10-year-old Sabahan becomes world champ after eight months of Muay Thai

SANDAKAN – Only eight months into Muay Thai, 10-year-old Dazaisy Hafie Aznee is already a world champion.

As the first Sabahan to win a gold medal for Malaysia at the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) World Youth Muay Thai Championship 2022, Dazaisy attended his first Muay Thai class without any knowledge of the sport.

Speaking to The Vibes, Dazaisy said he attended his first class at The 66 Unicorn gym – Sandakan’s first Muay Thai gym in January with no intention of going competitive.

“One day, I just decided to follow my older brother and join Muay Thai for fun but after my first class, I liked it and took it seriously,” he said. 

Since that day, it was no turning back for Dazaisy whose ring name is Darkula66. He entered club level, state level and national level competitions and won all the competitions.

In the World Youth Muay Thai Championships, Dazaisy defeated opponents from Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia in the 27kg category semi-final and final, respectively.

According to his coach, Muhammadin Jainudin, Dazaisy’s talent was first noticed during his first class, adding that his discipline and dedication are the key factors to his success. 

“It is unquestionable that Dazaisy is talented. However, many of them here are talented too but the difference is that the boy’s dedication is on another level. In training, although exhausted, he will still keep going until he is satisfied. 

“He does five hours of intense training every day since May. For his age, the discipline that he shows is great and that is why he is a champion,” said Jainudin. 

At the same time, 66 Unicorn Muaythai Sandakan gym’s owner and coach, Mohamad Ajman Ajmain, said that after Dazaisy’s performance in the national level championship, the coaches had set a clear target for Dazaisy – to bring home gold for Malaysia. 

“We have seen how he won every match (during the national level championship). None of his opponents managed to finish the fight; they were either stopped by the referee or his opponents were knocked out. 

“He deserved the gold; he did not win it by chance. That was why we set a target for him, and he did not disappoint,” Ajman said. 

Meanwhile, his brother, Dazrey Dinnie Aznee, 15, also competed at the World Youth Championships but could only go as far as the semi-finals. He was defeated by a three-time world champion from Belgium. 

The defeat at the championships is not slowing Dazrey down as he is now determined to train hard for next year’s championship. 

Just like Dazaisy, Dazrey also performed extraordinarily in Muay Thai. He won gold at the national championships last month, which earned him a spot at the world championship.

Dazrey added that he decided to give the combat sport a try because he felt the necessity to learn martial arts for self-defence. 

“My brother (Dazaisy) was only ‘tagging-along’ but now he is a world champion, and I am proud of his achievement. My parents are also delighted with our achievements as this was all unexpected,” he said. 

Dazrey said that his parents did not expect them to excel in the sport, and he believes that they have made their parents proud. 

The achievement and success of both brothers at the national level inspired other students from his school to join Muay Thai. 

Dazrey added that long-hour training sessions never disrupt his studies as he will always allocate substantial time to do his homework and revisions.

Growing interest in Muay Thai

Meanwhile, speaking about the growing interest of the public in Muay Thai, Ajman said he is happy that more people, regardless of age and gender, have gained the courage to try the sport. 

“I started learning Muay Thai in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur. At the time, Muay Thai was more like a performance or entertainment and not competitive.

“Being the first to open a Muay Thai gym in Sandakan, we now have more than 100 students, and it is still growing because of the interest,” he said. 

Ajman also said that Muay Thai is often misunderstood as a violent and dangerous sport, especially for children. 

He explained that Muay Thai is, in fact, one of the safest sports because of its strict rules that prioritise the safety of the fighters. 

He said Muay Thai safety gear and categorising of the fighters based on weight are among the measures taken to keep them safe from serious injuries. 

“Many people, especially parents, may not know that Muay Thai prioritises discipline. Children are taught to have better discipline and become someone with better character and social skills. There is nothing to worry about sending their children to learn Muay Thai,” he added. –The Vibes, August 28, 2022