KUALA LUMPUR: A story on a local martial art grandmaster in Mersing featured in the New Straits Times’ Sunday Vibes pull-out has become a hit among netizens.
A video on the interview with Pak Mat Samurai (Sulieman Ariffin) who is a ‘mahaguru’ of ‘Buah Pukul Mersing’, has received more than 67,000 views on Facebook, and has been shared 1,300 times since it was uploaded yesterday.
The story showcased the history of the self-defence martial art which originated from Yunnan, China.
It also featured its fighting style and principles, Pak Mat’s chronicle of his involvement, and how the little-known art is being preserved by its exponents far and wide.
Some Facebook commenters had drawn parallels between Buah Pukul Mersing and the more familiar Silat as well as traditional Chinese martial art Wing Chun, while others described how it has piqued their interest.
Mohd Farizan B Ahmad asked “Boleh tahu di mana markas perguruannya? kata satu markas dirawang tapi dibahagian mana? (May I know where the headquarters are? It was mentioned there is one in Rawang, but in which area?)”.
DL Darmapada said: “Thank you for sharing. Keep the tradition alive”.
Meanwhile, an impressed Chris Liew suggested the martial art to be included in mixed martial arts’ Ultimate Fighting Championship.
“Have you tried fighting with a UFC fighter? Since your martial art is good, should send an invitation to a UFC fighter for a challenge.
“A lot of them will accept the invitation to try out your martial art,” he added.