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Willie van Rooyen
willie_van_rooyen
MMA
Goal: ⭐ To become the Flyweight champ in ONE FC
Willie "White Lion" van Rooyen is a South African professional MMA fighter born and raised in Pretoria, standing 170cm and competing in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. The youngest of three brothers in a family where rugby and cricket dominated, he was the first to pursue professional combat sports after telling his mother on a school run at age eight that he wanted to fight. He began with kickboxing, immediately falling in love with the technical discipline of learning to punch and kick, before transitioning to amateur MMA in February 2022. His amateur career was brief but emphatic, leading swiftly to a professional debut and a rapid rise through South Africa's leading promotion, EFC Worldwide. Van Rooyen won the EFC Flyweight Championship with a stunning 37-second knockout in May 2024, then successfully defended the title via rear-naked choke three months later. He entered ONE Championship in November 2025 carrying a perfect 7-0 professional record, all seven victories coming by finish — five stoppages in total — debuting at ONE Fight Night 37 against Uzbek contender Avazbek Kholmirzaev. His ONE Championship record currently stands at 8-1, with his most recent assignment coming at ONE Fight Night 41 against Filipino knockout artist Jeremy Miado. Known for his sharp kickboxing combinations, submission awareness, and an iron mental disposition forged through disciplined training in Pretoria, Van Rooyen is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young fighters to emerge from South Africa in recent years. He is supported by his partner Anika and remains proudly rooted in his hometown and family values....
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Willie van Rooyen
MMA · Combat Sports