Muay Thai Phuket Magazine

Ramazan getting headbutted

2010-06-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ramazan Ramanov getting headbutted in a recent K-1 fight in Hong Kong:

http://bit.ly/dnGoHh

He doesn't like it much.

You can read a recent interview with Ramazan here:

Martial Combat predictions

2010-06-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

Check out my official predictions for Martial Combat this week:

Follow me on Twitter on Wednesday and Thursday night to find out how many I get right.

2010-06-12T00:56:00.000-07:00

MTP Magazine is on hold for a couple of months as I am going to be busy with other projects.

I am still writing a lot of articles about Muay Thai, MMA and boxing and publishing them online on a number of websites including ESPN Star Sports, 5oz of Pain, Bloody Elbow and Bleacher Report as well as www.mtpmagazine.com.

if you are interested the single easiest way to keep up with what I am doing is to follow me on twitter:

2010-06-12T00:53:00.001-07:00

Preview of Phuket based Muay Thai fighter Cyrus Washington's MMA fight in Singapore next week:

2010-06-12T00:50:00.000-07:00

Interview with WEC and Elite XC veteran Muhsin Corbbrey who is training at Tiger Muay Thai for an MMA fight in Singapore next week:

Phuket Fighters to feature on ESPN

2010-05-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

Three fighters from Phuket have headed to Singapore to fight on a major MMA show.

The show will be broadcast on both ESPN and Star Sports, check MTP Magazine for more details of when or for more info click here:

Martial Combat

MTP Magazine Issue 12

2010-04-23T03:01:00.000-07:00

MTP Magazine Issue 12 coming soon...

Featuring a no holds barred interview with UFC star Phil Baroni.

www.mtpmagazine.com isn't working. I don't know why, but I am trying to sort it out.

2010-04-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in reading articles about MMA or boxing check out The Bleacher Report:

Sinbi fighters win in Germany

2010-04-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Nico Meyer and Dee both won their fights in Germany last weekend. Saenchai Sor Kingstar was also victorious. Videos to follow soon.

Can the Hayemaker Revitalize The Heavyweight Division?

2010-04-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

Could David Haye be the man to end Britain's long, long weight for a legitimate homegrown heavyweight champion? Haye is already the WBA Heavyweight Champion, courtesy of a majority decision points win over Russian giant Nikolai Valuev last November.

However Haye still has a few fights to go before he can be considered a legitimate heavyweight champion. The sheer quantity of alphabet titles available within boxing means that being a world champion is not the claim to fame it once was.

Valuev was coming off a less than convincing majority decision to 46 year old Evander Holyfield prior to the fight with Haye. The heavyweight division has been in disarray for a number of years but even given the dearth of credible opponents available Valuev's inability to convincingly defeat a man at least 10 years past his prime was less than impressive.

Ruiz is almost ten years younger than Holyfield but the trilogy of fights that took place between the two probably marked the peak of both men's career. The final fight of the three took place in December 2001 and ended in a draw meaning that honours were even over the course of the three fights, Ruiz having won the first by decision, Holyfield the second.

The fact that either boxer's name is still being mentioned in connection with the heavyweight title picture is as much a reflection on the lack of new talent emerging in the division as it is on the longevity of these two fighters.

There is a paucity of new talent in what is traditionally the most prestigious of all boxing's weight classes and David Haye's emergence as a genuine title contender is a development which will be welcomed well beyond the shores of his native England.

However if Haye is to cement his status as a heavyweight champion and follow in the footsteps of compatriots Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis then the likes of Valuev and Ruiz will prove merely the stepping stones on his route to the Klitschko brothers.

Wladimir holds the IBF and WBO versions of the belt, a resurgent Vitali the prestigious WBO strap. The Ukranian brothers have made it clear that they will not, under any circumstances, fight one another. The heavyweight division is crying out for a unified, undisputed, champion but the Klitschko brothers understandable reluctance to face one another makes Haye the only realistic contender for the crown last worn by compatriot Lennox Lewis in 2009.

Victory against Ruiz, who has not headlined a major show since losing to Valuev in 2005, is an absolute necessity for Haye. Should he win the obvious move, from both a promotional and financial point of view, would be for Haye to fight Wladimir Klitschko, potentially at Wembley Stadium. This would set up the fascinating prospect of a grudge match with Vitali Klitschko, widely regarded as being the more accomplished of the two brothers.

British boxing is enjoying something of a renaissance with Kevin Mitchell about to face Michael Katsidis at Upton Park and Amir Khan all set to go against Pauli Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden. A Haye vs Klitschko fight would top all of these and would be the biggest heavyweight bout since Lennox Lewis sliced Vitali Klitschko open en route to a sixth round stoppage in 2003.

A fight between 38 year old Ruiz and either Klitschko is also a possibility should he win but would not have nearly the same box office appeal. British fight fans will be hoping 'the Hayemaker' can hand Ruiz the ninth loss of his career in Manchester tonight because if he does, Wembley awaits.

by James Goyder

S8 Thaiboxing

2010-03-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

Two fighters from Sinbi are travelling to Germany to fight on this show on April 3rd. Dee, also known as Kim Chi, and Nico Meier will be both be in action on Saturday night.

