Muay Thai Articles

James is the author of Paleo for Fighters Muay Thai isn’t the first difficult thing I’ve learned, but it is the most difficult. I’ve worked with my mind before. I finished college and graduate school, learned a foreign language, and started a business. And I’ve labored as well. One of the most wonderful and positively transformational times in my life was when I spent a summer working as a landscaper in the countryside of northern Delaware. The time allowed me to shake the cobwebs of a sophomore year of college lost to drugs and alcohol and learn what it meant to work with my hands for not a lot of money. I was a line cook for several years. In fact, cooking was almost what I ended up doing with my life—I decided on a whim, after returning to college, to study abroad in Japan for a summer, and ended up staying for seven years. But, quite differently from the studio-chef cooking show world of TV, the restaurant kitchen is hot, fast, and extremely physical. Even Kitchen Nightmares is a joke compared to the reality of a restaurant line—some of the names I was called aren’t fit to repeat by a long shot. But I did leave that life, and after many years of twists and turns ended up in the marketing department of a financial company in Tokyo, in a world of words, thoughts, long hours, Power Point presentations, and less-than-exciting meetings. Yet I would eventually leave that too, burning out again from overindulgence in vices that originated from ...

By: Jenypher Lanthier of MTiL Most of you maybe do not know who Michael Perez is. He has been silently but steadily on the rise for a number of years. Beginning Muay Thai fifteen years ago at the age of fifteen he has been dedicating most of his time to honing his craft. A Toronto native, Mikey grew up loving two main things: martial arts and chess and is very talented in both areas. In 2009 the ball started rolling with him earning the 2009 TBA-SA Featherweight Championship Title. The momentum continued when he defeated Mike Stone of 8 Limbs Muay Thai for the 2009 CMTC-A Canadian Championship. He rounded out the year in November impressively winning the 2009 IFMA Featherweight Gold Medal by defeating a tough competitor from the Ukraine. Getting to know Kru Michael Perez JL: Thank you for allowing me to interview you Mikey. MP: Sawadeekhup, thank you for the opportunity. JL: Mikey Perez you have a big fight on Saturday March 2nd. I had a couple of questions for you about that fight. I also want to get some background on you as you are relatively unknown to the community in America. So let’s start with where you are from? MP: Originally I am from the Philippines but I was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario. JL: How did you get started in Muay Thai? MP: Oh wow, I started many years ago, about fifteen years ago. I joined a club called Ultimate Martial Arts here in Scarborough run Kru Paul Minhas. Through the years slowly but surely ...

By Jenypher Lanthier On an unnecessarily cold Saturday night in November, I had the privilege of having two of my fighters fighting on Kru Trevor Smandych’s Journey Fight Series event in Calgary, Canada. Lucky for me, my fighters fought early in the evening and that left the rest of the fights for me to enjoy with my team. The card had some great North American talent on it including a fast paced bout between Jessica ‘Thumper’ Gladstone and Alexis Rufus. I watched the height disadvantaged Rufus enter the ring confident and strong. Jessica entered the ring calmly with a long and lanky build resembling that of Julie Kitchen. In a five round fight where the action never stopped, I witnessed the shorter (by three inches) Rufus wear down Gladstone relentlessly with a barrage of punches and elbows. As a typically shorter-than-my-opponents fighter myself I appreciated the strength and aggression it took to over power someone taller. Rufus was impressive. The tables are about to turn where Rufus is the taller opponent and more experienced of the two but she faces a tough challenge in Tiffany Van Soest. Lion Fight Promotions is back at it again with another stacked fight card and as always it boasts some of the top names in Muay Thai. I am anxious to see fellow Canadian Shane Campbell make his Lion Fight debut along with seeing Yodsanklai, Malapiet, and of course the return of “The Soul Assassin” Kevin Ross. I am particularly excited about the co-main fight between Van Soest and Rufus. Credit goes ...

By Jenypher Lanthier After another exhausting day at my day job where I was a graphic designer, which frequently involved arguing with my boss over why I refused to use the comic sans font in anything I produced, I got to the gym around 6:00 pm and was ready to spar. I had sparred before but this was one of the first organized sessions that my Kru had set up, so it was a full house. Tuesday sparring at Siam No.1 was always a broad mixture of sizes and skills. Beginners, amateurs and professionals were all grouped together in the same sweat-drenched ring. Siam No.1 is a hard working gym, carpet laid directly on concrete worn down to the mat in some areas, there were broken mirrors held together with duct tape, and more tape held together a 1970′s era green-colored ring canvas in numerous spots. This gym was home to many champions. Duct tape solved all of our problems and we liked it that way. After one of Ajahn Suchart Yodekerepauprai‘s infamous warm ups, I strapped on my navy blue leather shin guards that smelled almost as bad as the communal shin guards, slipped on my black twelve ounce gloves, and popped in my five dollar Shock Doctor mouth guard. There I stood all five foot three inches and one hundred twenty-two pounds of me, geared up and ready to rock. The Thai round music began, signifying the first round. We were an odd number of people, myself being the only female in a large group ...

PRESS RELEASE – OFFICIAL STATEMENT RE: HURRICANE SANDY AND MTATM2 November 5, 2012 New York,NY: As the Northeast recovers from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Sandy, TaKe-On Productions will use the November 10th Muay Thai at the Mecca 2 event as a way to help those affected by the storm. “This is our opportunity to step up! We can use Muay Thai as a way to unite the efforts of our fans, and do what we can to help the people who need assistance the most” stated TaKe-On Productions CEO Mike Gasparski earlier today. There will be a donation table in the theater lobby at Muay Thai at the Mecca 2, and we encourage our fans to bring articles to help those in need (clothes, food, etc.) to the donation table. In addition, TaKe-On Productions will hold a 50/50 raffle at the event with all proceeds going to help victims and their families. Along with the above efforts, TaKe-On will be donating Muay Thai gear to help rebuild CROM Martial Training (Rockaway Beach, NY) which was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy. We will also provide free Muay Thai at the Mecca 2 tickets to the residents of Rockaway Beach, and any students of the CROM Martial Training Gym. Finally, a portion of proceeds from ticket sales made through www.takeonnyc.com (just enter the word “donate” in the Company Field) between now and Friday, November 9th will also be donated to help residents of areas most affected by the storm. “From the beginning, our mission has been to grow the sport ...

In the third installment of Muaythai Journal, we visit Kiatphontip Gym and Sitmonchai Gym to talk to 2011 Thailand Muaythai Rookie of the Year, Peteng Kiatphontip, and fast-rising muaythai fighter Yodkhunpon Sitmonchai. Also weighing in on the social dynamics of how children get their start in muaythai, is muaythai journalist and co-owner of Kiatphontip Gym, Rob Cox.

By Eric Rivera   Lion Fight 7 is most likely going to go down as the event that featured “the right cross heard around the world”. Now that the smoke has cleared after last week’s event and fans have finally wrapped their heads around what happened during the event’s marquee bout, it’s as good a time as any to talk about what we can take away from what was yet another fantastic card put together by Lion Fight Promotions. Walker vs Schilling: The Aftermath   Going in to the main event of Lion Fight 7, pretty much everyone in the so-called “Muay Thai Media”, as well as those in the American Muay Thai community as a whole, had Eddie “Showtime” Walker as a huge underdog versus Joe Schilling. After interviewing and getting to know Eddie for our “America At A Glance” article before his fight, I can’t say I wasn’t pulling for Eddie to score an upset. But wanting Eddie to score an upset and thinking he would actually do it are two completely different things. Joe Schilling is an extremely dangerous fighter. He is the type of fighter that comes into a fight not only determined and 100% confident in his abilities, but is also always looking to win in devastating fashion. Coming off a a pair of exciting match ups with Simon Marcus and a victory over Karapet Karapetyan in Bangkok for the WBC Light Heavyweight Title, Joe Schilling was looking even hungrier and more determined to make Walker just another name ...

—James Gregory, Coban’s Muay Thai Camp, FastPaleo.com James is the author of Paleo for Fighters I hesitated to use the word “diet” in the title. US society has bastardized it to the point that it conjures up nothing but the unpleasant: pain, struggle and impossibility. I hesitated even more because it represents a special kind of pain for fighters. “Dieting” is feeling constantly hungry, eating flavorless, fatless chicken breasts, microwaved broccoli and maybe some oatmeal for weeks on end and clawing your way through training camp until you’ve malnourished yourself enough to make weight, fight, and then go on a donuts-fried-chicken-greasy-Chinese-food-tacos-and-soda-and-MOARDONUTS!!! bender until it’s time to roust yourself from your food coma and get back into the gym before you’re 25 pounds over your fight weight—typically a week. So, not that. “Diet” in the sense of just the foods that we eat. If you read my last article, “Why Fighting Solves Everything,” you’ll know that Muay Thai was part of a change to a healthy lifestyle that helped me overcome an alcohol and cocaine addiction, a change that was truly life-saving. Part of this change, in addition to not dumping poison in my body, was a mission to find exactly what I should put in it. After having nearly killed myself, I really wanted to know what it felt like to be truly healthy. When I started training, I ate what I at the time, and I think most people in general, would consider healthy: mostly whole foods, a good amount of whole grains, not a lot of junk, but ...

by Eric Rivera We are all looking for our calling. We are all looking for that one profession, talent, or activity where as if by some form of divine intervention, we can simply excel and perform better than others and are happy doing it. Some spend their entire lives looking for their “calling” and fail to find it. Often times we settle for what society tells us is right for us and give up searching for what really makes us feel alive. Many times we find our calling by chance. Atlanta-based Muay Thai fighter Eddie Walker found his calling because after years of exercise and weightlifting he found himself still unable to get the results he was seeking. Five years ago, while trying to stay in shape he walked into Knuckle Up Fitness in Atlanta, Georgia and began taking Muay Thai classes. After a few months of training at Knuckle Up Fitness, Eddie caught the eye of professional Muay Thai fighter, Anthony Nieves. Impressed by his power and natural talent, Nieves asked Eddie if he had ever given fighting a thought. This chance encounter would be the beginning of a new journey for Eddie. A journey that has taken him from fighting at local promotions such as Bangkok Fight Night in Atlanta, traveling all the way to Macedonia and representing the US on the Enfusion kickboxing reality show, and finally a shot at facing one of America’s current kickboxing superstars, Joe “Stich’Em Up” Schilling at Lion Fight Promotions’ “Lion Fight ...

The first few episodes of Muaythai Journal will introduce the fighters and individuals that will be seen throughout the series as we cover more in-depth topics such as gambling, children fighting, social mobility, the history of muaythai, and where muaythai is heading. In the second episode of Muaythai Journal we visit Petchyindee Academy in Bangkok, Thailand to talk to Sam-A Gaiyanghaadao. Sam-A talks about winning the 2011 Sports Writers Fighter of the Year Award. Sam-A’s trainer, Tawiwat Sutti also weighs in on Sam-A’s development as a fighter.

The first few episodes of Muaythai Journal will introduce the fighters and individuals that will be seen throughout the series as we cover more in-depth topics such as gambling, children fighting, social mobility, the history of muaythai, and where muaythai is heading. In the first episode of Muaythai Journal we visit Sitmonchai Gym in Kanchanaburi, Thailand to talk to Pornsanae Sitmonchai. Pornsanae tells about his start in muaythai, life inside and outside of the gym, and who he feels has been his toughest challenge in the ring to date. Pornsanae’s trainer, P’Jaa, also weighs in on what he thinks Pornsanae’s strong and weak points are, and why he loves training Pornsanae.

