Wilkinson is no doubt the chattier of the two, and as he answers each question eagerly, I notice Langdown casting admiring looks at his long-time friend and, more recently, business partner.
SINGAPORE (Mar 12): While John Wilkinson and Stephen Langdown may be 13 years apart, age is the least of their differences. Wilkinson is perhaps best known among S. League fans as the midfielder who last played for Tanjong Pagar United FC in 2013. At 39, he continues to wear many hats, including as a father of four and a football pundit on TV. Langdown, who turns 26 this year, first took up Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu out of interest after representing Singapore as a national sprinter in his youth. He achieved a 2-2 record under the ONE Championship banner during his three-year stint as a professional mixed martial arts fighter.
“I first read about Stephen in a magazine, and I like MMA. So, I thought I would kind of follow him. After my wife and I watched him fight in KL, I had aspirations of trying out to be an MMA fighter and approached him to coach me,” chuckles Wilkinson. “It was only when I started MMA sessions that I realised a lot of the training elements were similar to those of football — it’s all about being very dynamic, going from a complete standstill to 100 miles an hour.”
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