Panicos Yusuf

Status: Former ONE Athlete

Two-time Muay Thai World Champion Panicos Yusuf is originally from Limassol, the second-largest city in the island nation of Cyprus. He spent a lot of time playing outside, climbing trees, and swimming as a child, but later had to start going to work with his father at the age of 8. He briefly studied Shotokan Karate, but didn’t seriously train in martial arts until he discovered Muay Thai when he was 15 years old.

Yusuf first started practising Muay Thai for fitness and self-defense, but soon realized it meant much more than that to him. Two months after stepping into the gym for the first time, he entered his first Muay Thai bout. He then competed extensively for the Cyprus national Muay Thai team, traveling all the way to Russia and Lebanon to test his skills in the ring.

In 2005, Yusuf relocated to Manchester, England, to be with his wife and opened his own gym named All Powers. He has since compiled almost 40 wins in a sterling professional career, and he has even been ranked as the United Kingdom’s very best Muay Thai athlete in his weight class.