Interviews

By Jenypher Lanthier Senior MTiL correspondent Jenypher Lanthier sits down with Siam #1 fighter Natalie Yip before her pro debut bout at Lion Fight 9 against undefeated American Muay Thai standout Tiffany Van Soest

By Jenypher Lanthier I am sitting ringside at Siam No.1 in Toronto, Canada. I sit close enough to feel the occasional drop of sweat whip towards me from a powerful swing kick or punch. Simon Marcus is hitting pads with Ajahn Suchart. The cracking sound that it makes is devastating, like thunderclaps as bones collide against leather with a force and willpower that is not often witnessed live in person. I have trained with Ajahn before, so I am aware of what it feels like to do only five rounds of what can best be described as me trying to hit as hard as I can continuously, while he resists my power with the pads. Each weapon thrown is a fight against his power. If you are not throwing with full power his resistance will make you feel like your weapon just bounces off his Thai pad. I watch as Simon destroyed the pads for five whole rounds and look like he still had energy for more after. This is just a small glimpse of what he must endure to be able to stay at the top and fight opponents such as Artem Levin. It is a mere fraction of the amount of dedication and focus required for him to be where he is. So that got me thinking, “Why? Why really go through all this?” So I asked him. Without further ado, here is my interview with Simon “Bad Bwoy” Marcus. Simon faces possibly one of his toughest challenges battling Artem Levin this Friday on the ...

By Jenypher Lanthier Matt “Matics” Embree is a well known Canadian fighter fighting out of Siam No.1 in Toronto Canada. Matt began training at seventeen years old and is fast becoming a major contender in the 140 lb category. In 2007 Matt won a Gold medal at the IFMA World Amateur Muay Thai Championships and the following year he won the 2008 WKA North American Amateur Muay Thai Championship for the 125lb weight class. He continued to steam roll through 2008 by travelling to Thailand and winning the Northern Thailand Championship in the 125lb category. In 2010 he returned back to Thailand to again win the Northern Thailand Champion for a second time at the same weight. Embree has worked tirelessly perfecting his game and waiting for the next opportunity to take one step closer to his goal of being the best of the best. One of those days came on the world stage in 2011 when he won the prestigious North American WMC Championship title and rounded out 2012 by winning the North American WBC Championship title. Allow me to introduce to you Matt “Matics” Embree. JL: Thank you Matt for meeting with me for this interview and taking time out of your busy schedule. Matt: Thank you, happy to be here. JL: Matt you have a huge fight coming up on March 2nd for Push Kick Promotions. You were originally supposed to fight Matee Jedeepitak and that has changed. Can you tell us who you are fighting now? Matt: Yea I am fighting a guy named Ben ...

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 ...

MTiL’s Eric Rivera sits down with professional Muay Thai and MMA fighter Ryan Madigan before his main event bout versus Rigel Balsamico at Take On Productions Muay Thai at the Mecca. The fight was billed as a St. Paddy’s day attraction as both fighters are of Irish descent and were fighting on the eve of St. Patricks Day. The fight would also be Rigel Balsamico’s retirement bout. Madigan would stop Balsamico via TKO in Round 1 of this bout.

MTiL’s Eric Rivera catches up with professional fighter Sean Hinds. Sean Hinds has long been a part of the NYC Muay Thai scene. A talented fighter who got into Muay Thai upon his arrival to the US from the UK, Sean exudes class and is an exciting fighter to watch. This interview was shot prior to his bout with Deshawn Robinson at Take On Productions “Muay Thai at the Mecca” . The fight would go on to be a controversial draw. We are definitely big Sean Hinds fans, always a pleasure to speak with him and watch him fight!

  We decided to try a new thing here at MTiL and put together Skype Interviews, with side by side video, and interview fighters from around the world, that way you don’t just hear the people we interview but can also see them (Granted they have Skype of course). Julie and Nathan Kitchen have been very cool with us here at MTiL so it was only natural that the first people we would interview with our new “innovative” and “completely original” system would be them. I wanted to speak with both Nathan and Julie about Julie’s recent fight against Aleide Lawant for her 14th World Title, her currently rivalry with American fighter Miriam Nakamoto, as well as a few other great subjects like balancing fighting with raising two up and coming twin girls who also happen to be fighters, and the female side of the Muay Thai scene. All in all it’s a great conversation with the classy Kitchen family. We hope you enjoy!

