Rahul Raju, Furqan Cheema (©ONE Championship)

Furqan “The Lion” Cheema, 29, of Pakistan has joined a new team. The ONE Championship athlete is now training under the tutelage of Mark Spencer, the founder and head coach at Straight Blast Gym Bradford in Sunbridge Road in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom.

“Mark is a very good coach and it doesn’t need to be said as he has developed many fighters and many who have become successful in the U.K. MMA scene,” Cheema exclusively told Conan Daily. “I’ve known Mark for many years and I know this is the best move for me to develop my skill set and excel. After having a chat with Mark, we have set a plan and working on my areas of improvement and building a good foundation.”

Formerly known as Fulinkinzan, SBG Bradford is affiliated with the SBG group, which is home to Conor “The Notorious” McGregor, 31, and John Kavanagh, 43, of Dublin, Ireland, Matt Inman, 34, of Manchester, England and many other world-class mixed martial artists. As Cheema noted, SBG has quality fighters in the U.K., who have exhibited their fighting skills around the world.

“I will have the opportunity to use (the lessons from SBG Bradford) and spar with other SBG teams,” Cheema shared. “I want to not only set a trademark in ONE Championship but also give Mark what he deserves and that is to have his gym and coaching recognized in the world stage.”

“I’ve always respected and got along with Mark since day dot and now to work and learn from him is fantastic,” the Pakistani MMA fighter continued. “I look forward to our journey.”

When Cheema made his ONE Championship debut at “ONE: Edge of Greatness” on November 22, 2019 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, he was submitted by Rahul “The Kerala Krusher” Raju, 27, of India. The Pakistani MMA fighter may earn his first win in the promotion soon as he is expected to return to the cage this 2020.

Currently, Cheema holds a professional MMA record of 3 wins and 1 loss. His second outing in ONE Championship has yet to be announced.

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