Nico is returning to his native Germany to fight on the show which will be headlined by a fight between Saenchai Sor Kingstar and Yetkin Ozkul.

Dee is scheduled to fight Bihes Barakat and Nico's opponent is yet to be announced.

For more information and to see the fight card in full visit: S8 Thaiboxing

To read interviews with both Nico and Dee visit the articles section of www.mtpmagazine.com

TMT sends fighters to Singapore

2010-03-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Wiktor Svensson and Ngoo Ditty are appearing on an MMA show in Singapore in May.

Wiktor will be fighting Dong Ho Han from the Phillipines (?) on May 12th and Ngoo Ditty will be fighting Kevin Belingon also from the Phillipines (!) the following night.

The event is likely to be broadcast on ESPN.

UFC on Thai TV?

2010-03-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

If you access the UFC website from Thailand you will see it has a large banner for True TV at the top. True TV is the biggest sports network in Thailand and currently screens UFC repeats as well as live coverage of major boxing matches.

Could True TV be about to start screening the UFC live? The banner shows UFC 111 which was not broadcast live on True TV but perhaps UFC 112 will be.

UFC 111 review

2010-03-29T00:16:00.001-07:00

by James Goyder

UFC 111 underlined George St Pierres status as the most dominant champion in the sport emphatically and undermined the UFC's ambitions of becoming a mainstream sporting event dramatically.

GSP dominated Dan Hardy from start to finish. He was successful with 100% of his take down attempts meaning that Hardy spent the majority of the five rounds flat on his back with GSP on top of him. It was not a difficult fight to score but it was a difficult fight to enjoy. Despite having 25 minutes in which to inflict damage on one another neither man succeeded in doing so. GSP came close with a couple of submission attempts but both fighters emerged from the fight relatively unscathed which will have done little to sate the average viewers lust for violence.

As the UFC puts on more and more pay per view shows it is the average viewer that it needs to attract. Jo Rogan casually dismissed the large sections of the audience who were booing during a technical ground battle between Jon Fitch and Ben Saunders as being 'meat heads'. Rogan is missing the point, the vast majority of viewers are not interested in watching two fighters spend five minutes jostling for position on the mat. This situation is exacerbated in a large arena where it is very difficult to observe the subtle intricacies of ground fighting action from a distance.

The UFC has been brilliantly marketed as the final frontier for combat sports but it is somewhat ironic that the majority of its viewers seem to want to watch a kickboxing or Muay Thai match, whether they realize it or not.

Even more damaging to the UFC's reputation were a couple of extremely unsavoury incidents. The first occurred in the co main event when Shane Carwin landed a series of savage uppercuts to buckle Frank Mir's knees. Carwin continued to reign down blows with Mir prone on the canvass and was allowed to do so by referee Dan Miragliotta long after Mir had clearly lost consciousness, even the commentators were appalled.

Earlier on the card Middleweight Rousimar Palhares defeated Tomasz Drwal via heel-hook. The submission was applied perfectly and caused Drwal to tap instantly. For reasons best known to himself Palhares chose to ignore Drwals increasingly urgent taps and crank the submission on even harder. Even when the referee intervened Palhares still did not immediately release the leg. Drwal was left screaming in agony and it is difficult to draw any interpretation of the incident other than that Palhares, despite already having won the fight, wished to inflict a serious injury on his opponent

It remains to be seen what damage was done to Drwal's knee but he had to be helped out of the cage and was in obvious pain. Fighters refusing to release submissions when their opponents tap is exactly the sort of ammunition that opponents of MMA, which is still not sanctioned in nearby New York, will use gleefully.

In the fight game more than in any other sport winning is not enough, fighters are required to put on a show. GSP's reluctance to engage Hardy on his feet might have frustrated his opponent but it will also have frustrated the fans. His strategy, carefully formulated by coach Greg Jackson, might have offered minimal risk but it also provided zero entertainment.

The UFC now has champions in the lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions BJ Penn, GSP and Anderson Silva respectively, who appear unbeatable. A fight between GSP and Silva is a distinct possibility and a mouth watering prospect but the a fight of this magnitude will only come around every few years. The UFC, which seems intent on putting on 20+ pay per view cards a year, needs to ask itself 'where does the entertainment lie?' because soon audiences will be asking themselves the same question.

UFC 111 preview

2010-03-27T01:32:00.000-07:00

by James Goyder

UFC 111 takes place tonight in New Jersey and features a welterweight title fight between Dan Hardy and George St Pierre, and a heavyweight eliminator between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin.

Both these matches have the potential to radically shake up the pecking order in their respective divisions. St Pierre has dominated the welterwight division since snatching the title from Matt Hughes at the second attempt in 2006. GSP, as he is widely known, has won 12 of his last 13 fights the only blot on his recent copybook being a surprise loss to Matt Serra, which he subsequently avenged.

The loss to Serra is regarded by most as an aberration, with GSP subsequently citing some personal issues, but it will give Hardy a glimmer of hope that he can dethrone the Canadian champion. Hardy's rise in the UFC has been as surprising as it has been swift. With the only loss in his previous nine fights coming via disqualification Hardy was a prime contender for a UFC shot.

However the majority of his wins had come on smaller English and European shows against a comparatively lower level of opposition and Hardy's introduction to the UFC would not have caused the existing welterweight hierachy to be unduly concerned.

