One Man’s Journey: MMA as Modern Self Defence
Narratives can inspire, offer hope, and even reshape how we see ourselves and our challenges. Today’s tale revolves around Jeff Chan, the respected owner and instructor of the YouTube channel, MMAShredded, who has used his unique experiences to inspire thousands of martial arts enthusiasts globally. To Jeff, MMA is not simply a fighting style; it is a mode of personal development, a catalyst for change, a path out of despair, and a testament to resilience within adversity. But it didn’t start out smoothly. His journey began under what seemed like common circumstances when his passion for Muay Thai propelled him to start a YouTube channel, initially only to journal and share recorded martial arts techniques. However, a series of unexpected, life-altering events instilled his content with a larger purpose. Jeff was a Police Foundations graduate with a Criminology degree, who aspired to a ‘normal’ career, respected by his immigrant parents. He ended up securing a job as a special constable, only to have his life turn upside down when he was entangled in a complicated drug case. Despite his innocence, he was incarcerated, put under house arrest and eventually had to give up his dream career in law enforcement. In this dark time – and it was a perilous one, given that the prosecutor was seeking an 18-year sentence – Jeff turned again to martial arts. Under house arrest, Jeff started filming his content in earnest, practicing and teaching martial arts techniques, even though it meant having his mother drive him and wait in the cold while he trained and taught at the gym. His hope was this: to combine his love for fighting styles like Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai with compelling narratives, offering a unique blend of mindset aspirations and active practice for martial arts enthusiasts. Despite the difficulties, with persistence and resilience, he honed his martial arts skills, simultaneously bolstering an ever-growing online audience, effectively turning a small channel into an inspiring resource for martial arts practitioners worldwide. This, ironically, arose from an unfortunate and almost broken scenario. When he was finally proven innocent and regained his freedom, Jeff had no staleness of a desk job to return to. Instead, he found a revitalized passion for coaching and making a difference in people’s lives beyond arrest records, one martial arts tutorial at a time. Jeff Chan’s unique journey from aspiring law enforcement officer, to an accused enmeshed in a high-profile drug case, to an internationally-renowned martial arts coach, is much more than just a story for the annals of YouTube or MMA fandom. It’s a testament to resilience, a masterpiece in perseverance, and an inspiration to thousands grappling with personal adversities. His tale demonstrates that even in our most significant challenges, there may be opportunities waiting to be unearthed. The relevance of one’s journey in relation to modern self-defence is the development of an indomitable spirit, a common key theme within martial arts, where rigorous training builds both physical strength and mental tenacity. We learn from Jeff’s story that it’s not just about throwing the perfect punch or mastering the most intricate grappling move, but also about learning to stand tall amidst life’s most daunting challenges. This, in truth, is the essence of self-defence in modern times, where our battles are often situational and emotional, not just physical. Remember, as Jeff succinctly puts it, “Be very careful with whom you trust,” but more importantly, always remember that life’s trials often make us stronger and more resilient than we once were. Keep pushing forward, and never give up on what you believe in. “Everything happens for a reason”, he affirms. By mastering ourselves, we inherently master the art of modern self-defence.MMA Block
MMAShredded is a YouTube channel owned by Jeff Chan, a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. With his channel, Jeff shares his comprehensive training routines, techniques and fight strategies. His credible, highly effective tutorials are fine-tuned from years of experience in MMA, offering invaluable insights to MMA enthusiasts.
Jeff Chan Block
Thanks for sharing. Great example to never give up and use of resources, effort and trust🙏🏼you are an inspiration for everybody during dark and challenging times. Thanks again, I m sure this is very helpful.
Greetings from germany, Michael
thank you jeff , appreciate you
damn Jeff, that’s a really interesting story and i’m really thankful to u for sharing it! i think that u’r gonna uplift a lot of people with it! and i‘m really amazed at how u‘ve persevered and turned ur life around, even tho the criminal justice system screwed u over real bad… and once again, really happy for u that everything turned out so good!
Never trust the system. It’s evil. Had a similar experience (completely innocent but life turned upside down thanks to dumb cops who ignored all evidence and threw me in the can while letting the actual perpetrators walk). Glad things turned around so profoundly for you. At the risk of offending you I will say that being spiritual isn’t enough. When Pilate asked Christ “what is truth,” He responded “all those can accept the truth hear my voice.” There is one way, one truth, one resurrection, one life. I would encourage you to investigate Orthodox Christianity (reformed and papist Christianity are quite problematic) as it has had the most meaningful effect on so many lives due to its emphasis on union with God through struggle (something that appeals to warriors like you and I). It has transformed my entire outlook on life and lifted me from the muck in innumerable and exhilarating ways. If you are at all interested, here is a great overview of Holy Orthodox and why it leaves the other forms of religious enthusiasm and spiritualism in the dust. Love your content! God bless.
https://youtu.be/dpMOhP_lREo?si=gqoqQpth23rCO1XY
https://youtu.be/VE6fYcyy2O8?si=GXh0kNBKsmw3MrYk
Dammm, you would have been an incredibly good police officer.
Thank you for sharing your story 🦾🦾🦾
You’re an inspiration in more ways than one man. Thank goodness you found your way out of all that darkness. 🙏 You’ve been a fantastic coach, content creator, and role model and I always look forward to seeing what you’ve got next!✊ I remembered to like, comment, share, and subscribe😎
Great story 👍
Peace Jeff🙏🏽 thank you for sharing this. This part of your story honestly felt completely unexpected but shows so much depth in you as a person. Much respect for the courage to do it. Your integrity and character highly shines through. Thank you
Thanks for sharing Jeff. It’s a powerful and inspiring story
Thank you for sharing bro. Im actually going through a bit of a rough patch in my life right now and im honestly not sure what to do right now. It does help to hear about other peoples struggles. Especially someone i look up to and respect and know that you aren't super human, although you appear to be at times. You're just another human being just trying to do his best to figure out his way through life.
Thank you.
This video couldn’t have showed up in my feed at a better time. I appreciate you Jeff. 🙏🫡
I needed this video, on this day. Thank you
Bless you Jeff! Looking forward to even more great things from you!
Thank's for sharing it, man. I was needing to hear something like this
Amazing story Jeff.. Thank you for sharing, It's amazing how you turned something that would consume most into such a success. All the best!🙏❤
Respect, brother 🙏
Sorry you had to go through all that.
Damn Jeff. I’ve been watching you since I was 16. (In 2016). That’s 8 years of growth I’ve seen you go through. You’ve come so far man! But even more impressively you’re still such a humble and cool guy. Hope you realize how much of an impact you’ve made on people’s lives, you’re one of the reasons some of us are so crazy about martial arts, without you I know for a fact my style wouldn’t be the same. Which is why hearing about this story is crazy – it’s fucked up you went through this, but i’m glad you trusted the process. To be honest, it’s inspirational as fuck and has me pumped at 8:40 AM….you’re the man Jeff! Thanks for all the awesome content pls and keep it making it
Government doing what’s government does, never speak to government without your lawyer present. No matter what
Inspiring as always
Thank you for sharing Jeff!
You are a HUGE inspiration for aspiring fighters and the people!
Two betrayals in one, your "friend" and the system. Must've felt horrible to be on the bad end of the law, but also must've felt relieving knowing and avoiding the potential life it lead to if you continued down that career. Crazy redemption story, glad you told it.
Hey Jeff. I rarely comment on videos but this one hit me. I relate a lot to your story. Seeing you make a way through art has inspired me to pick up writing again. So, thank you. Keep being the dope dude you are
Bro cant you sue them for the (emotional) damage theyve done to you?