This week, we’re spotlighting one of Bangtao’s rising stars, Assane Timur Sall, who’s gearing up for a whirlwind two weeks of competition with two amateur MMA events and three full-contact fights within seven days. Assane’s first challenge kicks off this weekend in Bali, Indonesia, on August 31st at the Road to CFN event, where he’ll compete in a four-man tournament, possibly fighting twice in one day. Following this, he’ll fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for another bout on September 7th at Rage MMA Malaysia.
Assane has been a dedicated member of the gym for over a year and is one of Bangtao’s sponsored athletes. Known for his well-rounded skill set, Assane is a versatile competitor with sharp striking and a dangerous ground game. Reflecting on his packed fight schedule, he said, “I’m excited to fight on back-to-back weekends. This will be my first time ever doing something like that in MMA. Obviously, I’ve done it in Jiu-Jitsu competitions before where you have multiple matches in the same day. But with MMA it’s a different intensity and there’s much larger possibility for injury.”
The 20-year-old Hawaiian fighter cites the frustrations of inactivity and frequent cancellations this year as the motivation behind his decision to take on back-to-back events. “I’m really excited for this challenge because it’s been such a struggle getting fights out here as a high ranked amateur. This will be my first fight in the last six months. I had so many cancellations that I just said, ‘screw it I might as well just book 2 fights back-to-back’ that way I can try and get that fight experience.”
Assane aims to elevate his amateur MMA record from 3-1 to 6-1 in just a week, with his sights set on making his professional debut next year. Be sure to catch Assane, along with his Bangtao teammates Tor, Toby McNerlin, and Jonathan “Guns” Semerene, in action this weekend at Road to CFN by tuning in to the Canggu Fight Night Bali YouTube channel!