  I began writing this article the morning I received the news that Damien Alamos had successfully defended his Lumpinee Title in an incredible fight with Thai contender Arunchai Pranyeesiphok. However, this profile on the young French Muay Thai sensation has been in production for what seems like months now. Gathering research on a particular fighter in order to coherently and fairly tell their story is hard enough but when most of the information you receive comes from a fighters humble but incredibly proud father, you definitely take your time to make sure everything turns out perfect. I have been hearing about Damien Alamos for over a year now. His exploits may be unknown to those who don’t follow the Muay Thai circuit in Thailand closely but for those who do, the young French star definitely looked like he was going to amount to something special. Most die hard Muay Thai fans now know of Damien Alamos due to his historic Lumpinee Title win over Kongfah Auddormueng. Before Damien, only one other “falang” (foreigner in Thai), Frenchman Mourad Sari, had managed such a feat. And at only 21 years of age, many knew that Damien Alamos’ story had only just begun. However, long before Damien won his title in Lumpinee and at the time of this writing, defended it, Damien was already proving to be a formidable Muay Thai talent in Thailand’s extremely competitive and demanding Muay Thai circuit. But how did a 21 year old French ...

“In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.” – Tony Montana by Nathan Aripez of MuayThaiAuthority.com Money, power, women, that was something Glen Spencer Jr. lived by when he was running drugs in the streets of Raleigh, North Carolina. Spencer originally attended Shaw University to study accounting, however, a run in with his roommate led to his expulsion, which in turn led him to, as he put it, become a “French Montana style Coke Boy getting money. $300,000 in 6 months.” “It started when I got kicked out of college for fighting. My roommate who pulled a gun on me,” Spencer said. “I took the gun from him and whooped the holly s— out of him.” Out of college and not sure what direction to go in, Spencer’s cousins brought him into the dope game. Along with his cousins, Spencer helped control the Dacian Road section of Raleigh and was living the good life. It was like Tony Montana had said; the money came first, followed by the power and then the women. Although Spencer should have also paid attention to another quote uttered by Al Pacino, this time in the Godfather: Part II, “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” While at a night club, Spencer and his friends were approached by a rival gang. After a fight broke out, Spencer fought his way out to his car looking for his gun, but was then betrayed ...

  James is the author of Paleo for Fighters There’s a popular t-shirt among Muay Thai fighters, black with “Fighting Solves Everything” embossed in big white block letters right across the chest. Of course, this is poking fun at the idea of using our words and not our fists, talking things out, walking away, and instead saying, “Screw that, just punch them in the face!” Obnoxious t-shirts are the best, and it is a guaranteed conversation starter. But at the same time, there is a very resounding and likely unintentional truth in the meatheadish message of the t-shirt. Muay Thai tests your entire being—it is as much physical as it is emotional and intensely intellectual. You can have the athleticism but not the technique. You can have the technique but not the fitness. You can look like a Greek statue and still freeze like a deer in the headlights once you step in the ring. Because of this, it makes other things in life comparatively easy. To do it competitively, even at an amateur level, you need self-discipline, physical and emotional awareness, a sense of life balance, and, determination. Fight training is grindingly intense, you push your body to give absolutely everything it has while your mind simultaneously deals with the inevitability of getting into a fist fight in front of hundreds of people. You take all of the intensity of the training and funnel and filter it through the years that make up your training career, to the months ahead of the fight, to the six weeks you spend in ...

Unfortunately, Muay Thai in the U.S. is still in its infancy and is far from reaching the popularity that it currently enjoys in both Europe and Asia. However, the last few years have been pretty big for Muay Thai and the opportunities to help the sports of Kickboxing and Muay Thai flourish in America are now many. For many years American Muay Thai fans could only voice their opinions about the sport at their local gyms and small events where they were either spectator or participant. Now, with sites such as Muay Thai is Life, Muay Thai Authority, Liverkick, Total Muay Thai, My Muay Thai, and more, fans finally have places where they can share their thoughts and or learn about what is going on in the North American Muay Thai scene, as well as the rest of the world. Each of these sites have a different voice but all of them are intent on making sure that, in the end, awareness about the beautiful sports of Muay Thai and Kickboxing grows; not only in America but also around the world. Along with these other great sites, Muay Thai is Life and Muay Thai Authority aim to bring you some of the best coverage of Muay Thai and Kickboxing in the U.S. For this reason we (Muay Thai Authority and Muay Thai is Life) have decided to collaborate on a series titled “America At A Glance – Highlighting Muay Thai in America”, that will showcase not only ...

UPDATE – RESULTS AT BOTTOM OF POST! During these past Olympic Games, one of the most talked about stories in the media was the success of the U.S. women’s teams compared to the lackluster performance of the men. More often than not, the women of the U.S. national team raised their gold medals high while the men had to make due with silver, bronze, or nothing at all. In almost every sport besides basketball, the U.S. women’s teams prevailed yet the men floundered. The U.S. women’s relay team set a new world record. The U.S Women’s soccer team? Gold. The U.S. Women’s water polo team? Gold. Beach Volleyball? Gold. Gymnastics team finals? Gold. And where were the men’s teams in all of this? In every one of the aforementioned sports, they didn’t even make the podium. Female athletes everywhere have made a statement that anything a man can do, they can do just as well. And let it be known that combat sports are no exception. Using the past Olympic games as an example once again, while the U.S. men’s boxing team failed to advance past the round of 16, the U.S.A’s Clarissa Shields won gold in a sport that had no Olympic women’s division until these games. In Judo, none of the U.S.A.’s men got better than bronze while American Kayla Harrison not only became the first American woman to achieve Olympic Judo gold, she was the first American to ever attain Olympic Judo gold…period. ...

Thank you to everyone for your patience. It has been a while since I have released any updates regarding the Muaythai Journal documentary, but that is only because I have been hard at work trying to get this project off the ground. It has been a long process of translation and post-production work, things in which I knew little about until this venture. Without the help of my translators this would have never been possible, so before continuing I would like to thank Waruja Korkijthamkul, my translator in Thailand, and Thasamon Koetphian, my translator here in America. I would also like to thank all those who made this entire project possible. Without their help this would have never been possible. I hope you know who you are. The first episode of Muaythai Journal will be online in about one month, with each episode following thereafter. A list of the individuals who will be featured in this series are listed at the end of the trailer. I hope that each episode showcases a new element of Muaythai that one might not have been aware of before, at the same time drawing in new enthusiasts to the sport. Without further ado here is the trailer for Muaythai Journal.

by Eric Rivera There is a pretty common saying in sporting circles that states that “champions are not born, they are made.” While this is certainly the case the majority of the time, sometimes you come across athletes that seem to have both talent and a unique trait of being able to motivate themselves to work harder than anyone, training to exhaustion without anyone pushing them. Another saying tells us that, “when no one is watching, live as if someone is.” True champions and world class athletes follow a modified version of that quote which instead reads, “when no one is watching, TRAIN as if someone is.” Very few athletes can push themselves passed their limits without a coach, trainer, friend, or fans egging them on. Fighting is an individual sport. While all fighters need someone to hold pads or mitts for them, fighting is very much a sport where the fighter is required to push himself. Outside of the training sessions on pads, the fighter has to spend countless hours doing road work, running for miles on end, or sprinting up hills and inclines to build his or her conditioning. There may also be days where a fighters coach or teammates may not be able to hold pads for them. On those days, a fighter has to will himself, no matter how exhausted, to jump rope, shadow box, and hit heavy bags or do their own strength and conditioning to the point of failure. And ...

By Jenypher Lanthier A nauseous six-hour car ride later I arrived in Boston Massachusetts for the first time on a dark rainy Friday night. My six hours was rough but not as bad as someone else that drove fifteen hours from Louisville Kentucky to attend The Kings of The Ring seminar being presented by Boston Muay Thai Academy. Still very ill from a flu bug that wiped me just days before I tried to get to bed as early as I could. I awoke Saturday, exhausted, dizzy and late at 8:00am and rushed to meet Ajahn Suchart and Ajahn Sakasom in the front lobby of our hotel to head over to the seminar at Boston Muay Thai Academy. The old wooden door swung open as we began to drag our tired bodies up about four flights of stairs to the top floor. With each passing floor the bitter smell of liniment combined with the stench of sweat became more overwhelming. Sipping on my orange juice from McDonalds I surveyed the school. Upon entering Ajahn and I encountered a beautiful traditional shrine, we took a few moments to pray. The old building exuded a gritty yet authentic feel. I looked around and saw aged white painted brick walls, the edges crumbling with years of stories to tell. The grey carpet was worn down from years of use and reminded me of the carpet at Siam No.1. Most of the heavy bags were taken down to make room for over thirty participants that day. The ring was to the ...

  The sun is still in deep somber in Chiang Mai, Thailand. A chill fills the air without the warmth of the sun and the noisy crickets are still engaged in constant chatter. I pull up on my popcorn machine sounding, 110 cc moped and cut the engine so to not to wake the kids from their net covered beds in the ring. As I glide in silently, I hear the nuclear-like alarm sound at five am, which could wake the whole town. I sit and watch them wake from their cocoon of dreams and just observe. One by one the children drag their exhausted bodies off the vinyl ring floor full of yawns and stretches to ease their stiffness from the hard plywood. Not one complaint is heard from any one of the dozen children as they begin washing up. Not one, “do we have to run?” no moans or groans are even attempted. They know that is not tolerated here and in the end does them no justice because the reality of the matter is, they must run. If they want to become Champions, feed their families or in some cases, even eat a meal today, they must complete this fourteen-kilometer run, and that is just the beginning. The whining and groaning you would expect is replaced with light-hearted banter as they playfully tease and kick each other. We return from the run with fresh sweat dripping off our brow, yet, we still have more to endure. Everyone puts on damp, foul smelling, hand wraps ...

After many days of speculation as to his whereabouts, the ever popular Buakaw Por Pramuk has finally surfaced. A few days ago reports stated that Buakaw had been missing from his camp, allegedly the result of a fall out with his management over the release of his stength & conditioning coach. Other rumors about Buakaw’s disappearance tried to allude to the idea that he had either been kidnapped due to his celebrity in Thailand or that he had run off with a woman. Also there was talk of him being spotted at a nightlcub in Phuket, something which has recently been confirmed as being false. To clarify the ordeal, Buakaw appeared last night on Thai TV and gave an interview concerning his situation. Needless to say, Buakaw has confirmed that he had a disagreement with his camp. Initially, the rumor as to the reason for the disagreement was that it was either due to the camp owing him money or that it was due to the release of his conditioning coach. Buakaw neither confirmed nor denied those claims in the interview. He did say however that a rift had been growing between him and his management for some time. Buakaw also indicated that he thought of retiring in as early as 2009 and that he was tired of being verbally abused and mistreated by his management at Por Pramuk. Apparently there has been some talk of trying to reach an agreement but no progress ...

In just a few days I will begin my journey back to the states. Time seemed to have passed so quickly during this trip. Had I accomplished everything that I set out to with this documentary? For the past week, I have thought about this frequently. Although, looking back, I’m not sure that a month is an appropriate amount of time to sum up the whole of Muaythai, or even just a small portion of it. It’s too dynamic. Its rivers run too deep, and the more one wades in them the more they will learn that Muaythai flows on a course of its own. And with its strong currents, Muaythai has the ability to either topple a man over and wash him away, or carry him to uncharted territory. During this past month, I’ve experienced both instances. At times, I had to ask myself why I have given so much of life to this sport. What was the meaning behind it all? In the past, I wrote about the beauty of Muaythai – and I still stand by those words. However, after digging so deeply into the sport this time around, I’ve learned that the ugliness is just as prominent. It is a sad reality for anyone who loves the culture of Muaythai, but it is a reality nonetheless. There is just no beauty in watching a fighter course through his career to wind up with nothing to show for it at the end aside from a bad drinking problem. There is also no beauty ...