He defeated Japanese veteran Akihiro Gona via split decision in his UFC debut in October 2008 and returned to the UFC five months later to knock Rory Markham out in the first round. His reward was a fight against Marcus Davis in Germany which Hardy won via another split decision.

Hardy's next opponent was scheduled to be Kim Dong Hyung but the Korean was injured and welterweight contender Mike Swick stepped up to take the fight. In the most impressive performance of his career Hardy dominated Swick, landing a series of hard right hands to win another decision, this one anonymous.

Talk of a title shot escalated and it was announced soon after that Hardy's next opponent would be none other than the reigning welterweight champion. Hardy's critics will point to the two split decision wins and feel that a fight against GSP is too much too soon. His fans, and the 27 year old has many particularly in his native UK, will point to GSP's loss to Serra as evidence of a fallibility which Hardy could potentially exploit.

While he will go into the fight as a firm underdog Hardy is the first Englishman in the UFC's history to be offered a title shot and his immediate future in the organization seems secure regardless of the outcome of tonight's fight.

The co main event between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin is for the interim heavyweight title. Both men will be looking to secure bragging rights in the heavyweight division in the health enforced absence of reigning champion Brock Lesnar. Wrestler Carwin holds a perfect record of 11-0 but faces the toughest test yet of his MMA credentials against the veteran BJJ black belt Mir.

Mir, who first held the heavyweight title in 2004, has enjoyed a renaissance of late with wins over Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera and Cheick Kongo as well as a win over Lesnar this was a loss which Lesnar subsequently avenged. Mir has got his eyes firmly on a rubber match with Lesnar but he would be foolish to look too far beyond the challenge of Carwin.

The increased regularity of UFC events means that the quality of the cards has inevitably sufferred and there is little outside of tonight's two main events to capture the imagination of fight fans.

The full card is:

Taiwan Tough MMA

2010-03-24T08:27:00.000-07:00

Good luck to Claire Haigh and Ngoo from Tiger Muay Thai who are both fighting at this MMA event in Taiwan this Saturday.

Claire's last MMA fight was a big win over Angie Parr and Ngoo (pictured right) is regarded as a very bright prospect with extensive amateur experience but struggles to find opponents at his weight (60 kgs).

Nai Harn post fight

2010-03-16T05:07:00.001-07:00

Richie Green, from Sinbi Muay Thai defeated Cyrus Washington, from Tiger Muay Thai, in the fight of the night at Nai Harn on Saturday. Both men came out all guns blazing in the first round with Cyrus landing some hard body shots but Richy, who is considerably taller, gave as good as he got and dominated Cyrus in the clinch.

Cyrus appeared tired in the second round and Richie kept coming forward using his reach effectively to land a series of straight knees and punches.

Round three was Cyrus's best round as he started to consistently penetrate Richies defence but without doing enough to win the round. In round four an exhausted Richie effectively ended the contest when the referee gave Cyrus a 10 count to protect him from absorbing sustained punishment.

Cyrus came back strong and was much the better fighter in the final round but with Richie already ahead by four rounds and a knock down the result was a foregone conclusion. Interestingly despite being about four inches taller Richie was probably giving away a few kilos in weight.

In the other big event Thit from Dragon Muay Thai cruised past Stefan from Sinbi Muay Thai. Stefan is big and muscular and looked at least 20 kgs bigger but Thit dropped him with a head kick in round one and then comfortably evaded Stefan's attacks for the next four rounds to win a lopsided decision.

Big fights at nai harn tonight

2010-03-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Some BIG fights on the card tonight. Stefan vs Kiatchai in the main event is the classic Big farang vs small Thai match up. Stefan will enjoy a 20ish kg weight advantage and has good hands, but his opponent is a former PABA boxing champion who is used to fighting and beating bigger men.

Cyrus vs Richie is another clash of styles. Cyrus is technically better and far more powerful but does not always fight to his full potential. Richie is tall and uses his reach extremely effectively but will have his work cut out against Cyrus who is coming off some big KO wins. Cyrus is definitely the favourite but this will be a fascinating fight.

Churngchai vs Fasuchon is also a great match up. Fasuchon is a former fighter of the year but (i am guessing) a few years older and Churngchai always looks in great shape.

For only 700 baht a ticket you can't go wrong.

MTP Magazine Issue 11

2010-03-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

Muay Thai Phuket Issue 11 out now...

Featuring Joe Ray and Mike Swick.

Click on the image below to view the entire magazine online.

2010-03-08T05:44:00.000-08:00

MTP Magazine Issue 11...

Out soon, featuring MMA's rising star Joe Ray and UFC fighter Mike Swick as well as much, much more.

You can read the interview with Joe Ray here: Joe Ray

and the interview with Mike Swick here: Mike Swick

So you want to be a professional fighter...

2010-03-08T04:12:00.000-08:00

Most people who come to Phuket to train Muay Thai never even step inside the ring. Of those that do the majority will fight once or maybe twice before heading home to their lives.

A small minority of people might decide they want to make a career out of fighting. If you are considering moving to Phuket and relying on Muay Thai for an income these are the facts:

The absolute maximum you are likely to receive for a Muay Thai fight in Phuket is 7000 Baht. If you are training at a gym for free they are likely to want a cut of this money.

