UFC

Exclusive: Tyson Nam on when he discovered his knockout power and how MMA wasn’t his first love

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Tyson Nam got his first UFC win against Zarrukh Adashev with an incredible knockout

Tyson Nam is one of the veterans in the MMA world but the 36-year-old rocked the UFC world with an incredible knockout.

This took place against Zarrukh Adashev at UFC Eye vs Calvillo, and that got the world talking. This was also his first win in the UFC and Nam was speaking to the Blood, Sweat and Tears podcast recently.

(L-R) Tyson Nam punches Zarrukh Adashev of Uzbekistan in their bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 13, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Nam was asked how it felt to get his first knockout in the UFC, and the 36-year-old highlighted his punching power:

“Ain’t nothing new. I have been doing it for a while now. I think either 10 or 11 of my finishes have come via knockout. I always do it with my right hand, I don’t know why.”

The American also spoke about how he learned of his knockout power, and all this came from outside the Octagon:

“I was only in one street fight before I got into training and I knocked somebody out with my right hand.”

Pressure got me into MMA

While Nam has over 30 professional MMA fights in his career, the Octagon wasn’t his first love. The Hawaii star was asked how he got into this world and claimed he was pushed into it all:

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“Peer pressure. I used to work out in my gym at high school after I graduated. The cousins of the Inoue brothers, Egan and Enson, would roll around in the little gym.”

Nam claimed that they wanted him to join in, and he highlighted how he always played sports like basketball or football but never wrestled.

“Basketball was the first love of my life but to try something new intrigued me.”

Tyson Nam reacts after his knockout victory over Zarrukh Adashev of Uzbekistan in their bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on June 13, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Nam added that he did grow up watching movies like Rocky but his family didn’t want him to get into this. All of that changed as he became his own man after graduating.

“When I started practising, I was kinda good at it. My first amateur kickboxing match was after a month of training.”

The 36-year-old will be back in action on 12 September against Matt Schnell. However, Nam is open to fighting before the year ends and it will be interesting to see if he gets another win in the UFC via a knockout.

This was an exclusive interview from Blood, Sweat and Tears. For more exclusive interviews and content please follow the link

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

Ditching a corporate job to follow a dream isn't easy, but when football comes calling, who can say no? Been following the beautiful game since 1998. Liverpool addict, F1 fanatic!

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