Alain Ngalani Reveals How His Martial Arts Career Started By Chance

Kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Alain “The Panther” Ngalani

Despite being known as one of the most dangerous knockout artists in ONE Championship today, Alain “The Panther” Ngalani admits he stumbled into competitive martial arts when he was younger.

In his in-depth interview with ONE commentator Michael Schiavello, the Cameroonian explains that he started in judo, before his desire to take on a discipline with more contact brought him to Kyokushin karate.

Once he started training in the Japanese art, he was thrust into a competitive environment in the most unlikely of circumstances.

Alain Ngalani One Bangkok March 2018 Fights 149.jpg

He explains: “A lot of people were looking at me doing the splits, saying ‘It’s not going to help you in judo, so you might want to come to a striking martial art.’

“Once, I had to replace someone in a karate competition. I was just there to watch, but someone wasn’t available. I had to replace him, and I won the competition. That’s how I got into karate.”

This fascinating episode of One On One With “The Voice” also features Ngalani’s stories of his brush with competitive bodybuilding, what it was like to compete against 40 Kyokushin karate black belts in a row as part of a kumite, and much more.

More in News

Panpayak Jitmuangnon Silviu Vitez ONE Friday Fights 83 24
Anatoly Malykhin Oumar Kane ONE 169 78
Ok Rae Yoon Alibeg Rasulov ONE Fight Night 23 57
John Lineker Alexey Balyko ONE Fight Night 25 42
Prajanchai PK Saenchai Jonathan Di Bella ONE Friday Fights 68 7
Christian Lee becomes the new ONE Welterweight World Champion
Gilbert Nakatani Hero 1200x1165
Aslamjon Ortikov Watcharaphon Singha Mawynn ONE Friday Fights 54 11
Anatoly Malykhin Oumar Kane ONE 169 68
Rodtang Jitmuangnon Jacob Smith ONE 169 89
Kade Ruotolo Ahmed Mujtaba ONE 169 31
Kongchai Chanaidonmueang Chokpreecha PK Saenchai ONE Friday Fights 87 42