Anyone training Muay Thai will typically choose, Bangkok, Pattaya, Chang Mai, Phuket, Hua Hin or places close by for their training; Isaan is somewhere not many Westerners will venture due to it being fairly unknown. This is now a very easy trip for me, having travelled many times to Isaan to train, fight and see friends. Getting To Phutthaisong From Bangkok The journey starts from Bangkok. By MRT go to Chatuchak MRT station and take Exit 1. If you’re traveling by BTS, you need to go to Mo-Chit station and exit towards Chatuchak Park. Once you come out of MRT Exit 1, there will be motorbike taxi drivers sitting around waiting for their next job. … [Read more...]
A Brand New Muay Thai Gym Is Being Built In Isaan
MBSB contributor Frances Watthanaya has been busy lately. She and her husband Boom have left Buriram to open a Muay Thai gym in neighbouring Nakhon Ratchasima Province (Khorat). The new Muay Thai gym is located in Boom's hometown (village) in the Muang Yang district. The village is extremely isolated and lacking the infrastructure common to larger villages (for example, paved roads). Additionally, plagued by a lack of governance, there isn't a local police presence in the area. Like many other villages in Isaan, adults from this village migrate to Bangkok to take up menial labour while those left behind tend to be the elderly, children, and those with addictions who … [Read more...]
2014 – What Happened, What’s To Come and The Year’s Bests
Good Bye 2014, Hello 2015 2014 brought with it a lot of change to MBSB and with it, growth. The time had come where I decided to spend more time working behind the scenes of Milk.Blitz.Street.Bomb. in an effort to expand readership. Additionally, I needed to fix site related weaknesses that I was unaware of creating when I built the site. With that decision came the desire to add new voices; 2014 was a year of multiple perspectives. I'm incredibly grateful for all the contributors who took the time to let us all into their worlds. We worked hard and it paid off. Traffic to MBSB has increased and with it, my commitment to continue the trend. In … [Read more...]
The Mutation Of Muay Thai In Isaan
“Sham is fighting the main event at Buriram iMobile Stadium," Mr. Dit, owner and head trainer of Giatbundit Gym, announces with a laugh. “Just like that, main event. Only one fight, main event…” He continues rambling on, mostly to himself. Giatbundit Gym began accepting foreigners just this past February and Mr. Dit is definitely still learning the ins and outs of it all. In Thailand there is a gradual progression into the big rings. All fighters must get their starts at either temple fairs or rice fields, and even with good connections, a spot at Lumpini or Rajadamnern must still be earned. For foreign fighters however, it is a … [Read more...]
The Side Bet
Awhile back I took MBSB correspondent Lindsey Newhall to some fights in Mahasarakham province. We left in the gym’s pick up truck after dinner and arrived to see there would be 25 fights that night. In the end, we didn’t arrive home until the monks had begun their morning chants around 5AM. A few of the matches were made earlier that day when a group of fighters showed up at the venue asking to be put on the card. Some were added to the line up under agreement that they would fight for free and could produce a side bet. One of those fighters was Giatbundit’s own Ong Lee. The whole card was poorly organized so the line up kept … [Read more...]
Giatbundit Gym Muay Thai Shorts Now Available
Giatbundit Gym, in association with Monster Muay Thai, have released a series of muay thai shorts in support of Giatbundit Gym in Buriram, Thailand. 100% of the proceeds will go to Giatbundit Gym's efforts to build a muay thai ring for training. The Details: The ring, featured in the video below, was originally purchased to rent out to fight promotions as a means of income for Giatbundit Gym. This is common practice in Isaan as promoters often rent rings for a fight and gyms, particularly traditional, family run gyms, often need the additional income to survive. Giatbundit Gym however, has only one functioning ring. This means that … [Read more...]
The Pep Talk – Fight In Order To Live (Sôo pêua chee-wít สู้เพื่อชีวิต)
"Don’t train hard because I tell you. Train hard for the benefit of yourself. You must do it for yourself, not because of me, because of you. If you do it for me you wont be successful.” -Mr. Dit, owner and head trainer at Giatbundit Gym, Buriram The southwest monsoons had arrived in Issan. Humidity reaches an almost unbearable peak before the downfall begins as cool winds and dark clouds roll in. It is a time when morale seems a bit lower at the gym - less fights and less running. Lately however, things seemed to be a bit heavier. As with most gyms, we go through our ups and downs and right now was definitely a down. I had to go out to … [Read more...]
How The Coup Affected Us— A Little Muay Thai Gym In Buriram, Thailand
I had been watching Senrak cut weight for 4 days now. It was painful. He didn’t have that much weight to cut it was more so the way in which he was doing it; run, sweat suit, repeat. The weather at this particular time was also quite vehement; not such much the heat but the humidity that left you feeling sticky tired all day long. After training he would then replenish his body with steamed fish, som tam, and Big Boy syrup— the red stuff. At this time Martial Law had already been declared in Thailand. Today was Thursday the 22nd; Senrak and Mr. Dit were to head off to Bangkok on Friday to make it in time for the Saturday morning weigh in a 6AM. Then it happened when … [Read more...]
A Typical Day in Issan
I woke up this morning very excited; one because I didn’t have to go to work, and two because Mr. Dit was taking me to interview Rotduan Sit. Seeanbreeak who is a professional Muay Thai fighter that identifies as a ladyboy. I first saw them fight in March of this year, Rotduan Sit. Seeanbreeak was scheduled to fight one of our fighters Taepbundit but Taepbundit had to pull out simply because he was fighting too often and was replaced by our golden boy Senrak who is currently fighting in the Thai Insurance Tournament at Lumpini. Immediately the ring announcer began to take jabs at Rotduan but their corner, simply put, told him to shut up. I was very impressed by this because the … [Read more...]
From The Farms Of Isaan To The Stadiums Of Bangkok: The Cycle of Muay Thai Fighters In Thailand
“We build them, you break them. Then they come home…” Meet CIA. Notable opponents: Saiyok Sit. Samprayak, Gungwan Lek Petchindee, Duanbley Sit. O Ubon Where he has fought: Lumpini, Rajadamnern, Assawindam [Channel 9], Channel 7, Japan Biggest purse: 2,000 USD He showed up at our gym about a month ago; Mr. Dit had arranged for him to fight Channel 9 fighter Saiyok in the main event of his promotion. With just a little over a week of training, he finished the fight victoriously in a third round TKO of the veteran. From there he was scheduled to fight two more times, a total of three fights in one … [Read more...]