You might be be able to find a small single room with a cold shower for 3000 baht per month, so even if you fight twice a month you will still have a maximum of 11,000 baht to live on, that works out at about 360 Baht a day which might buy you two small western meals.

Once you have won three or four fights the standard of opposition is likely to increase meaning that win or lose you are not going to emerge from a fight unscathed. The stadium doctor who will stitch you up when you get cuts, which will happen when you are elbowed in the face, does not have a framed certificate on the wall. He or she might be competent, they might not be, you don't know but if they do not stitch you up correctly your face will bear the scars for the rest of your life.

Thai fighters almost without exception do not come from wealthy backgrounds. Well off families are highly unlikely to want their children to start fighting at an early age. Muay Thai might be the national sport of Thailand but it is not universally popular and you do not see Thai celebrities attending Muay Thai fights in the same way that you would see celebrities at a big money boxing match in the US.

If you are exceptionally talented then you might be good enough to move on from Phuket and start fighting for bigger money in Bangkok. In the two years I have been living here the only fighter i can think of who has done this is Youseff from Sing Patong who is now rated as one of the top farangs in Thailand, but I doubt he gets more than about 20,000 Baht per fight.

Even Saenchai Sor Kingstar, who was long regarded as the number one fighter in Thailand, only receives around 100,000 baht for a fight in Thailand, that is $3000 or 2000 pounds.

So if he fights 12 times a year, which given the level of opposition Saenchai faces would be virtually impossible, he would still be earning less than the average income in either the US or the UK.

Saenchai probably gets two to three times this amount for fighting overseas but the best Muay Thai fighter in Thailand still earns less than the average person in the West.

I know of world heavyweight champions living in Thailand who are working as bouncers to help make ends meet, I know veterans from the Contender Asia who are still taking fights for less than 10,000 baht.

As a fighter here you are going to have to work very hard for very little money. Getting up at 7am to go running every morning and training twice a day is harder than most jobs and after the first month or two when the exhilaration has worn off training will become just that, a job.

What Phuket does give you the opportunity to do is gain an impressive cv. If you have had a few fights here and maybe won a stadium title you could return home and potentially earn a reasonable income as a Muay Thai teacher. However if you do not have very good technique you are likely to get found out very quickly.

You could try getting into K-1 or MMA, where the financial rewards are much greater but you are going to need to be at a very good level to succeed in either, 99% of people are not good enough and no amount of training will make them good enough.

If fighting is your dream than by all means pursue it but be prepared for a hard life with very little financial reward.

Richie vs Cyrus

2010-02-28T22:00:00.000-08:00

Richie Green is confirmed to fight Cyrus Washington in Nai Harn on March 13th.

Cyrus had originally been scheduled to fight Harlee but that fight happened last week with Cyrus winning via first round KO.

It was the second loss in quick succession that Cyrus had avenged with a back kick at Patong Boxing Stadium.

Richie is coming off a big win at the Lumpinee and will have a substantial weight advantage although Cyrus is considerably stronger.

Richies last fight

Cyrus last fight

Also on the card Athit from Dragon Muay Thai, who has a habit of beating up bigger farangs, is taking on Stefan from Sinbi Muay Thai. Should be a good night.

RIP Adam Menagh

2010-02-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Adam was an extremely talented fighter who had trained at a lot of different gyms in Phuket. He was killed in a motorbike accident in the early hours of monday morning.

Thousands of people come to Phuket to train Muay Thai and sadly it seems every year one of them gets killed in a motorbike accident.

Drive safely people.

Cyrus vs Harlee

2010-02-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

Cyrus wins via first round KO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cyrus put Harlee down for the count with a back kick for the second time but this time Harlee didn't get up.

Harlee is talking about retiring, so this could be his last fight but for Cyrus it is a massive win and his second consecutive back kick KO at Patong Stadium.

Jackie in K-1 action

2010-02-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

Jae Hee Choen spent a year training and fighting in Phuket at Sinbi Muay Thai and is now fighting in K-1. He knocked out Kid Yamamoto a the K-1 Max Final 8:

Jackie vs the Kid

and then went on to win a decision over Japanese fighter Kazuhisa Watanabe:

Jackie vs Watanabe

I think Jackie fought more than 10 times in Phuket but, unfortunately, the only fight I could find on youtube was the one where he got knocked out cold by Ngoo from TMT at the charity fights in Nai Harn:

Jackie vs Ngoo

With Joe Ray winning a fight in Strikeforce straight after coming from fighting in stadiums in Phuket and Jackie enjoying success in K-1 Phuket can clearly be a springboard for fighters to go on to bigger and better things.

Cyrus vs Harley 2

2010-02-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

It's on...

Monday night at Patong Boxing Stadium.

Sinbi fighter wins big money fight

2010-02-17T02:29:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Dee (pitcured right) from Sinbi Muay Thai who won a fight at the Ratchadamnern Stadium on Monday night which had a 300,000 Baht bet riding on it.

New York Badass coming to train in Phuket

2010-02-15T09:53:00.001-08:00

One of the most colourful figures in MMA and a veteran of Pride, UFC and Strikeforce, Phil Baroni will be hitting Phuket next month.