By Galen Okazaki On February 25, 2012, Tiffany VanSoest will climb into the ring at Lion Fight Promotion’s Battle of the Desert 5 at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. She’ll be looking to improve her professional Muay Thai record to 2-0 as she takes on Vivian Leung who currently owns a 2-0 record. While fighting is her current vocation, more than anything else Tiffany VanSoest is an athlete and self diagnosed adrenaline junkie. Her athletic career began at the tender age of five when she kicked her first soccer ball. She continued to play soccer for club teams throughout grade school and junior high and for a championship team in high school. While in high school, Tiffany also found time to pole vault. She ended up being a league champion and she set a school record that was only very recently broken. As for soccer, she continued to play for two more years at the college level for a nationally ranked team (Cal State San Marcos). The only reason she stopped playing soccer was so that she could focus on her fight training. Along the way she also played basketball, baseball, golf and she has also been a lifelong surfer. In light of all of this, how did she become interested in fighting you ask? *Ahem* turtles…as in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Watching the Ninja Turtles as a child, Tiffany knew she had to learn a martial art and was finally able to talk her parents into letting her enroll in a karate ...

During the documentary, if there has been any place that I was looking forward to going to the most, it would have to have been Kiatphontip Gym. Kiatphontip is partly run by Rob Cox, who started out his journey in Muaythai over 20 years ago, and who is to many people the foremost foreign authority on the sport of Muaythai. However, to me, Rob Cox is more than a journalist or a gym owner; he has been a figure I look up to and someone who I have measured my own knowledge of Muaythai against. He lives the life that many Muaythai lovers in the west could only dream of – passing the days away at home where, right in his backyard, is a Muaythai camp that is home to the next generation of Muaythai fighters in Thailand. And when he’s not busy overlooking Kiatponthip, he usually has the best seat in the house in most of Thailand’s major stadiums – playing the part of ringside photographer. The day started off with an interview with Rob Cox as I picked his brain on various topics within the Muaythai spectrum. I wish I could go into detail about what I have learned from Mr. Cox, but I don’t want to spoil the fun. However, some of the things he touched on included: the affects that gambling have on Muaythai; the old guard controlling the sport; what it will take to continue to drive the sport forward; and what he believes will be in store for Muaythai in ...

by Galen Okazaki The first time I saw Jose Palacios fight in person was in March of 2011 when he fought Joey Pagliuso. It was a tough fight that almost went the distance. But with only 15 seconds left in the fight, Jose unleashed a head kick that knocked Joey out cold. A few months later I saw Jose fight in person again at Battle in the Desert 2, when he took on Scotty Leffler. In a blur, he knocked out Scotty with an overhand right 20 seconds into the fight. At this point I really started to take notice of Jose Palacios, how could you not? His next fight with the up and coming Artem Sharoshkin at Stand Up Promotion’s National Muay Thai Championship fight card was highly anticipated. That fight ended up going the distance with Jose winning it by unanimous decision. With three strong wins in a row over well regarded opponents he had improved his professional Muay Thai record to 5-2. Jose had made a career breakthrough and he was on the rise. Next up, was a fight with the re-emergent Kit Cope and his 23-0 pro Muay Thai record at Lion Fight Promotion’s Battle in the Desert 4. —————————————————————- Jose Palacios was born in Managua, Nicaragua. When he was six, his parents left for the United States with his two older brothers, leaving Jose and his younger brother behind. The feeling of abandonment left Jose with a healthy dose of anger as he ended up getting into many fights as ...

We pulled up to Mahidol University and the first thing I thought about was my future plans on teaching in English in Thailand. Immediately, I imagined one day I would be coming to a place just like this, except to work. I looked around and noticed some other foreigners, teachers perhaps. In my mind, I built up stories for each one, almost becoming envious of the life I assumed they were leading. Although, for the moment, I had to put my mind back on the task at hand. In just a short while I’d be sitting down with Dr. Wariya Chinwanno, Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities at Mahidol University. As always, I’d been unprepared with questions. My work flow has been a spontaneous one, asking a few prepared questions and then building off of the interviewees answers. When we arrived at her office she wanted to know why I choose her for a Muaythai documentary. She told me she knew very little about the current state of the sport. But I explained to her that I was seeking external opinion, answers from people outside of the realm of Muaythai. I’d hoped this would bear unbiased content. I hoped that this would balance the ratio. Up until this moment, I had been interviewing only people directly involved with the sport – fighters and trainers, the men and women who breathe life into the lungs of Muaythai. After our introduction, Dr. Chinwanno agreed to do the interview on camera. But only after she entertained her associates ...

Once again our friend Jeff Dojillo and his entire team have put together a solid Muay Thai masterpiece of videos that showcase the growth of Muay Thai in the U.S. and some of the fighters that are putting U.S. Muay Thai on the map. Before last years historic M-One USA vs. Thailand event, photographer and now documentary filmmaker Jeff Dojillo brought us his “Into the Fight” series of interviews that helped Muay Thai fans learn more about the 3 American talents; Joe Schilling, Kevin Ross, and Romie Adanza, that would be participating in the event and facing off with the always dangerous Thai team. Due to the success of that series of videos and a request by fans to see more behind the scenes footage concerning the M-One USA vs. Thailand event, Jeff and his team got together and compiled all of their footage from that event, added in never before seen footage they shot after the event and decided to release a 4-part documentary series titled “Into the Fight: USA vs Thailand”. This series will document the moments before, during, and after the historic M-One event with opinions from the fighters and trainers themselves. It will also feature insight from world renowned trainers and fighters about the meaning of Muay Thai and how it can continue to grow in America. If you haven’t seen the videos floating around the net already, you should definitely take a look at the first two episodes below! Feel free to share your ...

With my departure less than twenty-four hours away I can’t help but think about the journey ahead. Immediately I am reminded of the amount of time I will be spending on the plane and how I will overcome the woes of such boredom. Although, it has gotten a little easier over the years. I try to look at travel more philosophically now, like the beginning of some sojourn into the unknown. The airplane has become the medium in which I cross over to the other side. It’s become a place for transformation and gives me time to cleanse my western ways and prepare for the otherworldly experiences that await me in the east. With each mile spanned across the globe another layer of my self is peeled away, to the point that when I arrive in Thailand I find the troubles back home are mere memories of some prior life. For me, departure is more than a time and date. Actually, the more I think about it the more significant the term “departure” really becomes. In a sense I can say that what I am departing from is the confines of everyday life, the chains that bind me to indentured servitude, and the daily struggle that fills my mind; make more, buy more, fill the void with more material goods. I’ve always been a restless soul. And with each step I take towards living a life that society deems as appropriate, I feel another piece of the adventurer in me dying off. But these trips ...

The Building of Lion Fight Promotions by Galen Okazaki The year 2011 is now generally recognized as the biggest year in American Muay Thai to date. The quality of the shows and the talent on display (both US and International) were unprecedented. Much of the success of 2011 can be attributed to the meteoric rise of the newly launched Las Vegas based Muay Thai fight promoter, Lion Fight Promotions. With their four headline events last year they were able showcase many of the top American fighters as well as a number of highly ranked international fighters. Now at their new venue, The Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, with their stacked February 25th (2012) fight card headlined by a Joe Schilling vs Simon Marcus main event, they are continuing their upward momentum into this year. From my years of corporate experience, I know that success stories like these are not simply a result of luck, they require hard work and most importantly a vision. I sat down with Scott Kent, the President and CEO of Lion Fight Promotions to find out more about how together with former professional Muay Thai fighter, Christine Toledo, they were able to make this vision come true. Scott Kent has been a long time business executive in Las Vegas. He has also trained in Muay Thai (both here and in Thailand) for a number of years and he has developed a great passion for it. In the late 2000’s he was doing some consulting work for a hotel, booking boxing ...

Being a regular contributor for MTiL over the past year, some of you may already be familiar with my body of work on this website. However, in February of 2012 I will switch gears for a bit, put down the digital pen, and get behind a video camera. I will be shooting a documentary on the culture and sport of Muaythai in Thailand, and if all goes according to plan it will be released in eight parts over the course of 2012. Think of it as a mini-series on different aspects of Muaythai, featuring different fighters and influential figures in the Muaythai community. Each episode will be featured right here exclusively on MTiL. It will be produced under the banner of Muaythai Journal, a side project I have started solely for this documentary. My path through Muaythai has been one of unsettling growth. I started my journey simply to get into shape; to ease the pains of a herniated disk in my lumbar spine. But as time passed I’d soon realized that through Muaythai, I wasn’t only repairing my body, I was also repairing my mind and my soul. Muaythai has forced me to confront my innermost demons and face my greatest fears, and in return it has given me a greater understanding of what it is to be alive. I could have never imagined that the journey would one day take me this far. And because of this, I am truly humbled to be able to share my thoughts with everyone on what I believe ...

Friday Night Fights has long been a staple of the New York Muay Thai scene. Many of the East Coast’s top Muay Thai talent have at one time or another stepped on to the Friday Night Fights canvas and shed blood, sweat, tears, or all three. And while Friday Night Fights may no longer be the only show in town, they are certainly one of New York City’s original fight night promotions and have definitely been there longest running. This Friday, January 20th, the promotion will kick of their 2012 season with a stacked fight card featuring some of the top amateur and professional talent on the East Coast. One of the most exciting fights of the evening will no doubt be the main event between Tampa’s Alex Berrios and Travis Lechern out of Hoboken, New Jersey. Originally, Berrios was set to fight New Jersey’s Ben Case under full Thai rules in what would be the first full Thai rules bout in Manhattan. However, as is the norm in the fight game, situations changed and Berrios’ would now be scheduled to face off with the equally dangerous Travis Lechern in a modified Muay Thai rules bout. Both fighters are arguably among the top 10 fighters in their weight class in North America and both fighters are looking to punch, kick, and elbow their way into the upper echelon of their weight class and maybe at some point down the line, challenge the two men currently at the top,…Joe ...

By Eric Rivera As I was reading through a few forums this month, I realized that many people had differing opinions on what they felt were the top fights and/or fighters of this past year. I for one have never agreed with rankings or awards compiled by sports blogs because unless you are a sanctioning organization or large promotion, ranking fighters and or fights is entirely subjective. Many times such rankings are made based on who our favorite fighters are, whether or not we train at their gyms, or favoritism due to ties to a specific region and/or country. With that said I decided I wanted to compile a list of my own to point out what an amazing year 2011 was for Muay Thai, especially in the U.S. which is where MTiL is based. So here is my own list of the top fights, fighters, and KO’s of 2011 as well as a few comments about each. These thoughts are of course my own and don’t reflect the thoughts of everyone on the MTiL staff, so if you agree or disagree, feel free to leave a comment on the post below or head to our Official Facebook Page and drop us a line there. Breakthrough fighter of the Year (U.S.) – Ognjen Topic The Bosnian born Topic made his pro debut in 2011 and save for a very controversial decision loss to Anthony Castrejon made an impressive run that included two stoppages due to elbow strikes. Topic fights out ...

