Cheick Kongo repertoire and trained in Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Savate and Greco-Roman Wrestling at age of 19. At age 23, he studied Pencak Silat, an Indonesian martial art, and was coached by Charles Joussot and Franck Ropers, men who brought silat to France. They taught Kongo the Pencak Silat style of Setia Hati Terate. He is also a cousin of rugby star Fulgence Ouedraogo, the French back-rower. Cheick is also a columnist for the French MMA magazine, Top Fight. On June 10, 2001, Kongo began his professional career by knocking out Doog Ward. Kongo then followed up that win with a TKO
Pencak Silat prefers the latter. Prominent Sunda weapons include the "toya" (staff), "cabang" (forked truncheon), long-bladed "parang" (machete) and heavy "golok" (cleaver). The advanced weapon is the "piau" or throwing knife. Among the Betawi people of Greater Jakarta, the pencak silat tradition is rooted in the culture of the "jagoan" or "jawara", local champions seen as heroes of the common people. They went against colonial authority and were despised by the Dutch as thugs and bandits. Silat Betawi is referred to in the local dialect as "maen pukulan" or "main pukulan", literally meaning "strike-play". The most well-known schools are Cingkrik, Kwitang, and