The self styled New York Bad Ass will be one of a number of UFC fighters, including Roger Huerta (who is training in Phuket at the moment), Jon Fitch, Elvis Sinosic and Mike Swick to come and train at Tiger Muay Thai.

Look out for an interview with Phil Baroni in upcoming issues of Muay Thai Phuket Magazine.

Richie Green wins at Lumpini

2010-02-13T04:19:00.000-08:00

Check out Richie Green from Sinbi Muay Thai's recent fight at the Lumpini Stadium in Bangkok:

Richie Green Lumpini

Richie's opponent actually weighs more than he does!

Richie is 6'3 but fights at 73kgs and looks a force to be reckoned with at the weight.

Aussie fighter heading to Lumpini

2010-02-11T21:36:00.000-08:00

Joel Fisher from Sing Patong is fighting at the Lumpini Stadium tomorrow. Sing Patong doesn't have a website and you could drive straight past it without knowing it was there but they do have some top fighters. Good luck Joel.

Big fights on March 13

2010-02-10T01:11:00.001-08:00

March 13th looks set to be one of the Muay Thai highlights of the year.

Sing from Sinbi is promoting an outdoor show in Nai Harn with money being raised for local charities.

Last year this event was one of the best shows of the year with many of the top fighters in Phuket in action and this year's card looks to be just as good.

Already confirmed are two rematches: Harlee (Promthep Muay Thai) vs Cyrus (TMT) and Richie (Sinbi) vs Nowpissard.

Harlee vs Cyrus was one of the most eagerly anticipated match ups of 2009. Harlee dominated that fight and one on points but Cyrus is a dangerous opponent and he almost stopped Harlee in round four with a brutal back kick that put the Australian down for a long count.

Richie, who recently won a fight at the Lumpinee, defeated Thai veteran Nowpissard in their first match but Nowpissard was so dissapointed with the loss he demanded a rematch. Nowpissard is not always motivated for his fights but he should be up for this one.

Also on the card will be Haider (TMT) who has silenced his critics with some impressive recent wins. I will publish more information about this card, which will take place on the island at Naiharn lake, as and when I get it.

Richie vs Nowpissard 1

Cyrus vs Harlee 1

Jean Claude Van Damme vs Somluck Kamsing

2010-02-09T04:52:00.000-08:00

JCVD is doing an actual Muay Thai fight.

He is fighting former Olympic boxing champion Somluck Kamsing from Thailand.

The fight will take place in Las Vegas in October. JCVD (pictured right with a male friend) is 49 and Somluck is 36. JCVD used to be a professional kick boxer but has not fought since 1980.

The fight will be fought under full Muay Thai rules but without elbows.

Personally I very much doubt this fight will actually happen but who knows?

Free Judo seminar this Saturday

2010-02-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

A martial art originating from Japan, Judo is now also a world-wide Olympic Sport.

Developed in the late 19th century by Dr. Jigoro Kano, Judo means “the gentle way”. The idea is to defend yourself against any kind of attack by using throws and holds, and not striking the opponent.

Learning Judo. The main things you will learn in Judo are how to fall, throw and hold (pin). You will learn the forms of attack and defense by understanding when and how to perform a certain move. You will learn how to ‘read‘ another persons‘ body language as well as have a better connection to your own body language.

Judo Coach, Sophie, is a BJA 3rd Dan and has been practicing judo for over 20 years. She represented her country in competitions all over the world for over 8 years, winning 5 European medals and achieving a place at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Phuket veteran opens up camp in the US

2010-02-06T05:25:00.000-08:00

Aaron Fisher, who spent two years training and fighting in Phuket, has just set up his own Muay Thai camp in his native US.

Sommai Muay Thai, in Raleigh, North Carolina, opened its doors last month.

For more information about Sommai Muay Thai visit:

Sommai

Aaron gained a reputation in Phuket for never taking an easy fight and fought some extremely tough opponents. His last fight was against Contender Asia veteran Trevor Smandych in Canada in 2008.

MTP Magazine Issue 10

2010-02-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

Featuring Ramazan Ramanov, Elvis Sinosic, Jomhod and Tuk. It won't be out until Tuesday but you can view the online version here:

Never Tap Asia

2010-02-03T08:42:00.000-08:00

The Never Tap Asia no-gi grappling tournament returns to Phuket for the second consecutive year. The event will take place at Tiger Muay Thai on March 27th.

The deadline for registration is March 26th 7:30 pm.
The tournament will cost 1,500 Baht to anyone training at TMT and anyone signing up before March 22nd.

Matches will be held in the ring or the cage and will last for three, three minute rounds.

For more information visit:

Nevertap Asia

Kombat Mouth Guards

2010-02-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

This company, which has just opened up in Phuket, supplies mail order custom made mouth guards to anywhere in the world using an impression kit which can be sent in the post.

For more information visit:

Kombat Mouth Guards

Joe Ray wins at Strikeforce

2010-02-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

Joe Ray made his pro MMA debut on the second biggest MMA show in the US, Strikeforce. Fighting on a card which included Nick Diaz, Robbie Lawler and Melvin Manhoef Joe defeated fellow American John Clarke via TKO in the very first round.

