5 Things You Might Not Know About Bokang Masunyane

Bokang Masunyane remains one of One Championship’s best-kept secrets, at least for now.

The once-beaten strawweight contender will attempt to nail down a possible title shot when he confronts former Shooto champion Koha Minowa in a One 159 co-feature on July 22 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Masunyane carries a 2-1 record inside the organization. However, he finds himself on the rebound following his first professional setback—a technical submission loss to Jarred Brooks in April. Brooks put him to sleep with a rear-naked choke.

As Masunyane sets his sights on Minowa and their high-stakes showdown at 125 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. His upbringing was far from ideal.

Masunyane was born on June 18, 1994 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He lost his mother when he was a toddler and wound up in an orphanage at the age of 6. Musunyane discovered wrestling soon after.

2. Athletic competition offered him a way out.

The 5-foot-2 Masunyane represented South Africa in freestyle wrestling at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. He reached the 57-kilogram quarterfinals before losing to Pakistan’s Azhar Hussain in a bronze medal match.

3. He was a quick study.

Masunyane made his professional mixed martial arts debut as a 22-year-old on Dec. 9, 2016, when he submitted Musaddiq Alli Hasan with a kimura in the first round of their pairing under the Extreme Fighting Championship banner. He rattled off eight straight victories to start his career, one of them in Pancrase.

4. Proven commodities form his inner circle.

“Little Giant” operates out the Fight Fit Militia camp on his native South Africa, where he trains under coach Richard Quan and shares a stable with Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans Don Madge and Garreth McLellan.

5. He put himself on an upward trajectory.

Masunyane signed with One Championship in 2019 and currently finds himself as the No. 2-ranked strawweight in the Singapore-based organization. In the line that has formed behind current champion Joshua Pacio, he finds himself situated behind the aforementioned Brooks and ahead of Minowa, Gustavo Balart and Yosuke Saruta.