Professional fighting, or just trained fighting in general, is not for everyone. While there are various martial arts, boxing and wrestling gyms spanning the entire globe, it takes a specific type of person to want to fight in a ring or cage. For native Englishman Jake Peacock, he just feels that the will and skill he has to fight came from above.
“I’m fighting because I believe I’ve been gifted by God with a with a unique skill set, much like Liam Neeson, if you’ve watched that movie,” Peacock told Combat Press. I’ve got a unique set of skills. I feel like they’re giving me a unique set of skills and a very unique situation, you know, being born with one hand. To be able to showcase my skills on a world stage, and compete with the best in the world, I think I’m obligated to.”
Peacock grew up in South London, and he was born with a congenital amputation of his right hand due to amniotic band restriction, which happens due to loss of blood flow from having tissue wrapped around a limb. Since it was something he was born with, it’s hard to hone in on when he actually became aware of the condition.
“I’m not able to pinpoint the day or the age I was at, but I was very aware from quite a young boy around my peers, and, you know, people looking and staring and all that,” Peacock said.
When he was seven years old, Peacock’s parents enrolled him in a Karate school. By 10 or 11 years old, he started competing at the national and international levels, where he saw great success. When he was 14, he moved to Canada, and eventually started training and competing in Kyokushin Karate, which is full contact. While still competing in Kyokushin, he also started training in kickboxing and Muay Thai. Moving to Canada did not only bring him into a professional career as a fighter, it also had a great impact on his life outside of fighting.
“In Canada, I met my wife Christa and married her,” Peacock intimated. “She’s a small town girl. And, so she was used to that lifestyle. She moved to the city, and then we kind of were thinking it would be nice to raise the kids out of the city. And, so we got out there.”
In addition to owning Dunamis Martial Arts in Calgary, Peacock and his wife also have a 68-acre ranch where they reside, about an hour outside of the city. The couple has three children under the age of five – Charlie, Ellie and Lily. So, when they aren’t runnging the gym, coaching, and training, they spend a lot of time in the countryside.
“We got goats, chickens and sheep, Peacock said. “We also have dogs, some cats and a lot of land. So, that’s kind of what we do out there. We’ll get some horses as well and maybe do a like a cow at some point. Either a dairy cow or a beef cow for meat. Yeah, just little hobbies like that really. We just like the life.”
Dunamis is an all-around martial arts school, with coaches in Muay Thai, wrestling and jiu-jitsu. One of the wrestling coaches, Christoff Coles, has done some grappling work with Peacock, but his primary focus is striking. Peacock also coaches, and he and his wife run the business.
“I’m teaching clients, like private clients, and also teaching classes,” Peacock explained. My wife and I run the gym together. She runs the back office and things like that – the legal side and taxes. I always say that, if she wasn’t running it, it wouldn’t be legal, because I don’t have a clue on that side of things. So, she runs the back end of stuff – payroll and all that. And then, I teach the classes along with three other great coaches that we’ve hired.”
On the fighting side, Peacock holds a 14-1 professional record, with 12 of those wins coming by knockout. After competing and winning a couple titles under the Lion Fight promotion, he won the Road to One tournament under the Muay Thai World Cup banner with a first-round TKO of Abdoul Wafar. Not only was Road to ONE his first time fighting Muay Thai in four-ounce gloves, but winning the tournament earned him a contract with ONE Championship.
Peacock made his ONE debut in Apr. 2024 where he scored a unanimous decision over Kohei Shinjo at ONE Friday Fights 58. His next fight was supposed to against Shinji Suzuki in Nov. 2024, but that fight got rescheduled for ONE 171 in Feb. 2025 in Qatar, where Peacock picked up a TKO in Round 3.
“He was a tough guy,” Peacock said of Suzuki. “The Japanese are so tough to fight. They fight for a lot of honor, and so I have a lot of respect for him. But, I was I was too much for him across the board. I wasn’t really in danger at any point either. So, we had a good time. It was a great fight in Qatar and a really good card. But ONE Championship’s always putting on great cards. It was an honor to fight on that card there.”
Peacock’s next fight will take place on Sunday, Nov. 16, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. He will be taking on Suakim Sor Jor Tongprajin on the super-stacked ONE 173 card. The 30-year-old Tahi striker went 5-2 on the ONE Friday Fights circuit before landing on the ONE Fight Night 34 card last August, where he won a unanimous decision over Zafer Sayik. He’s currently on a five-fight winning streak, three of which ending in knockout. With a record of 109-25-3, the Englishman knows he is facing a seasoned opponent.
“He’s really experienced – my most experienced opponent to date,” Peacock explained. “He’s three-divisional Lumpinee champion. He’s fought everyone from Rodtang, Tenshin, all of the legendary Thais he’s been in there with, so he’s coming with a lot of experience. He’s very, very tough, and he fights with a lot of heart. And, obviously, he’s going to be really well-rounded. So, it’s going to be a battle, for sure, between us.”
Peacock is prepared for a tough fight against Suakim on Sunday. And, he had been in Koh Samui, Thailand preparing for the fight for several weeks with his wife and kids in tow. And, while it had been a bit rainy, there was plenty of beach time mixed in, so a great experience, all around. However, when Sunday arrives, he will be locked and loaded in Tokyo to put on a how. And, Peacock wants fans to know why this is a can’t-miss fight.
“Because I’m different, man. I’m different. I come to scrap. I’ve got a different aura about me, a different mentality, a different focus. You can see it even from fight week to weigh-ins to the fight. From weigh-in to my walkout to when I’m in the cage, everything’s different.”
ONE 173 airs live on ONE Championship pay-per-view starting at 11 p.m. ET on Saturday night, Nov. 15 in the U.S, which will be 1 p.m. in Tokyo on Sunday, Nov. 16.