Joe (pictured right) spent several months last year training and fighting in Phuket at Dragon Muay Thai and Tiger Muay Thai. There can be very few fighters who have gone directly from fighting at Patong Stadium and Bangla Stadium to fighting in front of thousands of people on a mainstream show.

Cyrus vs Zidov / Dzhabar

2010-02-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

Cyrus seems determined to talk himself into a fight with one of these two fighters.

A war of words is emerging on facebook with Zidov, who is fighting tomorrow night in Koh Samui, basically telling Cyrus to put up or shut up.

Possible stumbling blocks towards the fight include money and weight. Zidov does not want to fight Cyrus, who is probably 6-7 gks bigger, for 'small money' .

Contender Asia veteran Zidov has the much higher profile of the two fighters but if Cyrus was willing to stake a substantial enough sum of money on the fight it could still happen.

If you don't know who Cyrus is check out this article:

Cyrus Washington

MTP Magazine issue 10 out soon...

2010-02-02T04:56:00.000-08:00

Featuring exclusive interviews with world heavyweight champion Ramazan Ramanov and UFC veteran Elvis Sinosic as well as all the action from Jomhod and Tuk's recent comebacks....

Check this blog or www.mtpmagazine.com for the online version.

Cyrus vs Harley 2

2010-01-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Cyrus will be fighting Harley for the second time in April. The fight is scheduled to take place on April 12th at Nai Harn lake. Harley comfortably won their first match despite taking a count after Cyrus landed a trademark back kick.

Cyrus vs Harley

A weight drained Cyrus (pictured right fighting Alex Tobiasson in Bangkok) was recently eliminated from the Enfusion reality tv contest after being defeated by Frank Peredes from Peru.

Despite this setback Cyrus is actively pursuing a fight with Contender Asia veteran Zidov,

'After Harley I would really like to fight Zidov but if he doesn't accept my challenge maybe I could fight Dzhabar instead,' he said.

Claire Haigh vs Valentina Shevchenko cancelled

2010-01-27T04:47:00.000-08:00

Claire won't be fighting tonight. She injured her foot fighting Lelo Page last week.

Claire vs Lelo

Hopefully the fight with Valentina will happen at a later date.

Harley beats Komsorn

2010-01-25T18:36:00.000-08:00

Harley (pictured right) defeated Komsorn via decision last night. Expect a rematch as Harley, whose fights tend to go the distance, is running out of Patong Stadium fighters to beat.

Harley vs Komsorn

Claire Haigh vs Valentina Shevchenko

2010-01-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

Claire Haigh from TMT will be fighting Valentina Shevchenko this Wednesday. Claire, from Luxembourg, is fresh from winning the WPMF >63.5kgs world title in Suphan Buri on Thursday night.

It is the second time Claire (pictured right before her MMA fight with Angie Parr) has held this particular title after vacating it to fight Julie Kitchener but Valentina from Russia is a tough and unorthodox fighter who will provide the WPMF World Champion with a real challenge.

Valentina vs Gerri

Claire vs Julie

If Dr Best's posters are to be believed the fight will be taking place on Wednesday 27th at Bangla Stadium.

Harley vs Komsorn

2010-01-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

Harley from Promthep Muay Thai is back in action on Monday and will be facing Komsorn from Sit O Inter.

Both men lost their previous fights, Komsorn was knocked out by Cyrus from TMT, who both Harley and him hold decision wins over, and Harley lost a decision to Don from TMT.

Cyrus vs Komsorn 2

Harley vs Don

Harley (pictured) will be the slight favourite but it will be a tough fight for the teenager.

Tonight's fights

2010-01-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Good luck to Claire Haigh who is fighting for the WPMF > 63kgs world title tonight in Saphan Buri. Claire has already won this title once but vacated it to face Julie Kitchener at a slightly higher weight.

Also fighting tonight is Teresa Wintermyr (right) from Rawai Muay Thai who has not fought since losing a K-1 fight to Joey Lee Bam Bam in Hong Kong last year. She will be in action at Patong Stadium.

*** Claire wins the belt, Teresa loses a very close decision to a tough opponent ***

Capoeira coming to Phuket

2010-01-20T03:05:00.000-08:00

The Phuket International Academy is hosting a free Capoeira seminar on Saturday (23/1/09). The seminar will last from 10am to 12pm and will be taken by Joaquin Andres, a teacher with over 15 years experience. Capoeira is an Afro Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance. It was created in Brazil by slaves brought from Africa sometime after the sixteenth century.

For directions to PIA click here: Map

For information about Capoeira click here: Capoeira

Siamchai vs Prathet

2010-01-17T04:21:00.000-08:00

Siamchai from Promthep Muay Thai will be taking on Prathet from Tiger Muay Thai at Patong Stadium tomorrow night. Siamchai (pictured right) has already beaten two TMT trainers:

Siamchai vs Tanwa

Siamchai vs Jiraprathed

and will be looking to make it three out of three but Prathed has pro boxing experience and some nasty elbows, he sliced his opponents face to ribbons the last time he fought in Phuket:

Prathet vs Jomkitti

*** Siamchai wins on points ***
Siamchai vs Prathet

Cyrus heading to Enfusion 2010

2010-01-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

TMT fighter Cyrus Washington is in Samui for Enfusion 2010

Enfusion

Cyrus has been fighting Muay Thai in Phuket for most of the past 18 months but will be facing some tough opponents in Koh Samui including K-1 veteran Gago Drago and Armen Petrosyan, the younger brother of reigning K-1 Max World Champion Giorgio Petrosyan. He will also be up against Swedish fighter Alex Harris who knocked him out in round one of their fight at the Queen's Cup last year (pictured above).

