No organization has helped develop martial arts in Singapore more than ONE Championship.

Based in Singapore, The Home Of Martial Arts gives athletes the chance to compete on the global stage and build their professional careers throughout Asia.

Mixed martial artist Troy “Pretty Boy” Worthen took full advantage of this when he moved to “The Lion City” to train and live. The American became the very first candidate selected from thousands of applicants in the Evolve MMA Global Tryouts last November.

The 26-year-old, who now competes in ONE’s bantamweight division, encountered some initial challenges when he first moved to Singapore.

“I couldn’t do much because I didn’t have a local phone number, and to do that, I needed a local address,” Worthen recalled. “And without a local number, I couldn’t use the free Wi-Fi. It was hard to piece everything together.”

But thanks to a landlord who accepted a month’s rent as deposit from “Pretty Boy,” things began to fall into place.

Before then, the wrestler had to shoulder most of the load in finding a new home. Along with his Evolve teammate, he stayed in a hostel while he searched for a better housing accommodation.

With that out of the way, things have been going smoothly for the NCWA Wrestling Champion, and he now enjoys every single day in “The Lion City.”

The Floridian is amazed by the transportation system in Singapore. He used to miss his car and the freedom it afforded him in Florida, but the ease and convenience of getting around in Singapore quickly grew on Worthen.

“I sometimes miss being able to throw my road bike on the back of my car and drive 60 miles to a beautiful state park and enjoy that, which isn’t something you can do easily over here,” he said.

“But honestly, Singapore has been easy to get around, and I actually like being not so reliant on a vehicle and having to spend all that extra money on gas and stuff.”

The 26-year-old is also in love with the country’s multi-cultural landscape.

“I love that we have such a melting pot here. I think the mantra of ONE Championship – “we are ONE” – is really true of Singaporean culture because you have so many different religions, countries, backgrounds, [and] statuses, but everyone seems to get along, and we all help one another,” he explained.

“I think that’s the essence of martial arts, and I think Singapore is the perfect poster child for it.”

Food choices on the island city-state appeal to Worthen as well, although he admits he might have to watch his calories from time to time.

“It took me a while to explore and find certain places that had healthier options for my diet as an athlete,” he said. “I gained a few kilos when I got here because it’s so tasty I [can’t] just get one serving.”

Intense training at Evolve MMA not only helped to keep him in shape, but it also prepared him for his promotional debut in July.

Evidently, “Pretty Boy” impressed everyone after he effortlessly defeated Chinese athlete ‘The Ghost” Chen Rui.

The American is now eager to perform in his new home and has his eye set on ONE’s Singapore card slated for November.

In the meantime, he is more than happy to encourage new athletes to move to the tropical country. But if he has one takeaway from his journey in Singapore, then it would be patience.

“As a new athlete, you need to expect it to be a little daunting at first,” Worthen said. “But be patient through the adversity, you will eventually figure it out, and once [you do], things will get easier.”

Check out ONE Championship’s next event, ONE: CENTURY, the biggest World Championship martial arts event in history. No organization has ever promoted two full-scale World Championship events in one day.

But The Home Of Martial Arts breaks new ground as it features 28 World Champions, four World Title bouts, three World Grand Prix Championship Finals, and four World Champion versus World Champion matches.

The action happens at the famous Ryogoku Kokugikan on 13 October in Tokyo, Japan.

Download the ONE Super App to catch all the action live and for free.

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