MTiL’s Eric Rivera caught up with professional Muay Thai fighter Brett Hlavacek before his fight with Chris Clodfelter at Take On Productions “Muay Thai at the Mecca” on March 16th, 2012. Brett went on to win the fight by KO in Rd. 1 – although these fights already passed we wanted to release these short interview as they were part of a very important event in Muay Thai history in NYC and the U.S. as it was the first Muay Thai event to ever take place at Madison Square Garden. Also we want fans from around the world to get to know some of the fighters on the East Coast of the U.S. Brett Hlavacek fights out of The Wat in NYC and trains under Kru Phil Nurse. He enjoys an undefeated record as both an amateur and professional and is definitely a hot prospect coming out of the NYC area.

Just because the Muay Thai action slows down stateside doesn’t mean that it slows down for the rest of the world. Tomorrow, Sunday, March 11th 2012, MTiL cover girl (at least that’s what we call her) Julie Kitchen looks to defend her world title against Holland’s Aleide Lawant. Many of you may have not heard of Lawant, but she is definitely a talented up and coming female Dutch kickboxer that has looked impressive as of late. Both Lawant and Kitchen were favorites to contest the final of the Enfusion reality show finals in Prague but an unintentional headbutt from Canada’s Maria Bastasin, cut Kitchen’s night short. Bastasin advanced to the finals to face Aleide Lawant after Lawant defeated Sweden’s Hanna Mjolberg. Aleide Lawant would go on to win the Enfusion finale and is also coming off a very close decision win over American Lindsay Scheer at the MPL event in the Netherlands. It goes without saying however that Lawant will be facing the stiffest test of her career in Julie Kitchen. Kitchen is a 13x World Champion who uses her height and reach to keep opponents at a distance and break them down with her solid technique. The fight will take place in Julie’s home of Cornwall, England with her students, gym mates, friends, and family cheering her on while Lawant looks to play the part of spoiler. Lawant has a typical hard hitting and aggressive Dutch style so it will be interesting to see how ...

Muay Talk is a series of phone interviews we began at Muay Thai is Life to speak with fighters we might not always be able to reach out to and interview in person. We feel that these phone interviews give you, as fans, an opportunity to learn more about the fighters you follow or look up to and get a small glimpse into their personality and their mind. Sometimes when we interview fighters via Q&A in text-format you don’t get to hear the fighters voice and understand who they are outside the ring and after the final bell has rung. In this installment of Muay Talk we once again catch-up with hard hitting Canadian Muay Thai fighter Simon Marcus to discuss the much talked about fallout following his win over Joe Schilling, an eventual rematch, his upcoming fight with Kaoklai, and his quest to become World Champion. Check out the video/phone interview below!

If you haven’t heard all of the back and forth trash talking going on between American Muay Thai buzzsaw Joe Schilling and Canadian “Bad Bwoy” Simon Marcus in the lead up to their much anticipated clash on February 25th in Las Vegas, then I have to wonder what you are even doing calling yourself a Muay Thai fan. These two guys have gone out full force to rile each other up, even going as far as putting their full fight purses on the line in an effort to make this fight even more attractive to the fans. It is a definite winner takes all bout where the victor not only takes the win, the bragging rights, and the respect, but also walks away with all the dough. While some people may not be the biggest fans of trash talking and feel that Muay Thai in the U.S. should emulate the respect and camaraderie shown in Thailand, there are others who see nothing wrong with a little back and forth banter before the fight in order to make things a little more interesting. In my opinion, both of these guys have kept things relatively civil. And as Simon Marcus will tell you in MTiL’s exclusive phone interview with him about the fight, it’s really all about two stand up guys feeling confident enough in their abilities to lay it all out in the ring. Neither Joe or Simon are taking this fight lightly and they both realize that the next ...

So much has been said already about Lion Fight Promotions upcoming “Battle in the Desert “5 event on February 25th, that as a newly coined “Muay Thai Journalist”, I have found it difficult to conjure up anything new and exciting to bring to the masses that hasn’t otherwise already been said somewhere on the “internetz”. And just whenIi thought I was fresh out of new ideas, MTiL’s intrepid West Coast director, Galen Okazaki calls me up and tells me that he is heading to The Yard in Los Angeles to snap a couple of training pictures of Joe “Stich’Em Up” Schilling and do a short interview with him. My reaction to such news can best be described by using Charlie “Tiger Blood” Sheen’s now iconic phrase: “Winning!” So with all that said, below you will find our most recent interview with Joe Schilling as he discusses his upcoming fight with Canada’s Simon Marcus and responds to some of the things Marcus said in his interview with Greg Boasberg at Totalmuaythai.com Needless to say, as our good friend and contributor John Wolcott indicated on our MTiL Facebook Page (Like Us!)that “if you guys aren’t excited about this fight, you might not have a pulse!”. Well said, John, well said. Echoing, John’s sentiments, this truly is going to be, not only one of the biggest and most anticipated bouts this year, but the entire card of Lion Fight Promotions “Battle in the Desert 5″ is going to be, up until now, the year’s ...