By Galen Okazaki Baxter Humby likes to tell us that “the only limitations you have are the ones that you put on yourself”. For those of us looking for inspiration there are countless quotes out there, most of them by people who have accomplished great things, although in many cases before our lifetime. For me, the best source of inspiration is from those who are living, breathing and walking the earth today. Perhaps that comes from my deeply embedded mantra of actions always speaking louder than words. I have now seen Baxter fight, in person, three times and every time I do I am reminded of just how true and inspiring his words are. Baxter Humby is a fighter…he has always been a fighter. At birth his umbilical cord became entangled with his right arm and as a result, he lost his right arm from the elbow down (a disorder commonly referred to as “congenital amputation”). Faced with this from the start, many of us might have placed limits on ourselves or even crumbled under the weight of public perception. But with a fighter’s heart and the support of loving parents who told him he was capable of doing anything he put his mind to, Baxter would never approach life with the thought of limitations. Growing up in a rough part of Winnipeg Manitoba Canada, Baxter had to deal with a lot of teasing. Kids being kids would tease him about his arm and also about being part Indian. In that part of Canada, Indians were ...

Resident World Champion blogger, Rich Cadden sent me this short piece he wrote yesterday regarding the do’s and don’ts of Xmas in order to keep in fighting shape, and as we have featured his training blogs from time to time here on Muay Thai is Life, I felt that this one was definitely apropos for the holiday season. Many of us use theses holidays as an excuse to completely slack off from training and dieting because we feel that it’s a time where such excess is somewhat permitted. After all, it’s the holidays right? Well, not so fast says Mr. Cadden! While it’s completely O.K. to throw some caution to the wind and celebrate, it may not be a good idea to allow the good cheer of the holiday season completely derail us from our fitness goals. I know I sure as heck have let myself swell up into an almost Santa size pair of pants because of so much Xmas cheer. Don’t follow in my footsteps; let world champion, renowned trainer, and mind coach Rich Cadden set you on the right path, so that you can enjoy your holidays without the guilt and the pain of getting back in fighting shape in 2012. Taken from Rich Cadden’s Chok Dee York Blog… The Do’s and Don’ts of Xmas Do’s and Don’ts of Xmas ……..if you want to stay in shape Do 1. Plan your work outs If you plan your workouts you will be more inclined to stick to the plan, rather than ...

By John Wolcott In the world of Muaythai there are many aspects of the art that can be taught to and learned by a student. Everything from technique and balance to ring strategy and how to score points. However, there is one thing that cannot be taught or learned, and that is heart. Heart is one of those qualities that a person is born with; a feature that you either have, or you don’t. Heart is what makes up the substance of a fighter. It’s that intangible force that reveals itself when adversity is at its peak. Heart is something that is tested time and again and grows with each obstacle it overcomes. Heart is what raises a champion off of the canvas when they have been felled in battle. It’s what motivates a combatant to step up and take on any and all challenges placed in front of them. Heart, when speaking in terms of the fighter, is what fuels and drives a person to be the best they can be both inside and outside of the ring, not only for themselves, but for everyone around them. As a fighter methodically moves under the bright lights of the ring canopy it’s easy to tell who has it and who doesn’t. It’s their display of heart which tells us a story of who they are, what they are capable of achieving, and just how far they are willing to push themselves. It’s a fighter’s heart which also inspires us, and in turn, causes us to look ...

By Galen Okazaki American Muay Thai has experienced a huge growth in popularity over the past few years. As this has been happening, our stature on the world stage continues to grow as well. American fighters have fought top international talent and held their own. What we continue to see though, especially with the Thai fighters, is the huge disparity in levels of experience. It is not uncommon for an American fighter to take on a Thai fighter who has been fighting since childhood and has ten times the fight experience. The physical talent levels may be equal, but it’s hard for American fighters to compensate for the experience. How do we solve for this? Well in California, Bryan Dobler and others are leading a grass roots movement to develop a program for young Muay Thai practitioners to safely get experience in the ring. It is their hope that this program can be grown and eventually adopted on a national level. In the case of California, amateur level Muay Thai fights are currently governed by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC). Many would argue that these amateur level Muay Thai fights actually resemble kick-boxing versus real Muay Thai. No elbows, prajioud or mong kol are allowed. However the CSAC’s reach does not go beyond athletes 15 years of age or younger. This leaves an opening for holding fully sanctioned amateur bouts for youths 15 and younger to be done without the involvement of the CSAC. Bryan Dobler believes that if this is ...

In late July, Thailand began to experience some of the worst flooding it had seen in half a century. As the rains poured down due to an already overactive Monsoon season; a tropical storm over Northern Vietnam and the effects of La Niña only further exacerbated the situation, allowing no time for already inadequate drainage systems to help dissipate the flood waters. A more sophisticated drainage system in and around Bangkok had previously made the Thai capital pretty much impervious to flooding. However, as the rains did not let up, flood waters began to creep into the outskirts of the city. As flood waters approached from the north, the small suburban town of Salaya would be the northern wall protecting the capital from flooding…but eventually the small town was simply no match for the forces of nature. Like many other suburbs around Bangkok, Salaya is the home of a small Muay Thai gym where young Thai fighters work hard day in and day out to become stars in Bangkok’s stadiums in order to, hopefully, one day make some money to support their families. Families that were most likely gravely affected by the flooding concentrated in Northern Thailand. The name of this small gym is Kiatphontip. Kiatphontip is owned and operated by our friend Rob Cox. For many in the Muay Thai community, Rob Cox is widely considered to be the true authority on the Muay Thai scene in Thailand and around the world. During my first trip to Thailand, Rob ...

By John Wolcott It’s in the all-telling square where Muaythai fighters exchange limb for limb and somehow, through some transcending act, convert the perils of pain into personal pleasure. Both physically and mentally it takes a special kind of person to subject themselves to such feats; a sort of madness that only lives in those who dare enough to extinguish the boredoms of life with the thrill of the fight. However, if we dig even deeper we come to learn that brawn and brute are not the only defining characteristics of a Muaythai pugilist. Also found are the virtues of humility, respect, and loyalty. It’s these very traits that separate a Muaythai fighter from someone who just fights in Muaythai. If you’ve been around the sport for some time you acquire a good idea of the fighters who embody these basic, albeit scarce, qualities. One of these fighters is Pittsburgh’s Mark DeLuca. I recently found out about DeLuca’s retirement and like many others in the Muaythai community, I saw it as nothing short of a surprise. Immediately, I was compelled to write. After all, Muaythai is just starting to grow in the states and I’d wondered how it would be with one less traditional representative on the East coast. In an area where establishing mixed martial artists take to the ring and boast the monicker of “Muaythai fighter” for the night, it was a breath of fresh air to see DeLuca’s name grace any fight card. With a very traditional style, from the wai kru to the ...

by Galen Okazaki On November 19th, 2011 at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas NV, Rami Ibrahim will be stepping into the ring onto the biggest stage of his life as he takes on the formidable Coke Chunawhat for the WBC Muay Thai US National Lightweight title at Lion Fight Promotions “Battle in the Desert 4″. For Rami it has been challenging journey over time and space to get to this point. Rami Ibrahim was born in Kuwait in May of 1982, but he is originally of Palestinian descent. At age eight, while he was visiting his older brothers here in the United States in 1990, Kuwait was invaded by Iraq. Stranded here in the United States with his 5 older brothers and his mother, they anxiously awaited their father’s arrival from the now occupied Kuwait. One week later he made his way to America, but the family had lost everything they owned in the process. They now faced rebuilding their lives from scratch in a new country. Much to their credit, Rami’s parents and older siblings did as much as they could do to shield him from the stresses of rebuilding their lives. He still suffered though. Being a new kid, from a different country who didn’t speak the language was all the reason classmates and neighbors needed to pick on him. Seeing this, Rami’s oldest brother, Rafat, became very concerned and made Rami an offer. He would send Rami to karate classes for six months but if Rami was confronted after that, if he didn’t ...

by Galen Okazaki In what has been the biggest year in American Muay Thai to date, we fans have been treated to more outstanding fight cards and performances than ever before. Many of these performances have included some of the biggest names in international Muay Thai and with all of this the level of American Muay Thai has risen to new heights. With Kevin Ross’ epic performance against Saenchai Sinibi, Ky Hollenbeck’s string of strong performances against international opponents and Joe Schilling’s domination of Kaoklai the momentum is clear. Throughout this memorable year Chaz Mulkey has quietly put together one of the best seasons of the year. With victories over Douglas Edwards, Ken Tran, Remy Bonnell and another victory at MBK while training in Thailand he has gone 4-0. With his victory over Bonnell in August he won the WBC Muay Thai International Middleweight belt. This string of victories over high level opponents has put Mulkey into any discussion about top American nak muays. A victory over a very tough Simon Chu on November 19th at the fourth installment of Lion Fight Promotion’s Battle in the Desert would give Mulkey an incredible season and huge momentum leading into 2012. Unlike some of the others we have met here in “Profiles”, Chaz Mulkey did not aspire be fighter. Growing up in his hometown of Dallas TX, soccer was Mulkey’s sport of choice. He played from grade school through high school and he was very good at it, playing varsity level soccer for three years. Becoming a fighter ...

By Brett Hlavacek Last year I won the four man Take On Productions Muay Thai tournament. The grand prize was a trip for two to Thailand for two weeks. Almost a full year later and after careful planning I was ready to go. This would be my first time travelling to Thailand to train and take on the sport first hand. My girlfriend and I arrived into Bangkok just as news had spread that the flood waters had penetrated the city area. Luckily, the area of our hotel was unaffected but while trying to tour around the city we were able to see the flooding firsthand. Our stay in Bangkok was to be short as we had scheduled a flight two days later for the island of Phuket. Like many people do stateside, I had done extensive research of all my training options for when I arrived. After many late nights reading reviews, blogs, and speaking with friends who had come here to train, I decided that I was going to train at Sinbi Muay Thai in Phuket. I had heard great things about the camp for years now and I can now say that every good review and comment was warranted. I wanted to ease my way into training and get used to the climate so I chose to start with one session the first day. The second training session they run at the gym started at 4 pm and it goes for a little over two hours. After ...

By John Wolcott For the past decade the sport of Muaythai has been revealing itself from the shadows of combat sports in America. Once regarded as fringe, with promotions such as Lions Fight and M-One putting together high-level, international bouts that feature some of America’s best, it’s now starting to gain the recognition it deserves. Though, we still remain at a pivotal moment concerning American Muaythai scoring. This has proven to be true with the recent release of the Association of Boxing Commission’s proposed unified rules for Muaythai in the United States. Although it doesn’t mirror the exact guidelines as those practiced in Thailand, presently it is as close as we’ve come to seeing the legitimization of our sport here in the far west – and that’s a positive. However, it has yet to be adopted by all the commissions that sanction Muaythai – and that’s a negative. A proper, fully understood, universal set of rules like this is exactly what is needed to end the bastardization of Muaythai in America. However, what happens if these rules aren’t integrated across the board? If we look at the current state of Muaythai scoring in the United States we can see that many issues still exist. If nothing changes will American Muaythai become a colorful assortment based on geographic location? Without the unification of rules, will we be stuck in a hodgepodge of segmented opinions on what Muaythai is and how it should be scored? Will it continue to be judged and refereed based on the biases of ...

