and World Titles as a junior before turning professional in 2014.
He then claimed prestigious belts throughout the pro ranks, including the ISKA Kickboxing and WMC Muay Thai World Titles against elite-level opposition.
Now unbeaten in almost six years with a nine-fight winning streak and still holding the WMC crown, Assouik is ready to bring his skills to the world’s largest martial arts organization, where he believes he has what it takes to reach the very top.
He is facing a tough first assignment in two-time ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title challenger Sinsamut, but the Copenhagen native is confident he can prove himself on the biggest stage:
“Sinsamut is a strong guy. I think I will handle him well because I’m tough.
I look forward to being part of this organization. I want to face him and face other big names here. They can’t hide.
