10 things you should know about Malaysia's martial arts prospect Edilah Johany

THE Malaysian flag will continue to fly at ONE Warrior Series 4 this coming Thursday, 28 February, as Sabah-based competitor Edilah Johany takes on Singapore’s Tan Shi Yin in a women’s atomweight mixed martial arts contest.

Johany will be hoping to register her second career victory when the action gets underway on the fourth ONE Warrior Series live event.

Ahead of her thrilling bout, here are 10 things Malaysians should know about their latest women’s mixed martial arts prospect.

#1 Her full name is Edilah Nadrah Johany, and she will be turning 26 years old in March.

#2 A very determined individual, the Kuala Lumpur-born athlete says she trains for up to five hours per day.

#3 The athlete’s idol is Malaysia’s women’s mixed martial arts pioneer Ann “Athena” Osman.

#4 Besides training with Ann, Edilah trains with several other ONE Championship athletes including AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor, Hisyam “Zephyrus” Samsudin, Kelvin “Ice Man” Ong, and Audreylaura “Ice Comet” Boniface.

#5 Edilah’s first gym was Borneo Tribal Squad, but she is now part of Ewako MMA, which is owned by Hisyam. The gyms are located only 10 kilometers apart.

#6 The ONE Warrior Series athlete is a college graduate. She holds a degree in Conservation Biology from Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

#7 Edilah has been active in sports ever since she was a kid. She participated in hockey, netball, basketball, archery, and taekwondo.

#8 The Sabah resident believes ONE Warrior Series is the best way an upcoming talent can test themselves against the best. She said it’s her absolute dream to compete in ONE Championship, and hopes to win a contract to display her skills on the global stage.

#9 During her first professional bout in Perth, Australia in July 2017, Johany struggled to sleep. She performed well, but broke down after the match because she thought she would never go far in her martial arts journey.

#10 The athlete impressed during her ONE Warrior Series debut just one year later, needing only 103 seconds to submit her opponent, India’s Neha Kashyap.