For centuries, going back to the olden days of our island nation, combat skills and the fighter spirit have always prevailed, especially where traditional arts in the form of ‘angampora’ have been used to showcase our prowess against foreign powers and intruders of the island.
Our protagonist today is a young fighter who battles his way through martial arts to signal to the youth of Sri Lanka on moulding self-discipline and humbleness through combat sports.
The Sunday Morning Sports sat down for a chat with Gevin Linden about his journey of transforming himself from an average schoolboy with no combat experience to becoming a striking force in the Sri Lanka’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) arena, especially as a sought-after fighter in Muay Thai.
In August, he took part in the Karma Fight League and won the main 72 kg event. In 2022 he won the 81 kg event at the International Muay Thai Organisation Tournament in Indonesia.
Gevin won his very first fight when he contested at the World Boxing Council Muay Thai Sri Lanka heavyweight category event last year.
He is currently training for the upcoming WBC Muay Thai Sri Lanka event, a tournament that will take place this month on 18 November at the Royal MAS Arena in Colombo.
Muay Thai is a heavily physical sport. How did you get into it and how has the journey been?
Ever since I was young, I was always fascinated by all these martial arts movies. The ‘Rocky’ films really cemented the fact that I wanted to get into combat sports and one day become a champion. When I was checking up on the different martial arts options, Muay Thai, which is the sport that I’m currently doing, is what impressed me the most. To see these fighters utilise elbows, knees, kicks, punches, etc. – it’s beautiful to watch. I knew that I wanted to be like that one day.
In 2019 I started training under Coach Vimukthi and it was a great four years. It was only just last year that I got the chance to seriously compete and I felt absolutely great after winning all the fights I faced. I’m looking forward to more victories and my main goal is to one day actually take part in the ONE Championship, which is the biggest combat sports event in Asia.
Do combat sports really get enough attention and support in Sri Lanka?
I believe that a lot of support is needed. We do dominate in cricket, but when you look at all the other sports in Lanka, we find it difficult at the world stage, like in football and rugby, even though we might be good here at home.
However, combat sports is something that we can actually grow. From what I’ve noticed, within my training and so on, we have a lot of talent in Sri Lanka with people who can make it to the big leagues. The issue is that we don’t have the kind of support you see in other countries.
When I went to Indonesia last year, there was an entire TV channel that was completely dedicated to combat sports. They have good quality stores that cater to combat sports and they have a combat sports culture, which is there in many Asian countries and all across the world. Sri Lanka does not have that yet and it’s sad considering that we have the potential to build some really strong fights in our club alone.
We have a lot of good fighters and clubs around the country; there is a lot of potential. However, there are still many disagreements among certain officials in the sport which is stopping us from growing. In order for us to achieve that standard, we need to all come to a proper agreement, putting aside personal differences.
We are slowly improving because now you see a lot of different combat sports events and we need a lot of publicity to take the sports to the masses.
Do you believe Muay Thai can help youth in distress and lend a hand to tackle various social issues facing them?
Any combat sport or martial art humbles you, disciplines you, and builds character. You might think that an aggressive person will get violent if they join a combat sport and start training. No; it humbles you. You start to see what people are capable of. It’s not easy to train because the training is hellish and it’s that heavy strain that teaches you life lessons.
What I feel is that the global youth, most kids and teenagers, turn to drugs and illegal acts because they don’t have an outlet.
Sean Strickland from the UFC is a good example. As a kid he was very violent and got involved in a lot of problematic situations. Then his mother decided to put him into MMA and that’s where he actually learned discipline and humility, and he’s now a world champion in MMA in the UFC.
In combat sports, more than the physical demand, the mental toll humbles you. I believe that a lot of people will benefit from taking part in combat sports. I’m not demeaning other sports, but there’s something very special about combat sports that cannot be replicated.
Even though our past boasts of a rich ‘angampora’ tradition, why do you think most parents in Sri Lanka and the region hold harsh opinions about combat sports?
When you look at combat sports as a whole – boxing, Muay Thai, whatever it may be – what parents or people generally see is two people going all out at it and hurting each other. I can understand their point and it is why most parents are not comfortable putting their kids through that. Even my parents were pretty upset before I got permission to compete, but now they’re very supportive.
What you need to understand is that combat sports is not a brawl; it’s a complete art form. The way these athletes use their bodies when in combat sports is beautiful. The risk of injuries is there in every sport, but the physical transformation you have as a combat sport athlete is phenomenal and there is the mental transformation as well, as I mentioned earlier.
I understand the reluctance on the part of parents when their child wants to take part in combat sports, but I urge them to give it a chance, because they will see the talent in Sri Lanka – their kids could be the next talent and parents need to give them that opportunity.
As they say, don’t judge a book by its cover. Instead of just watching fights, understand the history behind it, the culture, and the traditions. In Thailand, Muay Thai is the national sport and there is a whole fighting culture. You have to experience it. Our parents need to be a lot more open-minded so we can build a good generation of combat sports athletes in Sri Lanka.
What is your advice to athletes who are fighting many battles in the journey of life?
I would say never give up. This might sound like a cliché, but you should never give up. It’s going to be particularly tough in combat sports, which is draining. Sometimes I ask myself why I am doing this. But when you push through those barriers, you will see the glory on the horizon.
All I have to say is, don’t underestimate yourselves. There will be awful, terrible days but you will see what you can accomplish at the end of it. For those of you who are still on the fence about combat sports, on 18 November the World Boxing Council Muay Thai Sri Lanka Tournament will take place at the Royal MAS Arena. There will be a tonne of experienced and talented Muay Thai fighters who will be taking part, so come and watch that – I promise it will be sublime.