During a 2005 Standford University commencement speech, the late Steve Jobs famously told students to “stay hungry, stay foolish.” This now oft-repeated quote has become, for many, synonymous with following your heart and your dreams regardless of what naysayers or critics tell you. All to often, most of us end up studying, working, or living lives that others, most often our parents, friends, or society have told us is the most responsible thing to do. We sacrifice our dreams and stifle our creativity in order to satisfy the needs of others and live a life that is not our own because others assure us that our dreams are a one way ticket to nowhere. So what, you ask, does all of this have to do with Muay Thai? Well, this past weekend many Muay Thai fans were a part of history for our beloved sport, as not just one but five stellar Muay Thai events took place right here in North America. I truly believe that no matter how you look at it, this past year has been a resounding success for the sport of Muay Thai in America. And this weekend proved that the sport is growing at an exponential rate, as is the Muay Thai talent that America is developing. The U.S., once the laughingstock of the global Muay Thai community, has slowly and quietly built up its talent through hours of hard work, determination, and perseverance. American blood and sweat soaked gym floors ...

Ky Hollenbeck seems to have taken on the role of the “all around nice guy” of American Muay Thai. While some fighters aren’t known to pull any punches when it comes to talking about things that may bother them, Ky seems to be the more soft spoken and affable of America’s current Muay Thai elite. Consistently praising his opponents, while also taking every fight as a learning experience that will further fuel his growth as a Muay Thai fighter, Ky rarely, if ever, speaks ill of opponents or has a negative opinion on anything for that matter. Maybe it’s because Ky doesn’t come from the somewhat chaotic hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, the concrete jungle of New York, or the sandy adult playgrounds of Las Vegas. Maybe it because Ky lives and trains in San Francisco; the birth place of an American Renaissance that culminated with the 1960′s Summer of Love but still remaining synonymous with the bohemian free loving, free thinking, and laid back philosophies of modern American counterculture. Ky Hollenbeck is far from ever being labeled a “hippie” but his unique and unorthodox fighting style, which currently has him enjoying an undefeated Muay Thai record of 25-0, is definitely in tune with the uniqueness of his hometown. I had never spoken to Ky before conducting this interview you are going to listen to below, and while Ky has pretty much always been a nice guy, the criticism he sometimes gets is anything but nice. Because of ...

Kevin Ross is without a doubt (in our minds at least) the best Muay Thai fighter in the U.S. at the moment. When foreign fighters are asked about the state of Muay Thai in the U.S., they consistently bring up one name and that is Kevin “The Soul Assassin” Ross. Kevin’s exciting, aggressive, yet technical style is a big reason why the U.S. Muay Thai scene is gaining respect worldwide. Never one to back down from a fight, Kevin has consistently stepped in the ring against tough opposition and has consistently put on impressive performances. Kevin currently trains out of the Throwdown Training Center in Las Vegas, Nevada and is the current WBC International Muay Thai champion at 140 lbs and also owns a USMF national title. Kevin Ross is Muay Thai is Life’s Featured Fighter for the month of October. We recently caught up with Kevin (and by caught up I mean we called him) and talked about his recent battle with one of the best fighters in the world, Saenchai Sinbimuaythai and his upcoming bout with the last man to defeat Saenchai, Sakkedao Petchpayathai on October 21st at M-One Grand’s “USA vs. Thailand” event in Los Angeles, California. Kevin also speaks about some other interesting issues and his position as one of America’s best nakmuays. It is a great and interesting interview with Kevin and we are honored to have him as our featured fighter this month. Make sure to check out our Official ...

Kevin “The Soul Assassin” Ross – Article by Galen Okazaki In•spi•ra•tion. According to Webster’s it means: “the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions”. Many of our greatest individual accomplishments are fueled by inspiration. We find inspiration in the stories of others overcoming great odds, achieving great things or in rare cases…. both.     In December of 2010, I had the opportunity to photograph my first headline Muay Thai fight card. In the main event, American nakmuay Kevin Ross defeated 7 time world champ, Malaipet Sasiprapa by unanimous decision. This victory over a celebrated Thai fighter would propel Kevin to the forefront of American Muay Thai (in February of 2011 he would be voted North America’s 2010 Fighter of the Year). A few weeks after photographing this event, I received a “friend request” on Facebook from someone named “Huggy Bear”. Hmmm…after taking a look at his page and some of the pictures on it, I finally realized that “Huggy Bear” was none other than Kevin “the Soul Assassin” Ross, silly me! After watching this hard hitting, tatted up bad ass fighter, I didn’t make the connection to ahem…“Huggy Bear”. And so went my simple introduction to someone who would fascinate and inspire me as I got to know his story. Born in Reading, Pennsylvania on July 27, 1980, the main thing that Kevin Ross remembers about growing up was the constant moving. Sometimes the family would stay in one place for just a couple of months and move on. Not the son ...

Joshua Stall & John Wolcott from Muaythai Radio and The Muaythai Preservation Project respectively, sit down with Muay Thai is Life president Eric Rivera once again, this time to discuss the recent Take On September Showdown event, the upcoming M-One event featuring Joe Schilling vs Kaoklai and Kevin Ross vs Sagetdao, and get into a good discussion about Muay Thai rules and judging in the U.S. To download from Itunes click HERE or make sure to head to the official website of the Muaythai Preservation Project to download this podcast as well as other great episodes of Muaythai Radio in MP3 format or just listen to them online. The Muaythai Preservation Project is an incredible one of a kind organization that looks to help underprivileged and at-risk youth by having them participate in programs designed around Muaythai, teaching both personal well being and service to others. For more information and to make a donation click HERE. For all your Muay Thai news, make sure to stay tuned here at Muay Thai is Life. Also be sure to like our Official Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @muaythaiislife

Kru Stephen Strotmeyer is the head instructor at Khaay Muay Sit-Kangmongkorn a.k.a. Pittsburgh Muay Thai. With about 27 fights both in Thailand and the US, his fight career was unfortunately cut short by illness. However, a true Muay Thai enthusiast, Stephen continued (and continues) to give back to the sport he loves. Having been on the 2004 U.S. Muay Thai team at the IFMA World Championships in Bangkok, Stephen later helped coach the 2007 U.S. Muay Thai team. Stephen, has also coached standout fighters such as Mark Deluca, Marcus Fisher, Ben Case, and more. Recently, Stephen was part of an advisory committee that included Samasek Kanthawong, Coban Lookchaomaesaitong, Tony Myers, Siraphop Ratanasuban,Jr., and Kaensak Sor Ploenchit. The committee was setup to assist the New Jersey State Athletic Comission (NJSAC) devise a set of Unified Muay Thai Rules which would hopefully become the standard for Muay Thai scoring in the U.S. Stephen recently took time to speak with Muay Thai is Life about the Unified Muay Thai Rules, Muay Thai scoring in the U.S., and the state of the sport in the U.S. as a whole. This is truly a great interview with one of the most knowledgeable coaches in the U.S. Muay Thai scene. MTL: Thank you Stephen, for speaking with Muay Thai is Life. You were on the advisory panel put together by the NJSAC to develop a set of Unified Muay Thai Rules. There has been a lot of controversy in the U.S. about Muay ...

At Muay Thai is Life we are dedicated to bringing you the best in Muay Thai content. For us, that doesn’t just mean bringing you the most up to date content (news and media), it also means trying to make things look good and be a lot of fun to watch! Therefore we have recently redesigned our Youtube Channel to feature all of the videos we have ever made as a company, starting back from 2005 when we were FSMT (Florida Sanshou & Muay Thai) up until now. Also, we have organized the channel to also feature some of our favorite Muay Thai videos & fights from around the world. Videos or fights that both inspire and inform you about our beautiful sport of Muay Thai. So make sure to subscribe to the channel or simply click on one of the THREE links we have made available to you: the Youtube logo on the top right of the page, the videos tab on the navigation bar above, or the “Muay Thai is Life Official Youtube channel” link on the sidebar. Or, we’ll just throw another link to our Youtube channel right here. We hope you enjoy not only the videos we have produced in house but also the videos we have recommended. And as always, for the best in Muay Thai news make sure to stay locked on here at Muay Thai is Life and also be sure to like our Official Facebook Page and follow us ...

First of all, the image to the left is in no way, shape, or form the official poster of Take On’s upcoming event on October 22nd in Atlantic City. It is simply a small piece of artwork I pieced together with whatever smidgen of artistic inspiration one can muster at 2:00 am. However, with that said, Take On productions insiders have just informed Muay Thai is Life that the main event for the first ever Full Muay Thai Rules event to take place at the Bally’s Resort & Casino will be between NYC’s Sean Hinds and Hawaii’s James Martinez. If you saw the Contender Muay Thai reality show, then the name James Martinez should sound familiar to you as Martinez was the only U.S. representative on the show. Martinez has been in the ring against a few big names including K-1′s Gago Drago and most recently Thai legend, Sakmongkol Sitchuchoke. Martinez, who is originally from Hawaii, now trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has been more active in MMA as of late than in Muay Thai. His last Muay Thai fight was the aforementioned bout with Sakmongkol on June 24th, 2011, where Martinez lost to the Thai by TKO in Round 3. Sean Hinds, a veteran of the east coast Muay Thai scene who began his Muay Thai training under the likes of Edgerton Brown, Coban Lookchaomaesaitong, and Phil Nurse, now trains and teaches Muay Thai at Mushin MMA in NYC. A strong and talented fighter with over ...

Rami Ibrahim just defended his WKA 132 lb. North American Title for the 4th time this weekend. The Philadelphia based Muay Thai fighter has recently been quoted as saying he feels he is ready, at this point in his career, to take on some bigger names in the 132 lbs weight class. During his fight versus Philippe Allaire Landreville, Ibrahim showcased that he is no stranger to fighting using traditional Thai technique as opposed to his sometimes more Dutch kickboxing & boxing centric style. Landreville came in with a lot more experience than Ibrahim but Ibrahim came out on top, once again using his crisp boxing in what was a technical and exciting fight at Take On Productions “September Showdown” in NYC this past weekend (Sept. 9th, 2011). Muay Thai is Life’s Eric Rivera caught up with Ibrahim after the fight to get his take on what took place in the ring and what’s next for him. Check the video below! And for the best in Muay Thai news, media, and more, be sure to check back here at Muay Thai is Life. Also be sure to like our Official Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter!

An important and somewhat controversial discussion has come to light in the past few weeks regarding how Muay Thai bouts should be scored. Unfortunately in America, some commissions and sanctioning organizations have yet to differentiate between scoring an MMA fight, boxing match, or kickboxing match and a Muay Thai fight. Muay Thai is scored differently than any of the previously mentioned styles of martial arts. In my humble opinion, Muay Thai should be scored as such. If we are going to call it Muay Thai, than it should be judged as Muay Thai. Because this is a sport which we (the U.S.) did not create, we must stay true to the traditional style of scoring in order to truly call it Muay Thai. I have seen and read about other bloggers telling fighters that they should change their styles “to finish fights” or stating that the scoring for Muay Thai in the U.S., “is simply different than that of the rest of the world.” If we are going to score under K-1 Rules or “Modified Muay Thai rules”, than we should say so outright and not water down the sport of Muay Thai by scoring it differently than in the traditional manner. Below is an article by our resident World Champion and blogger, Rich Cadden about how a Muay Thai contest is and should be scored. Also be sure to read the other links provided by Rich in the article as they are also very informative. Article ...