Alex vs Cyrus: youtube

It will be interesting to see whether Alex Harris, who trains at Keatkamton in Bangkok and looked very impressive when he last fought in Phuket, can make 70 kgs.

The winner will receive $40,000 US and a contract with It's Showtime! or K-1.

Melvin Manhoef was originally supposed to be one of the coaches but he has since pulled out meaning that, surprisingly, all the remaining coaches are female.

Don vs Pele... the rematch?

2010-01-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

Don (pictured right) from TMT is going to be back in Phuket for 10 days and is looking to fight one more time before he heads back to South Africa.

He fought Pele from Cherng Talay Muay Thai last year, you can see the fight here:

youtube

Swedish fighter Pele, whose only previous loss was against Dutch champion Freddy from Tiger/Dragon claims he did not train properly for the first fight and is looking for a rematch with some money at stake. Look out for this fight to happen later this month.

MTP Magazine Issue 9

2010-01-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

Featuring an exclusive interview with Roger Huerta, all the action from Saenchai Sor Kingstar and Royce Gracie's recent seminars and Contender Asia star Jesse Miles:

Issue 9

If anyone in Phuket is wondering why the paper quality is a bit lower this month it's because the printers used the wrong paper, it will be back to normal next month.

TMT photographer in action tonight

2010-01-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to TMT photographer Robin Merrell (pictures right with camera) who stepped into the Muay Thai ring for the first time tonight. Robin is a regular at the stadiums in Phuket but he found himself on the wrong side of the lense at Patong Stadium. His Thai opponent, Charlee, had fought three times and lost three times and Robin was able to extend this losing streak without breaking sweat, landing afew heavy leg kicks before transitioning into the clinch and finishing the fight with knees in the very first round.

SInbi fighters heading to Germany

2010-01-11T03:28:00.000-08:00

Two fighters from Sinbi Muay Thai will be heading to Europe to fight on a card alongside Saenchai Sor Kingstar later this year. Dee and Nico Meier (pictured right) will both be fighting in Germany on April 4th. For 17 year old Nico, who has been training and fighting at Sinbi Muay Thai for the past year, it will be the first professional fight in his native Germany.

Last night's fights

2010-01-06T23:32:00.000-08:00

James from Rawai Muay Thai ended up fighting a tall farang opponent who he easily defeats in the first round. Not sure what the other fighters name was or where he trains but an easy pay day for James.

youtube

SInbi fighter going to the Lumpini

2010-01-06T21:52:00.000-08:00

Sinbi fighter Richie Green is fighting at the Lumpini Stadium in Bangkok on January 30th.

Richie, from England, has fought twice in Phuket recently beating two decent Thai fighters and has also had a few fights back home.

In his first fight here he beat Isarra, who is a fair bit smaller but has a habit of knocking out big farangs and always comes to fight:

youtube

and in his second fight he beat Nowpissard who is a very good fighter when he wants to be but doesn't always make the effort :

youtube

Richie will presumably be fighting on the undercard against an as yet unnamed opponent.

Claire Haigh fighting for world title

2010-01-05T07:18:00.000-08:00

Claire Haigh from TMT is fighting for a world title later this month.

She will be fighting for the WPMF >62 kgs womens title at Suphanburi.

Claire originally won the title last year (see right) by stopping Chantal Ughi at the Queen's Cup but had to vacate it to fight Julie Kitchener.

She will be fighting a Thai girl in Suphanburi on January 13th.

03/01/10

2010-01-03T21:57:00.001-08:00

James from RMT won't be fighting Daniel from TMT after all, I think TMT felt the size difference (I think James is 69kg, Daniel 62kg) was insurmountable.

Another man who won't be fighting in Phuket anytime soon is Don from TMT who is heading back to

South Africa

. Bad news for both the guys he beat in Phuket, Pele from Cherng Talay Muay Thai and Harley from Promthep Muay Thai, who were looking for rematches.

Elvis Sinosic (right) is at TMT training for UFC 110 in

Australia

next month.

Wayne breaks his arm at Patong Stadium

2010-01-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

For those of you that don't know Wayne Avison (pictured right with his son Harley) broke his arm fighting at Patong Stadium just before Christmas. Wayne, who is in his 40s, was fighting a younger, bigger opponent from Patong Boxing Gym and had his arm broken with a leg kick.

Youtube

Wayne, who trains with his son at Promthep Muay Thai, probably won't be able to train again for six months but he is determined to get back in the ring again.

Get well soon Wayne!

MTP Magazine Issue 8

2010-01-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

You can view the latest edition of the magazine here:

Issue 8

01/01/10

2010-01-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

An interesting week for Phuket Muay Thai...

It was standing room only at Patong Stadium for the 'exhibition' match between Buakaw Por Pramuk and Ramazan. The stadium was absolutely packed, Buakaw had to literally manhandle people out the way to get in the ring.

