Syafiq “The Slasher” Samad: Believing in a Higher Power

Content warning – this profile piece discusses the subject of suicide that may be sensitive and potentially triggering. Reader discretion is advised. Information about seeking help is available at the end of the post. Stay safe.

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This adapted story is proudly presented in collaboration with Choke Clinch Crank Combat, a coffee table book that tells the stories of 25 fighters in Singapore.

Syafiq “The Slasher” Samad is a household name within Singapore’s combat scene. He has been fighting since he was fifteen after being viciously attacked as a teenager. He is the first Singaporean to win the Asian Muay Thai championship and is well versed in MMA, Muay Thai and boxing.

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Syafiq’s name quickly became a household one. But fortune is a fickle mistress and the world of fighting is no exception. It was his first loss in professional MMA that became a pivotal turning point for the rising star.

“I fought this Korean guy, Ji Ho Hwang, in Singapore Indoor Stadium for Rebel FC. If I had won that fight, I would get into the UFC as there was a scout watching me.  I lost terribly, 45 seconds into the 1st round, I got knocked out. It was very devastating for me. One more step, one more step and I get to go there (UFC). But it did not turn out the way I wanted.”

It was a crushing defeat for Syafiq. “I lost the fight and I had some personal problems, relationship problems. I almost ended my life. I was going to jump down from my 5th storey bedroom. I thank God till this day that it did not happen. As I changed my mind, I started to ponder about the true meaning of life.”

He shares, “It’s not fighting, you know, it’s not earning a lot of money. Everyone will earn money, then what, you die. For me, I saw that the purpose of this life is to seek God’s blessing, mercy.

So if God is happy with you, if you die, you will probably go to heaven. But if you do bad things in the world, what God said don’t do, you go to hell. By the end of the day, in Islam, God is most merciful, the most benevolent, the most forgiving. So whatever you do, always repent.”

“I was winning fights and all these things. I was at the top of my game. I was popular. But I felt that my connection with God was very far. Maybe God made me lose that fight, so that I come back to him. I still get disappointments, but sometimes those disappointments are tests.

How do you deal with it? God wants to see. So, I always tell myself, even if I win, don’t get too excited. If I lose, it’s alright. You know, there’s always some wisdom in it. How you conduct yourself after that, how you react after that is what truly defines you.”

“In fighting, you have to be good skill-wise, you have to be good mental-wise, you have to have peak conditioning, as well as to be strong spiritually. You have to believe in a higher power. Because everyone thinks with logic you know, I get that.

But when you lose, you don’t have something to cling on to. If you have God, even when you lose, you feel at the end of the day, God is there. People disappoint, God doesn’t disappoint.”

• Copy: Andrea Yew
• Photograhy: Khairul Selamat

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Suicide Prevention and Crisis Helplines

Samaritans of Singapore

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