Shaun, who trains out of the House of Tinkerbell (HOT), left on Saturday and will be back in South Africa this Sunday, hopefully with a new belt.
Shortly before the bantamweight fighter jetted off to stake his claim to a world title, the Addie sat down with him for a pre-fight chat.
SA: How long have you been involved in MMA?
I have been training for five years now.
It has been a rollercoaster ride as I was still busy with my degree so there were long periods of three to four months when I would not attend practice.
SA: How long have you been with House of Tinkerbell?
I have been with them for two years now. I used to train Muay-Thai with JP before I moved to House of Tinkerbell.
SA: What is Immaf and how did you qualify to compete?
SJ: Immaf is the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation.
This tournament will be the Amateur MMA World Championships and is being held during the Brave Combat Week.
Brave is the biggest MMA promotion in the Middle East.
I competed at the African Opens and won a bronze medal there and was included in the team by the national coaches who selected the team based on experience and potential to win medals on an international level.
SA: How many fights will you be competing in?
SJ: There are 30 fighters in my weight class.
It is a knockout tournament, so fighters might only have one fight if they lose.
In order to win gold you need to win five fights over six days against the top amateurs in the world.
SA: Tell us a bit about your MMA career and the highlights thus far.
SJ: My current record is five fights with three wins.
I really want to get that W again and get my hand raised.
SA: What would you say is your strongest fighting asset?
SJ: I fell in love with BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) originally and I think that my BJJ skills and my hand speed are my best assets.
However, lately I have become a very well-rounded fighter and feel comfortable wherever the fight goes.
I have been doing this sport for a while now and I am good at seeing opportunities and identifying a weakness in an opponent.
SA: What does fighting on an international stage mean to you?
SJ: It is amazing.
To be able to represent this beautiful country of ours is way too cool.
There are not a lot of people who have the opportunity to wear the protea and make their country proud so to do so is a wonderful experience.
On the other hand, it also makes me nervous as I will be travelling with the national coaches and I won’t have JP (Kruger) in my corner.
I have not lost a fight with him in my corner yet, so that is something to get used to.
At the African Open our team received a good idea of what to expect at the World Champs because we all fought international opponents.
SA: How have you prepared for every eventuality you might meet in the cage?
SJ: At House of Tinkerbell we are blessed to have coaches who are well versed in most styles of mixed martial arts.
We have been focusing more on the ground aspect lately as most of the international guys have got a very strong wrestling background.
As you might fight again the next day, you need to protect your body and try not to get injured so you can compete in the next fight.
South Africans battle with that as we show heart and always leave everything in the cage instead of trying to win on points by just holding the opponent down.
A proud coach
On the eve of Shaun’s departure, JP Kruger said: “We have been working super hard with Shaun and are very excited about his journey.
“It has been a blessed camp and the Lord has opened many doors with great sponsorship and everyone supporting Shaun.
“He is looking the best he ever has.
“We have been working on his wrestling and his BJJ, and we know that Shaun’s got great boxing hands.
“He has one of the fastest sets of hands in the country so I’m super excited about his fights.
“I think South Africa can be proud of sending an athlete like this to Bahrain to represent us. He is a complete MMA athlete.”
Shaun extended his thanks to his coaches JP Kruger (HOT) and Huntley Smith (Arte Suave BJJ).
“I need to thank all my training partners but need to mention two in particular who have pushed me like I have never been pushed before – Nathaniel Komane and Gift Walker who are two up-and-coming amateurs setting their weight divisions on fire.
“I also need to thank my friends and family for supporting me on this journey and the following sponsors who helped me to raise the R 30 000 I needed to get to Bahrain: B-Sure Group, Cartrack, Securetech, AC Cranes, Anton Straus Makelaars, Cranes Complete and Components, RGM Cranes, Panda Jiu-Jitsu, Pro League Fight Management, Stephen Williams, Klaus Bornebusch, Shaun Combrink and Corrie and Nantes Vorster.”
