Ben “The Problem” Woolliss hits hard for a living. Away from the gym, the Englishman has made something equally clear: he dresses even harder.
The 32-year-old returns to action in a bantamweight kickboxing clash against former K-1 Champion Yuki Yoza at The Inner Circle 22 in Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium. The Asia primetime card streams exclusively for members at live.onefc.com on Friday, July 17.
There is more to the Grimsby native than what happens between the ropes, though. The same fighter who hunts for knockouts in ONE Championship is also a man who takes his looks outside the ring as seriously as the performance inside it.
Style, for Woolliss, is not an afterthought. It is a statement he has been making consistently throughout a career that has demanded everything from him, including a well-documented battle with Crohn’s Disease that has tested his resilience at every turn. Through all of it, the standard has never dropped.
He said:
“Having good style or looking good is really important to me. It completes my look and personality as a fighter.
“It’s the same, you know, as a fighter. You train hard to put on a good show, right? So why not at least dress in style ahead of your fight? It gives me that little bit of confidence and aura.”
Every fighter needs something that exists entirely outside the ring. For “The Problem,” the search for that something took a few detours before landing somewhere unexpected.
The surfboards, skateboarding ramps, and motorcycles all had their moment, but all fell short. What eventually stuck was something that carried the same sense of reward as a well-executed performance.
Woolliss continued:
“I don’t really have any hobbies apart from martial arts. I tried in the past – surfing, skating, and biking – but I basically just love fighting, and outside of fighting, it has to be retail therapy.
“I love shopping. I love buying nice clothes, nice things, and looking fashionably good. I guess that’s my biggest hindrance, but it is kind of a reward for my hard work, too.”
What lives in the wardrobe, though, eventually makes its way to the global stage. The retail therapy feeds something bigger – a personal brand he has been building one fight, and one outfit, at a time.
That same deliberate approach to appearance takes on an entirely different significance in the ring. The outfit changes. The intention behind it never does, however.
He shared:
“I’ve had a lot of cool fight shorts throughout my career. Some of them were rushed, but I really sit down to design it when I have the time or chance to create some cooler designs.
“It’s just a big part of me. I want people to remember me for my fights and style. It’s also about building your brand at the end of the day. So, yeah, I always prioritize what I wear on fight night.”
“The Problem” Woolliss Has Yet To Solve
If there is one arena where Ben Woolliss freely admits he has no solution, it is not inside the ring. It is inside his suitcase.
A man who has made style a cornerstone of his identity inevitably faces a very specific logistical challenge when fight camps arrive.
The desire to look good does not switch off when the bags come out:
“When I’m packing my bags for fight camps, I always over pack. Sometimes, I’m sat looking at my suitcases, and deciding what to not bring is always a problem.”
It is, perhaps, the most fitting problem a man nicknamed “The Problem” could have. The irony is not lost – a fighter who prides himself on being prepared for everything inside the ring cannot seem to figure out what to leave at home.
As such, Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium will not be short of style come July 17. Woolliss has never walked to a ring underdressed, and The Inner Circle 22 will be no different.
The deliberation will end. The bags will be zipped. And the English striker will arrive looking exactly the part.
