The Genuinely Interested Podcast Ep 103 Ognjen Topic - Muay Thai Royalty
Ognjen Topic is one of the best Muay Thai fighters to come out of the US. He is a 3x world champion and after a decade of professional fighting, he still competes at the highest level in Muay Thai. Born in Bosnia and raised in Serbia, at the age of 9 he and his family fled to the US right before the war broke out. He is currently in Thailand full time, as he has decided to dedicate his prime years to excelling and being the best version of himself in the sport that he loves.
Ognjen and I discussed:
- How to persevere through pain
- Mind over matter
- How he got into Muay Thai and what attracted him to the sport
- His father's reluctance to allow him to be a fighter
- What he has learned from his losses
- How he became a graphic designer
- How much of martial arts is mental vs physical
- What it was like fighting Saenchai
- Fighting with 4oz gloves
- Real-life lessons martial arts teaches you
And much more...
My Take: Ognjen is a real testament that hard work, self-belief, and dedication will help you fulfill your dreams. He is the American Dream. He did not allow anything to stop him from pursuing the goals he set for himself - and used the passion and fire he had within him to become one of the best in Muay Thai fighters in the world.