Every month, Muay Thai is Life designates a fighter from the Muay Thai scene worldwide as our “Featured Fighter of the Month.” Said fighter will grace the landing page of our Official Muay Thai is Life Facebook page, while we will also feature an interview with said fighter here on our official website. Our last two fighters have been from across the pond, including this month’s talented nakmuay, Andy Howson. Andy has fought against top talent from around the world including Thailand, Holland, UK, and the US. Andy took the time to sit down with Muay Thai is Life and tell us a little about his career and what he has planned for the remainder of the year and on into 2012. MTL: Andy, thank you for taking the time to speak with us at Muay Thai is Life, for our American readers that may not be familiar with your fighting career, tell us about where you train, how many fights you have, and what titles you currently hold Andy: Hey, its no problem, thank you for the chance of the interview. My name is Andy “Punisher” Howson I’m 32 years old and I train out of Richard Smith’s Badcompany Gym here in Leeds, UK. I have had 57 fights 49 wins, 7 losses and 1 draw with 22 by way of KO or stoppage and I am the WMC (MAD) World Champion, ISKA World Champion, ICO World Champion, WMC Intercontinental Champion, WPKL Intercontinental Champion and the WAKO PRO European Champion. MTL: ...

Many parents, particularly those in the western world, would never allow their child to participate in a full contact sport such as Muaythai. However, for some children in Thailand, an adolescent life spent in this pastime is an inescapable reality. With the existence of child prostitution and sex trafficking, an increase in child labor, and a poor economy, children living in poverty throughout Thailand are left with very few options in life. When given the ultimatum between a life of cultural transgression or a life of fighting for honor, who can blame a struggling family for sending their offspring into the world to accomplish the latter? Viewed through western spectacles, Muaythai is often mistaken for a blood sport. Yet, it’s at the heart of the sport where many find hope and the means to provide for themselves and their families. Muaythai, which had its birth over a thousand years ago, is a martial art in which practitioners use eight parts of the body as weapons for attacking and defending their opponents; they are the fists, the elbows, the knees, and the legs(Rebac). The art was originally used on the battlefield to protect Thailand, known then as Siam, from attacks by foreign invaders. Although very little is documented about early Muaythai, legend has it that a Thai fighter by the name of Nai Khanom Thom was captured by the Burmese and earned his freedom by defeating over ten Burmese boxers. According to another legend, when King Sen Muang Ma passed away, a successor to his throne could ...

There was a time not too long ago when Muay Thai in the United States was seen as a joke by most of the sports serious practitioners. American Muay Thai was drowning in a sea of confusing rules, varying and erroneous definitions about what constituted “real” Muay Thai, and a slew of officials & commissions, most of them lead by former Karate or Tae Kwon Do practitioners, with absolutely no experience in the sport of Muay Thai. However, even though terrible decisions are not yet a thing of the past, the sport has grown leaps and bounds in the U.S. and many American nakmuays have demonstrated that the U.S. is no longer behind and some of our fighters can definitely hang with the best in the world. I’m quite sure most of you are saturated with post fight news concerning the recent Kevin Ross versus Saenchai fight (M1 Grand Muay Thai Championship) and the Lion Fight Promotions’ Battle in the Desert 3 event. If you want to hear a recap of both of those fights, I invite you to listen to the Muaythai Preservation Project’s Muay Thai Radio Episode #9, where the panel and I discuss the finer points of what went down at those two events. However, what these two events proved was that the U.S. Muay Thai scene is growing exponentially and that the talent of many of the American fighters, who sacrifice so much to represent us within this sport, can no longer be ignored. With that ...

So I am currently traveling through South America, eating my fill of empanadas, arepas, and other wonderful staples of Latin-American cuisine. I’m currently sitting down looking out at the Andes mountains and wondering what I did to deserve such awesomeness in my life. Besides that, I am making good on a promise I made to all of you, and myself, regarding keeping you all up to date with the latest in Muay Thai news, articles, fun facts, etc… With that said, I recently had the honor of being a guest on the newest installment of The Muaythai Preservation Project’s Muay Thai Radio show. On this episode, the panel and I recapped Stand Up Promotions’ M1 Grand Muay Thai Championship and Lion Fight Promotions’ Battle in the Desert 3. Of note are a discussion on the Saenchai vs. Kevin Ross fight, the controversial Cosmo Alexandre vs. Sakmongkol decision, as well as other fights that were a part of these two historic events for U.S. Muay Thai. You can download the full podcast from iTunes here Also please be sure to check out The Muay Thai Preservation project’s main site. North Jersey Muay Thai’s John Wolcott, Liam Tarrant, and the rest of the crew are doing amazing things to promote the sport and change people’s lives through the honor, respect, tradition, and discipline that are integral parts of the are of Muay Thai.

With all the big fights going on recently here in the U.S. and with a stacked MPL card coming up, do you ever wonder what world class fighters do to prepare for a fight? Are you thinking of stepping in the ring for the first time and find yourself feeling uneasy about what to expect? Are you a an experienced fighter that is wondering about how you can take your performance to the next level? If any of these questions pertain to you, than Muay Thai is Life’s resident world champion, experienced trainer, and mind coach, has some answers that might help you out. Taken from “Fight Preparation” by Rich Cadden – Chok Dee York Blog… So, you have been training muay thai for a few weeks/months and you have been to your first show. You have seen how the guys from your gym have performed in the ring and you are thinking that you want to fight….. What exactly are you signing up for? I think it is important that the guys and girls who train, and want to take it to the next level, know that there is a whole host of preparation that goes on in the background before fighters climb in to that ring. 1. Fitness 2. Diet 3. Technique 4. Sparring 5. Mind Fitness For fight training, you should be taking things ‘to the next level’ There is no one exercise routine that will give you that extra advantage. There is a particular synergy when you mix some of these killer exercises: • Kettlebells • Olympic lifts • Bodyweight ...

Battle in the Desert 3 was a stellar event. However, the otherwise incredible night of fights was marred by an absolutely horrendous judges decision at the conclusion of the nights main event. After an action-packed Pro card that included a brutal KO, some nasty cuts, and a technical back and forth, the crowd at Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino in Primm, Nevada was geared up for the main event. The final fight of the evening was a face off between Thai legend Sakmongkol Zingano Sitchuchoke and Brazilian Muay Thai superstar Cosmo Alexandre. For many in attendance and those watching on the live stream, this was an exciting main event that promised to showcase one of Thailand’s all time greats against a young world class nakmuay approaching his prime. Many expected a proverbial passing of the torch, as an aging Sakmongkol faced off with one of the rising names in the game. In the first round, Sakmongkol danced around Alexandre and showed moments of brilliance, sweeping the powerful Brazilian to the floor on a few occasions and making Alexandre miss. In Round 2, the tone of the fight was set and it became a clinch battle where Alexandre consistently out muscled the Thai and dumped him to the canvas. Sakmongkol showed moments where he was dangerous, landing a few body kicks, the occasional head kick attempt, and some very nice elbows in Round 4. Alexandre however, landed a big elbow of his own in Round 4 that opened ...

In this edition of Muay Thai Wisdom, resident world champion blogger and Chok Dee York Gym head trainer, Rich Cadden discusses the art of holding Thai pads. Rich talks about what to learn as both holder and kicker as well as specific things you should focus on while holding Thai pads and/or kicking them. Taken from Rich Cadden’s Chok Dee York Blog… One of the things that I hear people saying is that they love hitting pads….while also adding in that they hate holding pads. What most people miss is the learning opportunities that you can glean from holding pads. NEWS FLASH – PAD WORK IS NOT A PASSIVE PROCESS Pad work should almost be the same as sparring, with the hitter unleashing their techniques at 100%, but the pad holder isn’t just waiting to be hit. This is an interactive blend. This is why experienced fighters make better pad men. So what should the pad man be focusing on? Here are my top 5 tips for pad holding: 1. Footwork 2. Balance 3. Noticing opportunities/counters 4. Flow 5. Work rate Footwork One of the fundamental skills of a true nak-muay is in the footwork they use around the ring. This is an ideal time to practice your own footwork and ring craft, knowing how to move about the ring and utilize the space to your advantage. This is one of the reasons why it isn’t important to have a ring, so that you do not start being lazy, relying on the ring ropes to bounce off, and it forces you move correctly. Balance As a pad-holder sometimes ...

I had the opportunity to meet Simon Chu when during the filming of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations in Bangkok, I was asked to spar Kiatphontip Gym’s resident trainer and ex champion, Jompop Kiatphontip. The sparring/mock fight was shot for entirely comedic purposes, but to also showcase the skill of the Thais even when faced with a larger, heavier opponent. Contrary to what people saw on the show after editing was done, Jompop and I did in fact fight for 5×3 minute rounds where Jompop proceeded to school me in the ways of Muay Thai for every single round, much to the delight of the young fighters in the gym and the millions who would eventually see the show. Although I didn’t speak to Simon during the shoot, I do remember him as part of the crowd that was laughing hysterically as Jompop used me as his 230 lb. punching bag. However, while at the gym, I was told that there was a British champion training at the gym with his equally talented sister, Maria Chu. I saw Simon train with Jompop and the other trainers at the gym and instantly saw why he was a champion. Simon is a fast and explosive fighter with a lot of power and great technique who will now be bringing his talents stateside as he looks to forcefully strip the USA’s Ky Hollenbeck of his WBC Interim World Middleweight title. The fight is set to take place at Lion Fight Promotions “Battle ...

Story and photography by Galen Okazaki It is the rare athlete that can compel us to rise to our feet. In basketball it might have been Michael Jordan and the anticipation of one of his thunderous dunks. In football it might be a savage Ronnie Lott tackle or in baseball a 100 mile per hour Nolan Ryan fastball. All of these are powerful physical displays that evoke something primal within us. So it would only make sense that in the fight game, the most primal sport of all, it would take someone who fights with power, fury, and the ability to put down their opponent in the blink of an eye. In boxing, I give you Mike Tyson and in American Muay Thai, I give you Joe “Stich ‘em Up” Schilling. When Joe Schilling enters the ring a pulse of energy always surges through the crowd. Standing 6’3” with a mean ass glare and the prisoner’s jumpsuit that he wears for his walk out, Joe is every bit of bad. And his fight game is what you expect it to be, what you want it to be: aggressive, powerful…relentless. Born in Dayton, Ohio, Joe grew up as the youngest of three children. With his father leaving the house when Joe was just a baby, it was up to his single mother to raise three children, two of which were very unruly boys. From as far back as he could remember, whenever Joe would threaten to run away from home, California was where he was going. But after being ...

The other day as I was skimming through my news feed, I caught a glimpse of a comment someone had left on Kevin Ross‘ wall. The poster was asking Ross how he was able to keep his composure when he was hit hard or dazed during a fight. Ross responded with two pretty simple answers; that on one hand, some fighters either have or don’t have the ability to keep calm under pressure or that maintaining composure comes from the experience of having been through a lot of tough battles. This question inspired me to write an article about what fighters go through in those last few moments before they enter the ring. What goes through their minds? Are they afraid? Are they calm? Are they a nervous wreck? I decided to ask a few pro and amateur fighters about their thoughts and emotions in the few seconds before the bell rings and what changes when it finally does. Being a fighter myself, I identified with most of what the fighters I spoke too had to say. Many have different ways of dealing with the emotions they feel before a fight but most of the emotions, no matter the experience of the fighter, were surprisingly similar. The emotions before a fight are akin to those one must go through before skydiving or bungee jumping. It isn’t so much the action itself that scares you, it’s those few seconds before the action. The moments ...

