ONE Championship: limb-different Muay Thai fighter Jake Peacock ready for more after impressive debut win
- Despite being born with only one hand, he comfortably beat Kohei Shinjo and is looking to build on success
- His father Gavin played for English Premier League sides Chelsea and Newcastle, while grandfather Keith was at Charlton Athletic
Jake Peacock made a bit of history at ONE Friday Fights 58 last week as he became the first ever limb-different fighter to compete for the promotion, and only having one hand didn’t stop the Englishman from beating Kohei Shinjo comfortably.
Peacock’s father Gavin played football for English Premier League sides Chelsea and Newcastle United, among other teams, while his grandfather Keith made more than 500 appearances for Charlton Athletic.
Football seemed the obvious route but he decided to pursue a different sporting passion.
“My grandad and my dad kicked balls for a living and I kick people in the head for a living,” Peacock said. “I played football but I wasn’t good enough to turn pro, so I decided to stick to martial arts because that was what I was really good at, and I went from there.”
Though he was born with only one arm, Peacock didn’t let that stop him punishing Shinjo for three rounds, with a barrage of kicks and left-handed punches leaving the Japanese fighter bleeding profusely by the end of the fight.
Being unable to punch or block with his missing right hand clearly puts Peacock at a disadvantage but he has never seen things that way.
