‘My Family Was Really Impoverished’ – How Martial Arts Gave Banma Duoji A New Lease On Life
Banma “The Prince” Duoji has all the well-rounded skills and natural athleticism needed to take ONE’s talent-stacked flyweight MMA division by storm.
At ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II on Prime Video, the Chinese sensation will look to continue his climb toward divisional gold when he takes on all-action scrapper “Mini T” Danial Williams in a pivotal MMA tilt at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
This contest will air live in U.S. primetime on Friday, October 4, and mark Banma’s chance to pick up his second straight win in ONE and further assert himself as a contender on the global scene.
Ahead of this much-anticipated matchup, we take a closer look at the 27-year-old’s journey to the world’s largest martial arts organization.
‘I Was Small And Weak’
Born and raised in China’s Sichuan Province, Banma grew up in a single-parent household. He recalls being undersized and often the target of bullies at school. He was, however, lucky to have his older brother around to offer protection.
“The Prince” spoke to onefc.com about his childhood:
“Although my biological father left when I was born, I was fortunate enough to have my mom, big brother, and sister who love me. I was small and weak during my childhood, so my big brother always stood up to protect me when the other peers bullied me.”
As a youngster, Banma struggled in school, both academically and socially. He admits he was never a strong student, but he was more troubled by bullies and the fist fights he often found himself in.
Luckily, the school’s headmaster realized that Banma couldn’t thrive in a traditional academic setting and encouraged him to relocate to Enbo Fight Club – a place for impoverished youth to live while learning martial arts:
“I often fought with others in the school. The headmaster asked me to go to his office to talk. He said it was really impolite if I always chose to fight instead of using my words. But I’m very grateful to him because he introduced Enbo Fight Club to me.”
MMA As A Career
The move to Enbo Fight Club proved to be the most important decision of Banma’s life.
Even before he left school in favor of training in martial arts, he was inspired by his older brother and had an avid interest in learning the skills of hand-to-hand combat:
“As I previously mentioned, my older brother fought to keep me safe when I was a little child. I used to believe that being victorious in fights would protect me from bullying. Perhaps that’s what motivated me to take martial arts classes.”
Young, energetic, and gifted with natural athleticism, Banma started in the striking art of sanda at 10 years old before taking his first fight at 12. Before long, he branched out to grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, falling deeper and deeper in love with the martial arts as his path in life started to become clear.
When he was 16 years old, he won his first amateur MMA bout and hasn’t looked back since:
“I came to the realization that mixed martial arts is what I want to do for the rest of my life after winning my first match, since I genuinely relished the sensation of victory.”
Escaping Poverty
If victory was his driving force, “The Prince” has seen plenty of that in his fighting career. He boasts a 15-2 professional MMA record with a near-perfect finishing rate, having established himself as one of China’s most talented rising stars.
Of course, his climb to the elite ranks wasn’t without adversity. Looking back, Banma said that the most difficult time of his life were those early days when his family struggled to put food on the table and make ends meet:
“My family was really impoverished when I was very small. My mother was the only one who could work at first to make any money. My older brother left school to work once he was an adult. So when I knew Enbo Fight Club could provide free lodging in addition to free food, I took this chance to join it to reduce financial pressure for my family.”
Indeed, Banma’s move to Enbo Fight Club not only eased the financial burden on his mother but also put him in contact with the gym’s owner, Enbo.
“The Prince” said that Enbo has been much more than a coach – he’s the father figure that he so desperately needed:
“The most important person is my godfather – Enbo. Whether it’s on the material or mental plane, he helps me change my life. I think of him as my father in a way.”
Representing China In ONE
Now, as he prepares for his third appearance under ONE’s bright lights, Banma has erased any doubt that he belongs among the planet’s best martial artists.
Given his background in sanda, “The Prince” was drawn to ONE for its best-in-the-world strikers:
“ONE has lots of top strikers around the world. I want to challenge myself.”
Of course, Banma’s primary goal in ONE is to claim 26 pounds of gold – and his battle with “Mini T” at ONE Fight Night 25 will be a pivotal step in that journey.
Beyond his World Title aspirations, though, he hopes to showcase just how good Chinese martial arts are on ONE’s massive global platform.
He spoke about how critical it is for him to represent China well:
“It’s very important for me. I hope to make people around the world see what China’s power is.”
