I’m the son of an ex-Prem star, I was bullied for having...

JAKE PEACOCK has made serious waves in the brutal and bloody world of Muay Thai. The British-born Canadian - the son of former Chelsea star turned preacher Gavin - has kicked, punched and elbowed his way to a 13-1 record in the sport. His run took him all the way to the Road To ONE: Canada tournament last year, which he won emphatically to capture a lucrative contract with the promotion.

Image Credit: The Sun [A victorious mixed martial arts fighter with one arm raised in the air.]

And he made a spectacular debut last April with a three-round beatdown of Kohei Shinjo. Peacock's run to ONE, and his career as a whole, has been made even more incredible by the fact he's missing his right forearm. The lower portion of his limb didn't grow completely as a thread of the amniotic sac inside his mum, Amanda, wrapped around his arm while he was still in the womb.

Image Credit: The Sun [Two Muay Thai fighters in a match. One fighter is bleeding.]

Unsurprisingly, Peacock dealt with his fair share of bullies when he was a kid. But neither they nor his disability could stop him from pursuing a career in martial arts, which he was thrust into at the tender age of seven. Ahead of his ONE 171: Qatar clash against Shinji Suzuki, he told SunSport: "My early childhood and of all that, it's definitely shaped me into the person I am today.

Image Credit: The Sun [One-armed Muay Thai fighter kicking opponent.]

"And the character that I've got, you know, I'm resilient, I'm determined. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS. "And it would probably come from, to some degree, a little bullying here and there when I was in school. "But really, my whole life has been shaping me in that direction.".

Image Credit: The Sun [A Muay Thai fighter with one arm throwing a punch.]

Peacock knew from a young age he'd have to develop incredible mental fortitude to be successful inside and outside of the ring. The 31-year-old said: "I coined the phrase, 'Don't talk about it, be about it.' Be a person of action. "If you want something done, be a person of action. Not a person of words.

Image Credit: The Sun [Two Muay Thai fighters exchanging blows in a ring.]

"And that's kind of been my mentality, even before I knew about that phrase. "Even before I made it up, that's kind of been my ethos, my mentality and my heart growing up. "I've got a level of determination and willingness to sacrifice and push through hard things and hard times.

Image Credit: The Sun [Two mixed martial arts fighters in a boxing ring exchanging blows.]

"So, I'm thankful for the path that I've been given and the life that I've been given. "And it's definitely shaped me into the person I am today.". It would be an understatement to say that Peacock's career is an inspiration to millions of people around the world.

Image Credit: The Sun [Gavin Peacock of Chelsea celebrates a 2-0 victory.]

But being such an inspirational figure to limb different people - which he takes great pride in - is also somewhat of a burden. I hope I can be an inspiration and motivation for people. "It's a great responsibility and it's a great honour," he said. "[But] I feel the weight of it as well. I get a lot of messages from people all over the world.

Image Credit: The Sun [A victorious Muay Thai fighter and his coach posing together.]

"And not even people with missing limbs, but people just struggling in life [and who are] going through things. "So to think that I have a lot of people reaching out and asking for advice and motivation [it's an honour]. "Because life's tough and that's just it. Life's tough for everyone and everyone's got obstacles.

Image Credit: The Sun [A muay thai fighter kicks his opponent, who is bleeding.]

"And I hope I can be an inspiration and motivation for people. And I appreciate all those people that support me in return.". Something that didn't prove to be a burden for Jake was the fine football stock he came from. His old man Gavin played for Chelsea and Newcastle during the peak of his career while his grandfather, Keith, spent 17 years as a midfielder with Charlton Athletic.

He tried his hand at football but found himself better suited for martial arts. "My granddad and my dad are incredible, both of them," Jake said. "And they never pressured me [to play football]. "Obviously they encouraged me to play football and I did to some degree and to some level. But I was never good enough to go pro.

"And if I was playing any sport, I wanted to be the best at it. And that's why I continued to combat sports because I knew I could be the best.". Peacock's road to becoming the best bantamweight in ONE will see him take on Japanese striker Suzuki, who rebounded from defeat in his 2023 debut last March.

And he's vowed to go one better than his dominant debut display against Shinjo by not letting the veteran hear the final bell. "He's been in there with experienced opponents and I've watched his footage," Peacock said the 39-year-old. "He's a heavy boxer and likes a low kick.