MANILA--He may not be thinking about following the footsteps of swimming star turned MMA fighter May Ooi right now, but Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling now has a potential fallback if his own stint at the pool ends.
The sports sensation from Singapore found himself exchanging a day underwater for a crash course inside an MMA cage with fellow local star athlete Angela Lee and younger brother Christian on Thursday at the Evolve Far East Square Gym in the said city-state.
After the workout, Schooling said, “It’s a really great cardio. I just did it for 20 minutes and I'm already out of breath.”
The Lees taught Schooling basic MMA skills plus some self-defense moves.
Schooling became well-known for beating Michael Phelps in the men's 100-meter butterfly swimming final in the Rio Olympics, giving Singapore its first Olympic gold medal in the sport where the city-state is the dominating force in Southeast Asia.
One of Schooling's teachers, meanwhile, is also high-profile as Angela Lee is the current One Championship women's atomweight champion.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
The Lees taught Schooling basic MMA skills plus some self-defense moves.
Schooling became well-known for beating Michael Phelps in the men's 100-meter butterfly swimming final in the Rio Olympics, giving Singapore its first Olympic gold medal in the sport where the city-state is the dominating force in Southeast Asia.
One of Schooling's teachers, meanwhile, is also high-profile as Angela Lee is the current One Championship women's atomweight champion.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno