From The Straits Times    |
5 minutes with Mitch Chilson

5 minutes with Mitch ChilsonFor someone known as Mitch “The Dragon” Chilson, this pro mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter smiles a lot.

The jovial instructor at the Evolve MMA gym and competitor in the ONE Fighting Championship reveals that he actually has a softer, much gentler side, “I’m a completely different guy when you meet me in the cage and in person. I’m very soft and squishy to my dog, he’s my baby.”

Gorgeous and an animal-lover? Now you’ve got our unwavering attention.

Starting out in martial arts when he was a mere tot of six years, Chilson said he “hated getting his a** kicked” in karate class but discovered a passion for the sport as he got older, and has now been teaching at Evolve MMA for three years.

Even those unfamiliar with MMA may recognise this American-Japanese hunk, as he’s been the face on many an Evolve poster. That’s not much of a stretch for him, considering he used to be a part-time model and actor for two or three years upon arriving in Singapore.

When asked if he would go back to modelling, Chilson replied that he “never knows what his face will look like the next day” now that he’s a fight instructor. I guess this means we’ll have to be content with seeing him mostly in the cage for now, not that we’re complaining. Those rock-solid abs are hardly an eyesore, but they’ve taken plenty of hard work and cutting out of pasta — his favourite pig-out food — to achieve.

Speaking of food, did we mention that Chilson’s also a whizz at whipping up Japanese meals? Growing up in his mother’s restaurant, he worked his way up the ranks and is now about as pro a chef as he is a fighter.

Sounds too good to be true? It doesn’t matter either way, ladies; he’s taken.

But check this video out anyway, as Mitch chats with us about being macho, and a funny little rumour we heard about how he likes being tickled behind his knee.

Catch Mitch Chilson in the ONE Fighting Championship: Rise of Kings on October 6, 8pm at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets are available at SISTIC from $38. For more information, visit www.onefc.com or www.evolve-mma.com.