Rich Cadden, our resident Muay Thai world champion blogger, sent me this great piece about why good sportsmen make better fighters. But before you read on, I thought I would add a few thoughts of my own. Now, I don’t mind MMA, I find it exciting at times, humorous at others, and pulling-your-hair-out frustrating most of the time. My major problem with MMA is the fact that much like the world of wrestling (not the Olympic kind but the WWE kind) it can at times focus more on the drama and in-ring persona of the fighters than the actual skill they bring to the ring. Now a lot of the fascination with loud mouthed fighters is most likely a cultural thing. The strange thing is that while in most sports the U.S. tries to portray itself as the honorable, sportsmanlike, and “fair play first” type; when it comes to fighting their are many that think of it as just that, “fighting”. Therefore, they entertain the idea of fighters that act like uneducated, arrogant, and loud mouth neanderthals. And because SOME of the fighters act this way, many of the fans MMA has attracted are along the same lines. People seem to forget that the “M.A.” in MMA means “Martial Arts”. A term which for centuries has been synonymous with honor, humility, and respect. As Muay Thai continues its growth here in the United States, the one thing I see that is rapidly separating Muay Thai from MMA in the eyes ...

I have long been a fan of the UK Muay Thai scene. As a matter of fact, I have always had an affinity for all things British. Every year, on the 4th of July, I weep heavily and drink British beer and try to act like the entire year of 1776 never happened. I use terms like mate, knackered, pint, bollucks, and “Bob’s your uncle” on a regular basis. When I’m not scouring the internet for all things Muay Thai or watching fight videos, BBC World News and hours upon hours of classic British comedies like Fawlty Towers fill my DVR. Now, while some of what I have just written is complete exaggeration, what is an absolute truth is that I am a huge fan of the current British Muay Thai scene and their new stock of very active and very successful champions. One of my favorite “farang” nakmuays, Liam Harrison, makes his U.S. debut next week and is just one of many top fighters coming out of the UK in recent years. Another top English fighter, who’s name is synonymous with the UK Muay Thai scene is Rich Cadden. Cadden is the owner of Chok Dee York Gym in York, England. He has earned a variety of British and European titles at 62kg/136.6lbs and 67kg/147.7lbs, as well as a WPMF World Title at 67kg/147.7lbs. In addition to being head instructor at Chok Dee York, Rich Cadden also trains with world renowned trainer Richard Smith ...

Growing up in South America, there could not be any sort of conversation without a discussion about soccer breaching the subject at some point. Barbers, maids, street vendors, the young businessmen in their perfectly pressed shirts; all of them had something to say about the previous night’s game or their favorite players recent actions on the pitch. Soccer, to almost every nation outside of the United States, is a more than a sport. It is a huge part of their national identity. It is both a passion and an obsession. While a hobby for some and akin to a religion for others, it is a sport that connects to the very soul of any nation that lists it as their national sport. The players are more than just athletes on a field, to both the young and old fan alike, they are Gods. When I was growing up, I remember trembling in front of the TV as my favorite team made a play. I would grasp my shirt, which either contained the colors of my team or the name of my favorite player and would pray as the player struck the ball, asking and willing the ball to reach the back of the net. I remember the extreme elation I would feel after a victory and the heartache that came with a loss. Aside from Soccer, the only sport that brings me the same feelings of elation, heartache, and excitement is Muay Thai. Borrowing ...

I have to preface this entire review of the TBA-SA Muay Thai Classic by saying that this event is, with no equivocations, the best amateur Muay Thai event in the United States. I also have to say that it is important for media outlets such as Muay Thai is Life and other Muay Thai news websites to cover these amateur tournaments since they are integral part to building up the sport of Muay Thai in the United States. In U.S. sports, the term “amateur” has somewhat of a negative connotation. People assume that an amateur event is either going to be improperly or poorly put together or that the athletes are “absolute beginners” with “little to no skill”. In the case of Muay Thai in the U.S., this cannot be further from the truth. In combat sports, the term amateur, simply means you are not getting paid to fight or earning any money from your participation in an event. This does not mean that amateurs cannot fight in events where they are not required to wear protection, such as headgear or gloves. Or that they can’t fight in bouts where the rounds are just as long as those who fight pro, or that the rules (save for elbows being thrown) have to be any different from their pro counterparts. Because the U.S. Muay Thai scene is still in it’s infancy, many of the so called “amateurs” at national amateur tournaments can sometimes have even more experience ...

The Martial Arts History Museum located in Burbank, California is dedicated to promoting the history and culture behind the various martial arts disciplines from around the globe. Competitive ACE, the sole U.S. distributor of Namman Muay, has been laying the groundwork to establish a Muay Thai exhibit within the Museum since 1999. Apart from distributing the wondrous and magical Thai liniment oil that is Namman Muay to all of us injury prone nakmuays, Competitive ACE’s goal is support the growth and development of Muay Thai in the U.S. Competitive ACE can use your help by simply helping spread the word throughout the Muay Thai community about the ongoing efforts to attain several important artifacts for the Muay Thai exhibit at the Martial Arts History Museum. Your efforts in getting the word out, will help the initiative to give Muay Thai its rightful place in the museum. Once this exhibit is in place tourists, students, and practioners of all martial arts from around the world will be exposed to the beauty that is the sport of Muay Thai. This is a huge opportunity. Our good friend and Competitive ACE president, Anthony Salcedo, recently met with Royal Thai officials to give them a tour of the space where the exhibit will be placed and hopefully garner their support. Competitive ACE will post updates about the ongoing efforts to create the exhibit on their official web page at Competive Ace – Namman Muay Also make sure to check out the Namman Muay Official ...

The last time a debate between the East Coast and West Coast got this heated, we lost Tupac and Biggie. Thankfully, the debate between the east and west Muay Thai scene can be solved sans gunfire. There will still be plenty of fireworks but they will be limited to the space between the four corner posts of a boxing ring. Now, unless you have been living under a rock the last few weeks or are simply not a Muay Thai fan, which would make me question why you are even on this site to begin with, than you know that I’m talking about the comments made by West Coast Muay Thai fighter Chaz Mulkey about the New York Muay Thai scene. Now a lot of great fighters, trainers, and promoters have given their opinion and I thought I would see what they had to say before I came in to put in my two cents. Honestly, as much as some of my friends in the New York Muay Thai scene would hate for me to say, I think Mulkey has a point. I think the problem for most people isn’t the content of Mulkey’s words but rather the way in which it was expressed. I have long since been a Muay Thai purist and have to agree with Mulkey that Muay Thai without elbows is really not Muay Thai. As my friend John Wolcott said in a previous article, the sport is not called “The Science of 6 Limbs” it’s ...

Well, some of you may or may not have heard recently that West Coast Muay Thai fighter Chaz Mulkey made some pretty unflattering comments about the New York Muay Thai scene. Although, I am currently working on an article of my own about what is the hottest debate to hit the U.S. Muay Thai scene in recent years, I decided it was best to post Mr. Wolcott’s comments as a stand alone article since he took his time to write it up during his current stay in Sangmorakot Gym in Bangkok. If you don’t know what all the bruhaha is about then I would invite you to take a look at the comments by Chaz Mulkey that started it all in this article by Muay Thai Authority HERE and then check out the responses from fighters from around the U.S. that followed. It really is a fun read! John Wolcott: “As I sit here 10,000 meters above sea level I could not help but think about the latest articles I have read regarding the current state of Muaythai in America and the continuous debate on the whole East Coast versus West Coast matter. There have been some recent discussions whether the fighters on the East Coast can call what they do Muaythai or should it be referred to as kickboxing. The most recent article I read while siting at JFK Airport en route to Thailand featured some comments by professional Muaythai fighter Chaz Mulkey. Mulkey, who holds a passionate stance on the matter, ...

Earlier this month, legendary Australian Muay Thai fighter, John Wayne Parr, announced that he was going to make this year his final year in the sport. “J-Dubya”, has long been one of our favorite fighters here at Muay Thai is Life. In 2005, when we began this road of trying to promote both Muay Thai and Sanshou in Florida and the U.S., JWP was one of the first elite Muay Thai fighters we were able to interview. Also, when we began making highlight videos of our favorite fighters John Wayne Parr was one of the first fighters we knew we definitely had to highlight. JWP, has always been a class act; a fighter with a huge heart that never walked away from a challenge, he has fought a who’s who of some of the best fighters in the sport including: Buakaw Por. Pramuk, Yodsanklai Fairtex, Orono Por. Muang Ubon, Sakmongkol Sithchuchok, Mike Zambidis, Albert Kraus, Steven Wakeling, and a long list of other top tier Muay Thai talent. As a Muay Thai fighter myself with not even close to 1/10th of the talent John Wayne Parr has, I have always looked at JWP as a fighter who truly lived the Muay Thai dream. Going pro at 17 years of age and winning an Australian title that same year, Parr then moved to Thailand where he lived and trained for 4 years, fighting in over 30 fights and fighting at both the legendary Lumpini stadium and the King’s Birthday celebration. ...

If you follow Muay Thai worldwide, chances are you have heard of Rob Cox. Rob Cox is a good friend of mine and a top notch well respected Muay Thai journalist that pretty much knows everything there is to know about this sport. “Mr. Muay Thai Encylcopedia” is a nickname Rob has earned after years of reporting on the sport and helping spread Muay Thai knowledge worldwide. Also, if you have ever visited Thailand and the legendary Muay Thai venues of Lumpini and Rajadamnern, chances are you have seen Rob crouched in the corner of the ring, snapping away with his camera, and capturing the action during some of Muay Thai’s biggest bouts. Formerly the representative of Kaewsamrit Gym and now owner of Kiatphontip Gym located on the outskirts of Bangkok, Rob has without a doubt dedicated his life to promoting the sport of Muay Thai worldwide and is a main reason a lot of us are able to get up to date Muay Thai news straight from Thailand. In the following interview taken as research for the documentary Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever Rob Cox gives some short background history of Muay Thai, the way Muay Thai is scored, the effect gambling has had on the Muay Thai scene, the truth about the Muay Thai scene and fighters in Thailand, and the growth of Muay Thai worldwide. Whether you are new to Muay Thai or a veteran of the sport, this is a great interview about ...

As many of you already know, Muay Thai is Life joined forces with John Wolcott and his staff at The Muaythai Preservation Project, and Nathan Aripez of Muay Thai Authority to create the North American Muay Thai Fighter of the Year Award. We are very pleased to announce this years winners….read the article below, written by our very own contributor John Wolcott, about who the winners are and how the determination was made. Taken from The Muaythai Preservation Project Official Site… The Muaythai Preservation Project in association with MuayThaiIsLife.com (Eric Rivera), MuayThaiAuthrority.com(Nathan Aripez), and Cameron Fraser are pleased to announce the recipients for this year’s 2010 North American Muaythai Fighter of the Year Award. There were 7 fighters up for this year’s award. Each fighter was nominated for their accomplishments in Muaythai throughout 2010. Whether having a breakthrough year or dominating opponent after opponent, each fighter showed significant reason why they were worthy of such a title. Fighters Nominated: Ky Hollenbeck Miriam Nakamoto Chris Romulo Kevin Ross Joe Schilling Joseph Valtellini Gabriel Varga The committee of four cast their votes based on a number of criteria which included overall fight record for the year, win to loss ratio, caliber of opponents, consistency of performances, representation of traditional Muaythai, and accomplishments throughout the year. Being at the top of the heap in any sport usually means bigger opportunities, higher paydays, and more recognition. However, quite the opposite has taken place concerning the fight career of Kevin Ross. Ross, who has recently added another big win to his record by defeating Malaipet, is finding it harder and harder ...

