Ramadan And Abdallah Ondash Prove Blood Runs Deeper Than Business
Two brothers can share a childhood bedroom, a training camp, and even a ring, yet still remain each other’s fiercest competition.
Ramadan Ondash meets Johan Ghazali in a flyweight Muay Thai co-main event, while his older brother Abdallah seeks revenge against Chokpreecha PK TomTKalaiyont earlier on the card at The Inner Circle 24 on Friday, July 31. The event streams live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.
Muay Thai has run through the Ondash family since their father wrestled and their older brother Ahmad became the first to pursue the sport seriously, eventually opening a gym in Lebanon. Of seven sons and one daughter, only Ahmad, Abdallah, and Ramadan turned martial arts into professional careers.
Ramadan began training at around three years old, tagging along to the gym with Ahmad long before Abdallah took the sport seriously at 16. Despite arriving later, Abdallah’s discipline left a lasting impression on his younger brother.
“When I was a kid, I watched him train. He was very focused. He trained really hard. That’s what I learned from him,” Ramadan said.
That admiration disappears completely once the gloves go on. Ramadan and Abdallah spar with an intensity that leaves outsiders struggling to believe they share blood.
“When you see me with Abdallah during sparring, you couldn’t tell that we’re brothers, because we spar really hard,” Ramadan said.
“I can train alone, but when he trains with me, he gives me more power and motivation. That is very important for me.”
The brothers have shared four ONE Championship cards, and every single one has ended with both men celebrating. Their only professional losses have each come on nights when the other was not competing alongside him.
Away from the sparring mats, Abdallah sees a version of his brother that fans and opponents rarely witness.
“In real life, he is very soft. He has a baby heart. People see him as very aggressive and very tough in the ring, but in real life, he is very soft and a very kind person,” Abdallah said.
“Inside the ring, however, he is not soft at all.”
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