Bangkok Fight Night has gone under the radar a bit too long in our opinion. The Atlanta-based promotion is already approaching it’s 11th show and only looks to continue to grow on it’s success. The hybrid Muay Thai & MMA promotion has enjoyed quite a bit of success in the Peach State and have been both home and breeding ground for some of the U.S.’s top nakmuays. Chike Lindsay, Stephen Richards, Anthony Nieves, and Alex Berrios are among some of the bigger names in the sport of Muay Thai that have stepped under the Bangkok Fight Night lights. Khunpon Dechkampu, essentially the man behind the curtain of Bangkok Fight Nights, recently spoke with Muay Thai is Life about their upcoming event and announced a few changes, as well as a few other fights that will be on the card.
In the main event, Stephen Richards will now be facing off against Cyrus Washington, who comes in as a replacement for previously announced opponent, Chase Green. A veteran of the sport who has spent his time as of late bouncing around Thailand and the U.S., Washington is an always game fighter that has faced off with some of the world’s best and definitely never seems to shy away from any fight. Washington, was also part of the cast of “The Challenger Muay Thai”, a Muay Thai-themed reality show that pretty much took over from where 2008′s “The Contender: Muay Thai” left off and is now airing throughout Europe and Asia. Washington will definitely be a tough opponent for Richards, who has not fought in a little over a year. Will Richards be able to shake off the ring rust and defeat a very active Cyrus Washington? Or will Washington’s recent experience fighting top caliber opponents like Cosmo Alexandre and Kaoklai Kaennorasing, give him an added edge over a Stephen Richards who has been on the shelves? We are definitely excited to find out!
In the co-main event, the very dangerous and explosive Anthony Nieves steps back into the Muay Thai ring in a bout with Chris Clodfelter, after a year of fight cancellations left him unable to compete. However, Nieves, never one to take it easy, has been using his time wisely and staying active within the MMA and Boxing circuit. Clodfelter has also been fighting more MMA than Muay Thai lately, so it will be interesting to see how both of these guys will match-up in a Muay Thai bout after a short break from the sport. Nieves and Clodfelter previously faced off in 2009, however in the opening round an ill-timed elbow by Nieves landed on the back of Clodfelter’s head and the fight was declared a no-contest after Clodfelter was apparently not able to continue. The decision was somewhat controversial therefore it will be good to see both guy’s get back in the ring and write a new chapter to this story.
As always, Bangkok Fight Night will feature a mixed card featuring both Muay Thai & MMA fights in both the pro and amateur ranks. Jeremy Barrett from South Carolina is a talented amateur Muay Thai fighter that has been climbing through the ranks and has also competed in MMA. One of Jeremy’s most recent opponents was the soon to be pro Jay Matias from New York with whom Barrett fought in May earlier this year. An opponent for Barrett has yet to be announced but we will stay on top of it as he is an exciting young fighter with a lot of promise.
In what is, for us, one of the highlight amateur match-ups of the evening, Louisville, Kentucky’s Lindsay Scheer will face off against Caressa Kibler (fight name: Caressa Sudyod) of Daytona Beach, Florida. Lindsay is an incredibly experienced fighter out of Eric Haycraft’s Real Fighters Gym. I personally have had the opportunity to see her fight and fight alongside her on many occasions and she is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting and talented female prospects in Muay Thai today.
Lindsay has fought on cards in both Holland and Suriname and will most likely be making her pro debut soon. However, before Lindsay gives any more thought to going pro, she will have to get through Caressa Sudyod of Elite Muay Thai. Now these ladies have faced off 3 times before with Lindsay taking all 3 fights by decision. However, just as Lindsay has improved, Caressa has looked to gain more experience herself by fighting abroad, most recently in Canada. Caressa will be looking to make Lindsay’s next trip to “Hot-lanta” a painful one and put up some numbers on the scoreboard in what is shaping up to be a great female Muay Thai rivalry.
Bangkok Fight Night 11 is definitely shaping up to be an exciting card, so stay locked on to Muay Thai is Life and stay up to date on everything happening with Bangkok Fight Night and other Muay Thai events around the world! Also make sure to like our official Facebook page and follow us on Twitter