The 'exhibition' was a farce. Both Buakaw and Ramazan entered the ring with glvoes on. Both did a Wai Kru and then took turns hitting pads with Buakaws trainers. Buakaw went first and got a big cheer, Ramazan went next and nobody seemed to care. Big guys, just don't seem to have the same snap that little guys have (Buakaw is 70ish kgs, Ramazan is 95ish).

Then, for some reason, they both took their gloves of before the 'fight'. The crowd, who had been really noisy up until this point, went totally silent and a few people started booing and one or two even walked out.

It was a shame because the rest of the fights were great. Don, from South Africa, showed why he is so highly rated by Tiger Muay Thai by winning a decision over Buakaws former training partner, Promthep Muay Thai's Harley Avison.

Harley, who has won his last few fights in Phuket including an impressive win over Don's team mate Cyrus, came out southpaw but it didn't seem to bother the big South African.

Youtube

Thit from Dragon Muay Thai won an impressive decision over a fighter from Por Pramuk, I think it was the same guy who beat Berneung. Thit dominated every round. Inexplicably the Thais were betting against him all through the fight, in round four they started offering 3-1 odds AGAINST Thit even though he had clearly won every round. A few people lost a lot of money. Bizarre.

Youtube

The following night Bangla Boxing Stadium pulled out all the stops with Jomhod Kiatadisak and Tuk from Rawai Muay Thai on the card.

Tuk, who has not fought for two years, took on a younger taller Thai opponent. Tuk tore his calf muscle just before the fight but chose to go ahead and fight anyway. The first few rounds were close but the question was whether Tuk could last for the full five rounds.

The question never got answered as Tuk knocked his opponent out cold with an uppercut elbow in the fourth round and then posed for photos in the ring with his two daughters. Tuk claims he will never fight again.

Youtube

Jomhod claimed he would never fight again in Thailand after defeating an out of shape Jo Garcia earlier this year. He was persuaded to come out of retirement again (aged 39) to face an unkown farang opponent.

That farang opponent turned out to be the 80 kg Iranian Persian Mos who claimed to have fought in K-1 in Japan.

Jomhod didn't bother turning up in the first round and his opponent dominated landing a number of hard body shots. It looked like the former world champion was in for a long night but the second round he picked it up and Persian Mos started running away. This pattern continued, with Jomhod moving forward and the Iranian (who was 10 kgs heavier) running away until he quit in the fourth round. It wasn't a very satisfactory ending but Jomhod showed he can still fight.

Also on the card was a Thai fighter who was clearly suffering from Tourettes. He kept getting these twitches and really struggled during the Wai Kru. His opponent was taking the piss a bit but it didn't seem to put him off fighting and he won a decision and with it 40,000 baht. I'm going to try and interview him for next month's MTP Magazine, although I have already interviewed Ramazan and JWP is going to do something about training in Thailand as a teenager so it may have to wait until February / March.

On the subject of JWP, two guys from the Boonchu gym are fighting on Wednesday at Karon Stadium. Daniel from TMT, who is highly rated and won a very close decision against a Thai fighter at Patong Stadium last week is fighting James from RMT, who is always aggressive and will be looking to make amends for his last meeting with a TMT fighter when he was knocked out almost immediately.

Muay Thai Phuket Magazine

Ramazan getting headbutted

Martial Combat predictions

Phuket Fighters to feature on ESPN

MTP Magazine Issue 12

Sinbi fighters win in Germany

Can the Hayemaker Revitalize The Heavyweight Division?

S8 Thaiboxing

TMT sends fighters to Singapore

UFC on Thai TV?

UFC 111 review

UFC 111 preview

Main Card

Spike TV Card

Preliminary Card

Taiwan Tough MMA

Nai Harn post fight

Big fights at nai harn tonight

MTP Magazine Issue 11

So you want to be a professional fighter...

Richie vs Cyrus

RIP Adam Menagh

Cyrus vs Harlee

Jackie in K-1 action

Cyrus vs Harley 2

Sinbi fighter wins big money fight

New York Badass coming to train in Phuket

Richie Green wins at Lumpini

Aussie fighter heading to Lumpini

Big fights on March 13

Jean Claude Van Damme vs Somluck Kamsing

Free Judo seminar this Saturday

Phuket veteran opens up camp in the US

MTP Magazine Issue 10

Never Tap Asia

Kombat Mouth Guards

Joe Ray wins at Strikeforce

Cyrus vs Zidov / Dzhabar

MTP Magazine issue 10 out soon...

Cyrus vs Harley 2

Claire Haigh vs Valentina Shevchenko cancelled

Harley beats Komsorn

Claire Haigh vs Valentina Shevchenko

Harley vs Komsorn

Tonight's fights

Capoeira coming to Phuket

Siamchai vs Prathet

Cyrus heading to Enfusion 2010

Don vs Pele... the rematch?

MTP Magazine Issue 9

TMT photographer in action tonight

SInbi fighters heading to Germany

Last night's fights

SInbi fighter going to the Lumpini

Claire Haigh fighting for world title

03/01/10

Wayne breaks his arm at Patong Stadium

MTP Magazine Issue 8

01/01/10