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 ...

Tomorrow (OR tonight depending on when you read this) is the “Klaar Om Te Bossen 3″ event in Paramaribo, Suriname. One of our readers had asked me what exactly the title of the event meant and I was sad to tell him that I didn’t know because my Dutch is pretty much rusty, or in other words non-existent. After using Google translate and a few other online translation services, all indications pointed to it meaning “Ready to Forest”, which I’m sure you would all agree had to be incorrect. I then remembered that my good friend Krystal happens to be from Suriname and would surely point me in the right direction. Anyway, she informed me that the phrase was in Surinamese-Dutch and actually meant “Ready to Blow!”, which made a lot more sense. So for the reader out there that was asking, you now know what “Klaar Om Te Bossen” means. Also, I might add that Krystal recommended that people who are interested in Surinamese cuisine try saoto, whatever that is. I’m sure it’s delicious. With that said, the “Klaar Om Te Bossen” event will feature a few big bouts such as those featuring kickboxing superstars Nieky Holzken and Marco Pique facing off against Americans Cyrus Washington and Michael Chase Corley. An important thing to highlight is that not only is the bout between Marco Pique and Michael Chase Corley a Full Muay Thai rules fight, it is the first Full Muay Thai rules bout in ...

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 ...

I have met fighters and coaches from a lot of gyms in the U.S., mostly the East Coast, but a lot nonetheless. And while some of those coaches and fighters leave a lasting impression on me and my team, many times because of either distance or time, it is rare that we can build a relationship with every gym we come across in this great Muay Thai community. However, Eric Haycraft and Real Fighters Gym in Lousiville, Kentucky is one of the few gyms that we are lucky enough to call our friends. My team and I have had the pleasure of fighting on a multitude of cards alongside the Real Fighters Gym fighters and it is without one ounce of hesitation that I say that Real Fighters Gym is one of the best training facilities in the U.S. You would think that being in a pretty non-Muay Thai friendly city and state like Louisville, Kentucky would hinder the growth of their team and fighters but you would be wrong. Coach Eric Haycraft and his staff have been able to build one of the best Muay Thai gyms in the U.S. regardless of their location in the more equestrian friendly Bluegrass state. One of their most consistent and successful fighters has been Lindsay Scheer. Having seen Lindsay fight on many occasions, I can faithfully say that Lindsay is one of the toughest female fighters in the sport and is destined to make a name for herself in the ...

Jose Palacios is a rising Muay Thai star with a current professional Muay Thai record of 5-2. He is currently on a 3 fight win streak that includes some very impressive KO’s and incredible overall performances. I had the pleasure of seeing Palacios compete a couple of times as I started out my fighting career in the sport of Sanshou (Chinese Kickboxing) and at that time Palacios was also a rising star within the Sanshou community. These days Palacios has switched over from Sanshou to competing in both Muay Thai and MMA, enjoying success in both sports. He will be taking on the both famous and infamous Kit Cope who will be returning to the Muay Thai ring for the first time in years. This bout will be just one of what is another impressive fight card put together by Lion Fight Promotions . The event, billed as “Battle in the Desert 4″ will feature an explosive main event bout between Chaz Mulkey and the UK’s Simon Chu. Also expected to showcase their propensity natural inclinations to punch and knee people in the face are Muay Thai luminaries such as, Coke Chunawat, Rami Ibrahim, Chidi Njokuani, Ken Tran, Elaina Maxwell, Roxy Richardson, and many more! For more information on the upcoming “Battle in the Desert 4″ event and more Muay Thai news and media make sure to check back here at Muaythaiislife.com or follow us on our official Facebook page or Twitter Below is the great interview with Jose Palacios by our ...

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 ...

Greg Boasberg at Totalmuaythai.com definitely has some quality interviewing skills. If you read though the interviews at Total Muay Thai, you will see that he asks really great and thought provoking questions that in turn allow fighters to open up and tell us more about themselves, their careers, their thoughts on fighting, and everything else that drives them as individuals. Our goal behind Muay Thai is Life is to bring the fans a view of Muay Thai, that is not only about the sport, but about the traditions, respect, and culture behind the sport. We also look to interview fighters and see the fighters as just regular everyday people; after the bell, beyond the ropes, and behind the gloves so to speak. Our friends at Total Muay Thai have a talent for doing this as well…hence why we bring you their articles….check out their most recent interview with Rami “The Arabian Nightmare” Ibrahim. A talented fighter with a lot on his mind, Rami’s comments may rub some the wrong way, but he is always genuine, honest, and stands up for what he believes in. Definitely a fighter inside and outside the ring. ——————————————

