“Any young fighters out there" - John Wayne Parr shares advice he imparted prior to ONE X retirement fight

Muay Thai legend John Wayne Parr retired after his last fight at ONE X. 'The Gunslinger' hung up his gloves in Singapore, following a storied career dating back more than 20 years.

In a recent Instagram post, the Australian striker uploaded a video that shows him imparting advice that he's learned from years of hard work and fights ahead of his final walk to the circle. He said:

“Any young fighters out there make sure you train as much as you can, be committed and try and fight as often as you can. If you get beat you learn from your mistakes, you get stronger and you don’t let those mistakes happen again. Just enjoy the process and have fun.”

Wayne Parr made his official professional debut in 1997 and has over 130 bouts to his name. He also carried Muay Thai championship titles in promotions like WKA, Lion Fights, WMC, K-1 and many others.

'The Gunslinger' retired after his last fight at ONE X. He fought former MMA champion Eduard Folayang and their fight electrified the audience. John Wayne Parr was awarded the fan vote $50,000 performance bonus.

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John Wayne Parr earns $50k fan vote performance bonus

After ONE X, fans were able to vote on which fighter should earn a $50,000 performance bonus. All fighters who fought at the event were eligible. With a whopping 42% of the vote, retiring Australian legend John Wayne Parr was able to win the hearts of fans and walk away with the extra cash.

Reacting to the news, he spoke about how much the bonus meant to him:

“Words [cannot] describe my happiness right now. After 35 years of fighting and 149 fights. My last fight is now my new favorite out of all of them. Thank you to everyone that voted... This feels better than a world title. Very happy.”

'The Gunslinger' was brought to tears by the fan vote.

John Wayne Parr retired as a striking legend, with hundreds of bouts over multiple decades. In his final match, he won the hearts of fans. He says that is ultimately better than a championship.

In an interview with ONE Championship prior to ONE X, Wayne Parr discussed how much combat sports and winning the admiration of the audience meant to him

“When you win, and you get the crowd cheering your name, you get the adrenaline rush and the goosebumps on your skin, and then you get home, and you’re so excited that you can’t sleep for two or three days because of the high you got from the fight."

Wayne Parr certainly built a strong legacy throughtout his career and his presence int he circle will no doubt be missed.