You know, it really makes me happy and hopeful about the future of Muay Thai when I find myself unable to always follow every single Muay Thai happening around the world as closely as I would like. Although I have great contributors who do their best to help out and write up articles, event recaps, and post videos from time to time; The design, upkeep, and bulk of the work at Muay Thai is Life is left up to me, yours truly, King Coconut a.k.a. Eric “Luka” Rivera. But not being able to follow everything makes me happy because it means that enough Muay Thai events are happening at one time, that it becomes difficult to follow every one of them or deliver the news to all fight fans as quickly as we had hoped we could. Muay Thai is definitely growing worldwide because if there isn’t a Rumble at the Reebok in the UK, there is probably an Evolution event somewhere in Australia. If there isn’t an It’s Showtime mega production happening one weekend in Amsterdam, K-1 is probably putting on some show somewhere in Asia. And let’s not forget that Muay Thai is still, and probably always will be, doing just fine in the Land of Smiles. Due to other engagements and well, just life, I can’t always write even when I know the results of some event half way around the world. But the reason I am happy about the state of Muay Thai in ...

It’s mid-April, 2010 and the Red Shirts have taken control over the Rajadamnern area of Bangkok. Everyday I walk through the chaotic sea of red. Red shirts, red trucks, red bandanas, masses of red. Sii daeng was now part of my everyday vocabulary. Everyday I wait for what has been simmering to come to a boil. Soldiers line the street corners. Helicopters hover above. But somewhere in the midst of all this is a sanctum. A shield of security from the madness outside of its walls. Somewhere between the neighborhood wat and the tempering crowd of Thailand’s rural protesters stands SangMorakot Gym. And inside that gym stands Jack. Jack is a special kind of man. The kind of man that commands respect not because he says it, but because it seems to radiate from within him. Even with his friendly smile and calm demeanor – when he asks you to do something – you do it. Jack was only 25 years old at the time of my stay but his knowledge of Muaythai and skill behind a set of Thai pads made him seem all the wiser. He did not stand any more than 5’6’’ yet when I kicked the pads he barely moved. It was almost as if he were a concrete fixture secured into the cement floor of the gym. Effortlessly, he would smack the Thai pads together and catch my kick. Thwack! Every one of the Thai fighters wanted to work with Jack and it was no different for the handful of foreigners. Jack ...

If you are a long time fan of Muay Thai then you know that every year in Thailand the countries top sportswriters get together and decide who the top fighter was for that specific year. I guess you can call it the Rawlings Golden Glove Award, MVP Award, or Heisman Trophy of Muay Thai. Recipients of this award have included such names as Saenchai Sor Kingstar, Anuwat Kaewsmarit, Singdam Kiatmoo9, Namsaknoi, Samart Payakaroon, and a slew of other legendary names in the Muay Thai scene. As the sport of Muay Thai grows worldwide and slowly begins to gain strength stateside, it was only a matter of time before a similar award would be created in order to pick the best Muay Thai fighters in North America. With that said, Muay Thai is Life is proud to have the opportunity to partner up with the Muay Thai Preservation Project and Muay Thai Authority, to bring the first presentation of The North American Muaythai Fighter of the Year Award. Unlike the award presented in Thailand, we decided that it would be best to narrow down the number of fighters elgible to a list of 7 fighters, and then have the fans vote for their favorite. The nominated fighters were chosen according to the following criteria: * -Fighters must be based out of North America. * -Fighters must have shown significant improvement or must have made a great accomplishment in the sport. * -Fighters ...

Take On Productions of NYC has been putting on some quality Muay Thai events this past year. Having only begun promoting shows last year, it is safe to say they have come a long way and seem to be destined for more growth and success. I had the opportunity of talking with 2 of the 3 members that make up the dynamic Take On Productions trio at the recent MMA World Expo in NYC. In this exclusive interview with Muay Thai is Life, Take On Productions’ Eddie Cuello and Mike Gasparski tell us a little bit more about how they got started, where they are headed, and their thoughts of Muay Thai in the U.S. An Interview with Take On Productions – Muay Thai is Life from Erive Productions on Vimeo.

If you ever traveled to a Muay Thai stadium in Thailand, or stepped foot in a Muay Thai gym anywhere in the world, you have no doubt caught the scent of something resembling a strong eucalyptus and wintergreen plant. This scent comes from Namman Muay, a staple in the Muay Thai community for generations. Namman Muay is a liniment oil that originated in Thailand and has been used for years in the Muay Thai scene as a pre-fight and post-fight application that aids in warming up and reducing tightness in a fighters muscles before a bout, and allows them to recover from any bruises or muscle soreness after the fight. The formula, developed in Thailand using all natural quality active ingredients and local Thai botanicals, has gained a passionate following in the combat sports community due to its time tested and proven results. Its application is straight forward. Simply apply to any problem areas or the full body and massage gently in order to allow the liniment to penetrate deeply into the muscles. Once the liniment gets to work, it acts a as a warming agent and thus begins to aid in reducing muscle tension as well as increasing blood circulation. As many athletes know, a proper warm up is an important step in avoiding injury, and thus many fighters and high performance athletes alike have trusted Namman Muay for their pre-fight or pre-workout application. Namman Muay also works as a post workout application that helps reduce inflammation ...

MuayThai is no doubt a physically grueling sport. Nakmuay require a unique combination of anaerobic and aerobic fitness. They must withstand the punishment inflicted by an equally conditioned adversary. But MuayThai is more than mere physical weaponry. An often overlooked component of the fight game is your mind. Regardless of physical prowess, the time will come when you are tired or injured, yet must continue fighting. The option to quit never enters the mind of real fighters. Rather, real fighters fight regardless of the circumstances they face inside the ring. MuayThai is NOT an easy sport. Fighter conditioning consists of running hills, sprints, and torturous intervals, mostly solo, outside the gym, as it is generally not a team sport. Intrinsic motivation is critical and it must compel you to keep training whether preparing for an amateur tournament or a professional world title. Ultimately, it is your desire and intensity that will drive your physical training, it is your mind that controls how you train and how you perform. Sure, trainers provide extrinsic motivation, but even the elite trainers in the world are only as good as the students they train. A fighter has to have a mindset hellbent on success, where MuayThai consumes your thoughts, becomes your obsession and your life. If you adopt a laisez faire approach, rest assured that someone else will be passionately pursuing championship dreams. Remember, this is not a sport you “play”; this is a sport where you can get knocked out. MuayThai is a sport for warriors, those that ...

We have been slaving away the past few days trying to get the pictures, video, and write up organized in order to give you, our faithful readers, some in depth coverage of Attachai Khanomtom’s (formerly known as Attachai Fairtex) recent seminar at Tampa Muay Thai in Florida. Now, the people at Tampa Muay Thai a.k.a. Khanomtom Muay Thai, have long been friends of ours here at Muay Thai is Life. They have been our friends and occasional training partners since our humble beginnings as a simple Sanshou and Muay Thai website trying to highlight local Florida talent as well as the accomplishments of our own stable of fighters. Even now that we are an enormous multi-million dollar fight sport juggernaut (there is no truth to that statement whatsoever), they are still our good friends. For this reason we are very happy that Tampa Muay Thai was the location of Attachai’s US seminar and that their success has allowed them to open their gym’s Bangkok branch at Khanomtom 62 in Bangkok. Next time you are in Bangkok, be sure to check them out as they have a steady stable of up and coming fighters, as well as top class group of trainers. You will most likely also be able to catch up with Attachai there from time to time. Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, back to the seminar. So I’m not going to breakdown all the great techniques and training secrets Attachai shared with us at ...

So during my daily routine of searching the net and scouring it for all things Muay Thai, I came across this beauty of a highlight. Now, if you have been following Muay Thai at all for the past few years, then you should know that Saenchai Sor Kingstar is pretty much a God among men in terms of his Muay Thai skill. If you are new to Muay Thai, or this website, then the highlight below is probably one of the best introductions to the awesomeness of Muay Thai that I could fathom. Every Chuck Norris joke, every “Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding” type comment that we use in America to jokingly explain Chuck Norris’ greatness, could very easily apply to “Dr. Saenchai.” Why Doctor? Because Saenchai usually picks apart every opponent he has ever faced with surgeon like precision. That, or he playfully beats on World Champion opponents with such ease that he makes them consider quitting their careers in Muay Thai and pursuing the easier, less dangerous profession of sitting in a cubicle and filing TPS reports for Bill Lumberg. Every time I see Saenchai in action, I have to simultaneously wipe the drool off my slack-jawed face due to amazement and weep at the realization that I may never be as badass as Saenchai. Saenchai is also the only fighter that makes me actually start feeling somewhat embarrassed for his opponents. As his opponent plays the part of the “Little ...

Lately I have become pretty obsessed with the Dutch Muay Thai scene. A few months ago I had the opportunity to fight at a Muay Thai gala in Paramaribo, Suriname. Because Suriname was at one point in its history a Dutch colony, the influence of the Dutch style of Kickboxing is very palpable in the local Muay Thai scene. Coming from a background in more traditional Muay Thai and having trained at Kaewsamrit, Fairtex, and Kiatphontip Gym in Thailand, I have always modeled my Muay Thai after the Thai system. I followed the Muay Thai scene in Thailand as well as the big name fighters on the Thai circuit and competing around the world. I mean, make no mistake, being a fan of the sport I have always followed big names from Holland, but I didn’t pay as much attention to their style as I should of. I pretty much owe my new found interest in Dutch Muay Thai to my friend Eric Haycraft, who is head instructor and owner of Real Fighters Gym in Louisville, Kentucky. He helped me get on this card in Suriname where I was able to see the Dutch style at work. At the event I was able to rub elbows and speak with a few current Dutch Muay Thai greats, such as Andy Souwer and Tyrone Spong to name a few. I saw some incredible performances by some solid up and coming fighters in the Dutch scene. I was just ...

In my endless search for “That” next Muay Thai fighter to follow I came across this jewel of a Nak Muay, Lerdsila Chumpairtour aka Mr Lightning. He is one of the most unique and entertaining fighters I have seen aside from Sanchai Sor Kingstar of 13 coins gym. After some digging I found out that the two are old training mates which explains the showmanship Lerdsila possesses. Lerdsila is 29 years old and still fighting with the big name stadium fighters of Thailand which is impressive in its self.

This past weekend my platonic relationship with K-1 became one of love and hate. Love, because for many years they have provided me with top flight kickboxing entertainment. Hate, because they decided to bundle the excitement of the heavyweight K-1 WGP Final 16 with the explosive insanity of the K-1 MAX Final 16. 2 nights of back to back kickboxing action. Of course being that I live in Florida and Japan is, oh I don’t know, thousands of miles away, this meant I would have to stay up from 2 am until 5:30 am on both Friday and Saturday in order to catch the fights live. I didn’t take a nap or get to sleep early in order to wake up at 2:00 am and after a night of hanging with my mates and drinking a few beers too many, I was needless to say tired…very tired. Now, I’m not going to break down every fight or give all of the results from both events because I will be doing that in a separate post. This post is all about “Zambo”, “Iron Mike”, you know, the 5’4″ tall wrecking machine otherwise known as Mike Zambidis. Now, it’s well known that Zambidis is an explosive pitbull of a small man with knockout power in both hands. But on Saturday night, he and his opponent Chahid Oulad El Hadj of Morocco, put on what has to be one of the most explosive fights I have seen all year. ...