Muay Thai is Life brings you the newest installment of Muay Talk: Interviews with Muay Thai’s Champions, which is our ongoing series of phone interviews with top fighters in the sport of Muay Thai, as well as young up and coming fighters looking to make a name for themselves. In this episode of Muay Talk we speak with NYC’s Jay Matias as he prepares for his upcoming pro debut at Take On Productions “Battle at Bally’s” Full Thai Rules event October 22nd in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jay trains out of Sitan Gym in NYC and has long been a staple of the NYC fight scene. An technical fighter who doesn’t shy away from trying to showcase a wide variety of flashy moves in the ring, Jay has rapidly become big local draw in NYC and the Northeast. Check out the interview below! Also, remember that you will be able to catch the live PPV stream of the event at GFL.tv! For the absolute best Muay Thai coverage anywhere, stay locked here at Muay Thai is Life and also make sire to like our official Facebook page and follow us on twitter @muaythaiislife

As the highly anticipated M-One Grand Muay Thai event slated for October 21st in Los Angeles, California draws closer, M-One and the MTAA have done a bang up job of promoting the fighters who will be representing Team U.S.A. vs Team Thailand. Last week Muay Thai is Life brought you a phone interview with popular American nakmuay Kevin Ross, now we bring you yet another great interview with Kevin done by our friends at Totalmuaythai.com, also after reading the interview below, check out the new episode of “Into the Fight” (this episode sponsored by Muay Thai is Life) featuring Kevin Ross below! ——————————————————————- Interview with Kevin “The Soul Assassin” Ross TMT: Where does the mental toughness come from? I see that you have a very strong work ethic. Obviously there is intensive training going on, and lately you’ve been consistently fighting Thai fighters. Where do you find the drive, and where does the work ethic come from to prepare for these guys? Kevin Ross: It’s really something I’ve always had. It really got drilled into me my first fight seeing much tiredness can come into play when going into a fight. I lost my first fight because I got tired, not because I was out of shape. It really showed me how much conditioning played into an actual fight. It doesn’t matter how good you are, if you’re tired you can’t do anything. It really showed me how important that can be. Ever since then I always made sure that conditioning is my number one ...

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 ...

There is no doubt that Joe “Stich’em Up” Schilling is one of the rising stars in the American Muay Thai scene. There is also no doubt in our mind that he is a star in the making on the international scene as well. With a devastating and aggressive style that often times leaves his opponents face down on the canvas or bloodied up due to one of his vicious elbow strikes, Schilling is the real deal. Besides his exciting style in the ring, Schilling has an equally interesting persona outside the ring. A straight talking, no BS type of guy, he pulls no punches and says what he feels no matter if people like it or not. Some people may love him, some people may hate him, but the bottom line is that when Schilling talks people listen. He has a polarizing personality, a violent and entertaining fight style, and a great back story; qualities that many sports greats, past and present, have possessed. Its if for this reason that we believe that Joe “Stich’em Up” Schilling may be a fighter that helps bring Muay Thai in America out of its niche status and gets others in the country to stand up and take notice of the sport we all know and love. Schilling may not want all this responsibility or even the “STAR” title -he doesn’t seem to be too much of a limelight craving individual- but it is exactly for this reason that he ...

We just recently had the honor of speaking with non-other than 13x Muay Thai World Champion, Julie Kitchen as part of our ongoing series of phone interviews titled “Muay Talk – Interviews with Muay Thai’s Champions”. If you are an avid Muay Thai fan or practitioner than Mrs. Kitchen needs absolutely no introduction. Hailing from Touchgloves Gym in Penzance, Cornwall, UK, Julie is a veteran in the sport of Muay Thai with over 50 fights and a title belt in just about every important Muay Thai organization you can think of. Now, if you are a fan of Muay Thai is Life then you know that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with anything and everything from the UK. I’m a sucker for English Premier League Football (Soccer for the yanks), dry English Humor, and probably wouldn’t survive if I didn’t start out my day with a “healthy” English breakfast. With that said, when Julie accepted our request for an interview, I became giddy and nervous for a multitude of reasons. One, given the fact that Julie’s nickname is “The Queen of Muay Thai” (and for good reason!) I became nervous as I know that all encounters with any form of royalty have to follow strict guidelines and protocol. I was distraught because I didn’t know whether or not I had to bow my head when we spoke or if I had to address her as “Your majesty” or “Your Royal Highness of Muay Thai badassery”. ...

