Viking warriors were some of the most feared individuals to ever cross paths with on the battlefield, warriors born and bred for war. Today we take a look at ONE FC’s latest acquisition, “The Last Viking” Thomas Narmo 4-0-0. A Norwegian heavyweight mixed martial artist, fighting out of Frontline Academy, following in the footsteps of his ancestors in the modern-day Art of War.
I’d like to start by thanking you for taking the time out of your schedule to talk to me today. How was training? With all that’s been going on over the recent months, has this affected your training in any way?
“Always happy to reach out to the MMA community and people like you, that gives athletes a platform to communicate with fans! Looks like things are going more and more back to normal in regards to training, I have definitely been spending a lot of time finding ways to train! Everything from strongman training to long distance running and cross-country skiing”.
Your journey throughout your career has led you to be on one of the biggest stages of them all. How does it feel to be part of the ONE Fighting Championship roster?
“I am extremely proud of what I have achieved in such a short period of time. I started training MMA 4 years ago this summer! And to fight in Asia was always a goal I had. Now that I have signed a multiple fight deal with ONE FC, I can start to live out my dream.”
Thomas’ previous career is not what most would expect. A former goalkeeper for The Lahti Pelicans, a Finnish professional ice hockey team playing in the Liiga.
His career with Pelicans was abruptly ended due to a serious back injury that put “The Last Viking” on a path of doubt. Swapping the gloves of goal for the gloves of War back in 2016, Thomas has tallied 4 brutal wins out of his four professional bouts.
It’s extremely hard for me to pick one of your many bouts in the cage as a standout, it’s been an amazing career so far. If I had to choose, it would have to be your professional debut against Aaron Jones via standing guillotine choke, back in 2019 at Fightstar Championship 18 London. Never have I seen such an explosive debut. Which one of your wars in the cage sticks in your mind?
“Yeah, the Jones fight was quite quick…. Unfortunately, I have had pullouts in all of my pro fights. My third fight against BKB champion Dan Podmore is probably the one I will choose. Flew into Birmingham on a Thursday, weighed in on Friday. Saturday morning they told me my opponent is not going to show up, but that they had a replacement. I was out having lunch at the time and I just told them to get me a fight. Little did I know this guy was a really experienced fighter. seeing him now, actually knocking people out, I guess I should be satisfied with my performance.”
On Friday 13th you take on Pierre Alain Ngalani 4-6-0, have you had some time to study your opponent leading up to your debut for One Championship Battleground 2?
“I know Alain is a legit striker. To be honest I have had a hard time training for this fight and I am also travelling alone to Singapore without a cornerman, due to the need for a covid vaccine to enter Singapore. I guess I have had 1-2 weeks of training for this fight, but I am a fighter and I will go in there and compete against anyone!”
Again congratulations on being made part of the roster at ONE, it’s an amazing organisation. With a huge roster at their disposal, out of the current roster is there anyone you would like to face in the future?
“I would like to face both Brandon Vera and Marcus Almeida in the future. I am not looking for an easy fight, I want to compete against world class athletes and test myself.”
I, for one, am looking forward to your return and you were always one of my favourites to watch in the cage. Do you have a message for the fans and anybody you’d like to give a shout out to?
“I just want to say thanks to everyone supporting me, family, friends, fans, teammates and sponsors. And to everyone out there reading this: work hard and have the courage to believe in your dreams. Take the opportunities presented and never look back! No matter if you fight in a cage or work a 9-5 job. Don’t be the bitter person dwelling over what life could have been like. Dare to make a move instead of thinking “What if,” because, in the end, it will be better to try and fail, rather than beating yourself up for never taking a chance.”
ONE Fighting Championship has always been a great, if not one, one of the best sources of MMA the world has ever seen. And after procuring “The Last Viking,” you can guarantee the heavyweight division is going to be rocked to its very foundations.
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