TATTOO-covered Muay Thai fighter Zidov Dominik, 27, is happy to be a parent soon.

"Call me Papa Zidov," the Croatian joked at the Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel. The Thailand-based contestant of reality TV series, The Contender Asia, is the father of Singapore singer Maia Lee's unborn baby son. She is four months pregnant now.

Dominik is in town with other contestants of the show for the finals, which will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday.

He explained that he could not be in a stable relationship with Lee because he needs to concentrate on his career, even though Lee is a "nice girl".

He added that their common passion for tattoos also helped them connect. "We are going to make a tattoo baby," he joked. He hopes his son will grow up to be a Muay Thai fighter too.

Referring to fellow contestant Australian fighter John Wayne Parr, who eliminated him from the TV show, Dominik
said: "I hope John can have a son soon too. Then my boy can beat his."

 That won't happen soon. Parr told my paper that he and many other Muay Thai fighters abstain from sex for at least two weeks before a match.

Dominik pooh-poohed the tradition. He quipped with a laugh: "If Pamela Anderson comes into the room now, don't tell me I have to control myself?"

szeyong@sph.com.sg

The Contender Asia: A Final Showdown will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Saturday at 7pm. Tickets at $80, $200 and $300 are sold out. Only $50 tickets available from Sistic (Tel: 6348-5555).