“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...]
MUAY THAI
Muay Thai training information, fight videos and fighter interviews with an emphasis on traditional Muay Thai. Read about Muay Thai in Thailand with a focus on Isaan and Bangkok. This is the real deal. Not kickboxing with elbows and knees. Don't know the difference? Read on.
Sean Fagan On Fighting, Training In Thailand And His Site, Muay Thai Guy
Sean Fagan is no stranger to the world of Muay Thai. Having taken several trips to Thailand to train and fight along with hosting the popular website Muay Thai Guy Sean has immersed himself in the sport. Hailing out of upstate New York he has had over 20 amateur fights and is making his U.S. professional debut against Turan Hasanov (Sor Sangtennoi) at Fight Night Fights on October 17th in New York City. Sean took the time out of his busy schedule to talk to me about fighting, his site, and his outlook on training. Why did you start Muay Thai Guy? I started it as a training journal to hold myself accountable. I wanted to allow people to read about … [Read more...]
An Interview With American Muay Thai Veteran Bryan Popejoy
I’m becoming like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, a crumedgony old man. I don’t have time for people that don’t put in the effort themselves. -Bryan Popejoy Spread out in the vastness of Torrance, California (population 147,000) are seemingly endless strip malls and chain stores. Driving through the suburban desolation is to see a series of signs, of box-like buildings and people going through the routine of every day life. On the corner of Hawthorne and Sepulveda is another series of shops. The row seems like all the others with a gas station, a Chinese restaurant, but tucked away at the end is Boxing Works, a Muay Thai gym with a 20 year legacy. Inside … [Read more...]
The Soft Spoken Words of a Transgender Fighter
We were stopped at a red light in Phi Mai waiting to turn right when a motorcycle pulled up next to us and knocked on our window. I recognized the two guys from Rot-Duan’s last fight in Khorat; they were in the corner. They pointed right and we followed them outside of the city, driving along the river and through the rice fields until we arrived at a small village. From there it was a series of zig zags through the partially cemented roads until we arrived at a modest house that we were told was the gym Rot-Duan trains at. About three months prior I had ventured out to Phi Mai to see Rot-Duan. After arriving, we contacted their then manager … [Read more...]
Coach Rudi Ott On Building Fighters and Muay Thai In America
Sometimes you push someone too hard and they run away and you never see them again, sometimes you break them, every once in a while it’s like crushing a rock into a diamond. You crush and crush and a person is transformed through the pressure. -Rudi Ott In 2005 Rudi Ott opened up Unlimited MMA in Milipitas California. Since its inception Ott has churned out a regular breed of professional and active amateur Muay Thai fighters. Ott took the time off from his busy schedule to talk about fighting, coaching and the hardships in between. How did you get into fighting? I’ve always done martial arts. I started traditional Kung Fu when I … [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...]
Jose Palacios On The Fight Game And His Upcoming Bout Vs Nick Chasteen
When I’m focused...I’m there. I’m just there. Move, breathe. There it is. -Jose Palacios In-fighting styles make fights, and with the upcoming bout between Jose Palacios and Nick Chasteen at Lion Fight 18, fans will be getting exactly that. The younger, less experienced Chasteen, coming off a bullying loss to Pedro Gonzalez at Lion Fight 16, will be exchanging leather with the more experienced Palacios, whose ring experience has included bouts with Coke Chunhawat, Malaipet Sasiprapa, and Justin Greskiewicz. I got to sit down with the Unlimited MMA fighter one week out from his fight to talk about his fighting, getting cut, his upcoming bout, and the … [Read more...]
The Boxer’s Soliloquy – An Interview With Author Matt Lucas
Matt has hit the nail squarely on the head with his depictions of the life of a foreign fighter in Thailand, writing with an authenticity that could only come from someone that has experienced it first hand. It makes for a very engaging and entertaining read! -Rob Cox, Muay Thai Focus American author and nak muay Matt Lucas' first release, The Boxer's Soliloquy is a collection of fifteen interconnected short stories that follows the lives of muay thai boxers in Bangkok. Matt has made a considerable amount of trips to train muay thai in Thailand. He's fought at the esteemed Rajadamern Stadium in Bangkok, in addition to other locations across Thailand and … [Read more...]
A Call For Authenticity In Muay Thai Blogging And Journalism
For those of you who have asked me how I feel about Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu's highly debated GoFundMe initiative, this is my response. To begin, a bit of history on my time in the muay thai blogging landscape... Aside from a handful of posts on my now defunct MySpace page in 2007, I began blogging about muay thai in 2008. I had sold most of what I owned to fund living and training muay thai in Thailand until my course changed. Nopadon Wongpakdee of My Muay Thai was in correspondence with my friend Ange. Ange and I were making the trip together and Nopadon offered to support us by allowing us a voice and setting up a donation button on the site. … [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...]
On Traditional Muay Thai – The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart
"Muay Thai is not only a sport but it is a philosophy and an art that is deeply entrenched in history." -Ajahn Suchart, from his entry 'Naming A Muay Thai Camp Or Gym' Earlier this year, Ajahn Suchart Yodkerepauprai began sharing his teachings of muay thai publicly on his blog. Born in the early 1960s, Ajahn started muay thai at the age of nine in Thailand's Karin village of Maethoe, in the province of Mae Hong Son near the Myanmar border. Currently Ajahn Suchart is based in Toronto, Canada; he has been instructing muay thai in the city since 1987. Ajahn is the founder of Siam No. 1 muay thai gym and is responsible for shaping a number of champions who have … [Read more...]
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