Royston Wee says being UFC’s first Singaporean no big deal, teases flying triangle

SINGAPORE – When Royston Wee steps into the octagon on Saturday, he’ll be the first man from Singapore ever to do so. And while he appreciates the opportunity, the 27-year-old doesn’t see the honor as any real accomplishment.

“I’m really glad that I can be the first Singaporean to fight in the UFC, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if I’m the first or the second or whatever,” Wee told MMAjunkie. “I want to be the best Singaporean fighter and a real title contender. It doesn’t matter if I’m first if, over the next few years, other Singaporean fighters are better than me.”

Wee (2-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) faces fellow promotional newcomer and bantamweight David Galera (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) on the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 34 event, which takes place at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre. The entire card streams on UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s recently launched digital network.

Wee made his professional debut in 2011, and he’s since logged just two minutes and 49 seconds of fighting experience, picking up two victories via first-round submission. In 2013, he tried out for “The Ultimate Fighter: China” and was selected as an alternate but was never used on the show. Still, with the UFC making its debut in Singapore, Wee was a perfect candidate for the card, and UFC officials offered him a deal.

As you’d expect, the local media attention that followed has been a bit overwhelming for a fighter so young in his career, but Wee insists he’s been handling it well.

“In the beginning, the media schedule, I wasn’t used to it,” he said. “But I got pretty comfortable with it pretty fast. The first media session we had, I got a pretty huge amount of attention. We spent a whole day doing it, and after that it was easy. I’m pretty comfortable with it now.”

Wee understands his role on the card and what it means to be the first UFC fighter from Singapore, a sovereign city-state of fewer than 6 million inhabitants. He simply doesn’t see it as anything more than a trivial anecdote. He believes what he accomplishes after Saturday night will be the true measure of his worth as a fighter.

“Who cares about who’s first?” Wee said. “People only care about who’s the best.”

Still, on Saturday night, Wee will step into the octagon representing his home. Oddsmakers have installed him as a slight underdog to his more experienced foe, but Wee feels confident he’s destined for victory.

He’s even calling his shot, a flying triangle, which should he pull off could go a long way toward proving he’s deserving of the honor he’s already received and on the path to earning more.

“If I win this fight in a boring fashion, people will say it wasn’t a good fight,” Wee said. “I’m going in with a lot of knockout punches, and if I grab hold of him, look out for the flying triangle. I’ve been working hard on that.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 34, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.