{"id":16895,"date":"2026-03-31T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=16895"},"modified":"2026-03-31T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T23:00:00","slug":"chase-mann-credits-powerlifting-for-undefeated-mma-run-ahead-of-one-fight-night-42","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=16895","title":{"rendered":"Chase Mann credits powerlifting for undefeated MMA run ahead of ONE Fight Night 42"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Before Chase \u201cMannimal\u201d Mann<\/a> ever threw a punch in a professional MMA fight, he was loading a bar with hundreds of pounds in a small Arkansas gym. That chapter of his life became the foundation everything else was built on.<\/p>\n

Mann returns to ONE Fight Night 42<\/a> on April 10, where he faces undefeated Turkish welterweight Dzhabir Dzhabrailov live on Prime Video. He brings a 7-0 professional record into the matchup, extending his unbeaten run with a first-round TKO of Isi Fitikefu in January.<\/p>\n

But the story behind that record starts not with MMA. It starts with a chance encounter at a local gym when he was 19, fresh out of a rehabilitation center and searching for direction.<\/p>\n

That day happened to coincide with a powerlifting competition. A stranger named Logan Chapman, whose personal best across squat, bench press, and deadlift totaled 2,397.5 pounds and who Mann describes as the strongest man ever from Arkansas, noticed him at the bench and offered a tip. A mentorship followed immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018Hey man, I think if you do this and this, you can bench a lot more,’\u201d Mann said. \u201cHe showed me a couple of things, and sure enough, I did bench a lot more. He told me I had potential in this, and we ran with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that point, I was just fresh out of trouble. So, I needed something positive, and as I said, I was not mentally ready to put myself out there in MMA.\u201d<\/p>\n