In case you weren't aware, Ah Boys To Men’s Maxi Lim, who play the beloved Wayang King in the hit movie, became a competitive MMA fighter in recent years. But before we could show up for one of his violent, bloody fights, he tells us that he's retiring from the sport and is looking to shift focus back to his acting career.

Okay, it's not like Maxi had totally given up on his acting career to focus on MMA — he can be seen on TV now playing Ah Hock, a contractor who helps his mother sell tauhuey, on Ch 5’s Kin. But Maxi is looking for more action than just selling dessert. Literally. What he wants is to kick some butt on shows like Ch 8’s The Good Fight. “But sadly I'm not involved [with that],” he tells 8days.sg.

The 32-year-old’s last competitive fight happened just last Saturday (May 25) at Evolve’s inaugural Warrior Fight Night, where he was crowned the winner.

“Wah, I tell you, the moment I survived the second weigh-in, I immediately went for a big meal and had a drink to relax. (Laughs) Prior to that, I was sipping water for 24 hours to maintain that weight! The moment I finished the fight, I ate non-stop, kinda to reward myself,” Maxi says as he recounted the three “tortuous” months leading up to his final fight.

The ABTM star also lets on to us that he’s at his fittest right now. “I was at my fattest during The Lion Men. I was 75kg, but now, I’m 59kg. On my fight day, I was 57kg, in order to make the weight class,” he explains.

Maxi seems to be super passionate about MMA, and tells us that he can “wake up at 3am, train twice a day and run up to 14km a day”. And we complain about waking up before noon on weekends.

8 DAYS: Congrats on your recent win! How was the training leading up to the match like?
MAXI LIM: Plain torturous. (Laughs) The main issue was juggling training and filming. Because I was shooting Kin everyday, it was a challenge for me to find time to train and eat properly. As it was also my last fight, I wanted to give it my all before I retire from competing.

Why are you retiring?
I guess there’s nothing much for me to prove already. It’s time to find other challenges.

What other challenges are you looking for?
Singapore’s starting to do more action-packed shows like [Ch 8 drama] The Good Fight, so I hope to be involved in something like that in the future. But as of now, I wanna focus on Kin and invest more time in my acting career. I believe that preparation is everything. You need to prep and be consistently good so that you’ll be the first person in mind when they’re casting for an action film.

What sacrifices did you have to make when you were training for the fight?
I gave up doing everything else other than filming and training. I missed special occasions like weddings, didn’t drink… You can say that I went into hiding because I needed to be committed. Like if I went for a party, I can’t train the next day. Every day I’m getting beaten up during training, so I needed to rest. (Laughs)

We know you’ve been into MMA for quite some time so why did you decide to take part in a fight?
I felt like I was putting on weight again and started to become aimless in life. I guess I was too comfortable being where I am now, you know, modestly successful and doing pretty good. At the start of this year, I became lazy and put on weight… All the weight that I had been cutting down the past few years started to come back. It’s hard to lose weight without a goal, so I signed up for this fight to get things back on track.

How much weight did you put on?
A good 6kg. I just ate and drank and didn’t really care about my lifestyle. I just wanted to have a good time. Sometimes I’d look back and think that all my effort is gone, hence the motivation to compete again.

Have people said you are hotter now compared to before?
(Laughs) Yes, yes, yes! (Laughs)

Are you getting more attention from girls?
(Laughs) It’s quite paiseh to admit but yeah, actually quite a lot… (Laughs) I just thank them for their compliments. (Laughs)

The rest of the ABTM gang are also into fitness, who’s the fittest?
I guess definitely Joshua [Tan]. He’s a strong guy, naturally blessed with good genes. He’s a fit and strong guy. People asked me if I would fight Josh, but I told them that I would never fight a friend. Beside he’s in a different weight class. He’s at least 13kg heavier than I am. (Laughs)

What do you think Maxi from your ABTM days would say about the Maxi now?
I never thought I would achieve this. I thought I would age badly. (Laughs) Keeping fit has also helped me to look younger. I'm 32 this year, but people ask me if I’m still in my serving the nation or in my mid-20s. (Laughs)

You’ve been training since 2017, so what keeps you motivated?
Passion. If you love something, you will enjoy doing it. I also have a lot of friends where I train, too. I’ve never thought about giving up halfway. Fitness and martial arts is a lifestyle, you never stop.

What are your future body goals?
Right now, I'm trying to gain more muscle. (Laughs) I don't think I wanna be very buff, but more of a lean cut physique, like Brad Pitt in Fight Club. That’s hot. (Laughs) For guys, if you look too big… it’s very weird. (Laughs)