In this installment of our new series titled Muay Talk: Interviews with Muay Thai’s Champions, we speak with Philadelphia’s Justin Greskiewicz. The exciting fighter out of Cool Hearts Muay Thai, also known as “The Purple People Eater” because of his penchant for sporting purple dyed hair during his fights, discusses his upcoming and anticipated rubber match with NYC’s Turan Hasanov at Friday Night Fights on Friday, September 23rd in NYC. Justin also talks about his upcoming fight at Take On Productions’ “Battle at the Bally’s” on October 22nd in NYC, where he will take on Sheldon Gaines who is coming off an impressive KO victory at this past weekend’s (September 18th) IFS 9: Clash of Kings event.

Here at Muay Thai is Life, we are always looking for ways to bring you closer to some of the top fighters in the U.S. Muay Thai scene as well as some of your favorite fighters from around the world. Sometimes we can’t always interview fighters face to face, so we have attempted in the past to send them a series of questions and have them respond when they find time. This time we were inspired by our friends at Muaythai Radio and the Muaythai Preservation Project, so we decided to conduct phone interviews in order for us to grant people more access to their favorite fighters. In this first episode of the series we interview Tampa Muay Thai’s Alex Berrios who faces off with Canada’s Joseph Valtellini at Friday Night Fight’s on Friday Sept. 23rd in NYC. This is going to be one heck of a fight between two of the sport’s upcoming prospects! So if you are in NYC or anywhere near NYC make sure to check out this event as it contains a stacked card of fights. For more info and tickets check out Friday Night Fights official website. For more Muay Thai news and all information about Friday Night Fights upcoming September 23rd card, stay tuned here at Muay Thai is Life! Also make sure to like our official Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter.

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 ...

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!

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: ...

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.

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 ...

Don’t let the title of this post fool you. This may be Liam Harrison’s first time fighting in the United States, but the hard punching English “Hitman” is no stranger to the ring. With 77 fights and a total of 65 wins, Harrison has loads of experience under his belt. Liam was kind enough to take time out of his training to talk to us about his upcoming bout with Justin Greskiewicz for the WBC Welterweight Title at Warriors Cup XII in New Jersey. MTL: First off Liam, thank you for taking some time out of your busy training schedule to answer a a few questions for us at Muay Thai is Life. For those poor souls that don’t know who you are, tell our readers who you are, where you train, and some of your recent accomplishments in the sport. Liam: My name is Liam Harrison, I’m from the Bad Company Gym in Leeds, England. I’m 4x world champion and have a record of 77 fights 65 wins 37 KOs and have mixed it up with some of the best fighters around Europe and Thailand including Saenchai, Anuwat, Saggetdao, Namphon PK Stereo, and many more. MTL: You have never fought in the U.S. before, are you excited about the opportunity of fighting stateside on July 23rd in New Jersey? Liam: Yes, I’m really looking forward to visiting the States. I can’t wait! MTL: The WBC in Bangkok recently raised the stakes of your fight by making this fight for the WBC International Welterweight ...

Alex Berrios recently spoke with Muay Thai is Life about his upcoming bout with Rigel Balsamico at Friday Night Fights in New York City. The fight was originally scheduled for June 10th but an ankle injury forced Alex to reschedule the bout for July 22nd. Take a look at what Alex had to say about how he got into the sport, being considered one of the top guys in U.S. Muay Thai, and Muay Thai in the U.S. as a whole.

The 2011 North American Muay Thai scene has been on fire! We’ve seen an amazing season opener by Friday Night Fights, an awesome Lion Fight Promotions event, and Chaz Mulkey unleashes a tirade that spawns an East vs. West coast Muay Thai debate that is most likely going to set up a slew of dream match ups that all of us at MTL are hoping will further help push Muay Thai into the limelight here in the U.S. In all, I think so far it’s going to be a year to remember in the sport of Muay Thai. With that said the action continues this weekend with the beginning of Canada’s Journey Fight Series. An 8-Man Tournament that will be held on 3 different dates with the quarterfinals taking place this Saturday, March 5th, 2011 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The lineup will feature some of Canada’s best Pro Muay Thai fighters against some of the best nakmuays from here in the U.S. Although this event isn’t being billed as a U.S. vs Canada event, you can be sure that the fans in Calgary, as well as those that will accompany the American contingent, are going to be real clear about where their loyalties lie. But it’s in all in good fun, as here in the U.S. we are always looking for an opportunity to do battle with our brothers to the North and I’m sure the inverse is also true. One change to the poster you see ...

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. ...

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.

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 ...