Tiger Muay Thai News Archive

May 23rd, 2013

MIMMA TV Show Invades Tiger Muay Thai

It’s a Malaysian Invasion with Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand as the backdrop. Fourteen of Malaysia’s top amateur mixed martial artists are training at TMT for the next week and the whole thing will be on ESPN Star Sports, broadcasted across Asia to millions of people.

“They’re going to be training Muay Thai, wrestling, I’m sure, and their jiu jitsu on top of what other activities are around.,” said Peter Davis, an MMA fighter and one of the coaches on the show, “I think [Tiger Muay Thai] is a great place to be and it is a great opportunity for these guys, myself included, to pick up some new skills. Really looking forward to the week and what will happen and I’m really happy to be here at the moment.”

Malaysian Invasion MMA (MIMMA) is an amateur competition, sponsored by mobile phone company Tune Talk, that will showcase Malaysia’s fight talent through a six-episode reality show that will air every Wednesday at 11pm (Malaysia time). Davis and fellow MMA fighter Saiful Merican both coach and host the entire show.

The contestants will be split into two teams, seven a side, with TMT trainers and UFC veterans Brian “Bad Boy” Ebersole and Roger “El Matador” Huerta each taking a squad. Training will include Muay Thai with several of TMT’s world-class trainers, including Kru Nontachai, Kru Laimongkorn, Kru P’Nong (Big Nong), Kru Phet, and Kru Yod who helped prepare Georges St. Pierre for his last two UFC Welterweight title defenses. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instruction will be headed by 4th degree Black Belt Fernando Maccachero.

The first episode followed a multi-day tryout tournament, held at the Paradigm Mall in Selangor, where over 400 participants tested their mettle in the cage. Those participants were eventually widdled down to fourteen after the semi-finals in the second episode, with the grand finals taking place on June 15 in Kuala Lumpur.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys who are in an amateur competition who are at various levels in their fight game and we’ve come to Tiger Muay Thai so they get preparation for the final,” Davis said.

The winners of the competition will take home RM 150,000 (about US$50,000). The tournament consists of several different weight classes: Featherweight, Bantamweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight and Light Heavyweight.

“We are organizing MIMMA FC to cater to the rapidly growing interest towards MMA in Malaysia,” said Tune Talk CEO Jason Lo, organizers of the event, “through this championship, we seek to unearth amateur talents from the grassroots who can potentially be groomed to become professionals.”

May 20th, 2013

Fight of Your Life Weekly Photo Pictoral

Here’s the weekly picture gallery put together by Tiger Muay Thai photographer, Jeffrey Sainlar.. Wow, he always gets some of the best and most touching shots, doesn’t he?

May 19th, 2013

Filming GSP documentary at Tiger Muay Thai

As Georges St. Pierre graced the rings and mats of Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand, a film crew followed him around, capturing every minutiae of the UFC champion’s interactions. It’s been two full years since the crew started – filming bits and pieces as the story of one of the most recognizable names in the fight world took shape.

“The DNA of GSP” is a feature documentary that will be released in theaters across the globe. Filming began two years ago – through his rehabilitation from a torn ACL in Los Angeles to his successful title defenses against Carlos Condit and, most recently, Nick Diaz. The film will show GSP’s character, his training, and his life as not just a UFC champion, but a martial artist and human being.

St. Pierre worked with Tiger Muay Thai trainers Kru Yod and Kru Lamsongkran in preparation for both title defenses that will appear in the film (Condit and Diaz, respectively).

“Georges invited us out here and we thought it would be interesting in terms of visuals,” the film’s Director, Peter Svatek, says, ” ‘The DNA of GSP’ is a real three-dimensional portrait of the man and his life. It’s been interesting getting to know him. He’s a fascinating human being.”

Working with the UFC as well as nature photographers from the BBC, the film will incorporate special effects, slow motion shots of GSP’s fights, and his everyday interactions with his inner circle.

“Georges calls himself a lone wolf. We are Going to intercut some of this wolf fighting footage with the UFC footage and it should be quite special,” Svatek, who has directed 23 films, documentaries, and TV shows in his 42-year career.

Both based out of Montreal, Canada, Svatek first met GSP through mutual friends. In time, Svatek would eventually pitch the idea of doing a documentary to St. Pierre and his management team.

“As I began to learn more about Georges, I found him to be a unique individual,” Svatek says, “his dedication, his hard work, his good heart. It makes him verys pecial in the world that he lives in and I think a film about him would be fascinating.”

Svatek says the film will be unlike any other MMA documentary with the use of special effects, slow motion shots, and the portrait-like narrative of the current UFC Welterweight Champion.

“Georges is a real thinking fighter, he has very clear ideas on strategy and even the mental approach to the game. We’re going to visualize that with some very sophistiacted film effects,” Svatek says.

The film is a collaboration between three production companies: Triplex, Jimmy Lee, and Upside Up.

Please enjoy our video and photos of GSP at Tiger Muay Thai:

May 14th, 2013

Heart of Gold: Matthew Semper

Battling through broken sternums, losses of teeth, and countless bruises, it is safe to say Matthew Semper never backs down. A fixture at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand, Semper has taken a very different route to his Muay Thai career than most and is still one of the top draws in the local Phuket circuit.

“During high school I was involved with online gaming guild called Genocide X and we were the top gamers in a lot of servers,” Semper says, “I took gaming a little toos eriously and it took over my life. I started gaining weight, not going anywhere, not going outside, nto doing any sports or anything.”

The catalyst for his decision to take up Muay Thai was when he looked at a photo and could not recognize himself. That is the moment Semper remembers realizing he needed a change, so he quit a cushy job at a magazine, quit his online gaming habit, and devoted himself to Muay Thai full-time at Five Points Academy in lower Manhattan, New York City.

“When first started doing [Muay Thai], it was a hobby to get in better shape, I didn’t think I would be able to get anywhere with it,” Semper says, admitting that he wanted to go to Thailand after just a year of training.

Semper arrived at Tiger Muay Thai in October 2008 and stayed for a year and a half. Once he got back to the states, the fighting bug got to him.

“Fighting became part of me and I had to make this a full-time gig living and training here. That is when I realized that this is all I wanted in my life,” the 25-year-old says.

In early 2010, Semper packed his bags once again – this time with the intention to fight for a living and make a name for himself. He took up a few smoker fights in NYC, but it was BBQ Beatdown 10 at Tiger Muay Thai where he gained the attention of the Thai trainers.

“I fought this guy named Frank the Tank, and Australia that was a lot bigger than me. People expected him to come out and pummel me, but it didn’t happen that way. I threw a lot of kicks and messed up his leg,” Semper says, “it was definitely a kickstarter for me. I loved that it was available for me to do. If I didn’t do it, I don’t think I would’ve gotten into fighting.”

Two weeks later, Semper stepped into his first professional fight and won by thrd round KO with his right hand. That fight was when close friend Adrian Shead named his right hand “Songkram” – meaning “war” and signalling that Semper brings war to his opponents through his strong hand.

Semper has made his dream a reality ever since that first bout. Even now, closing in on his 50th fight, Semper looks back at the time when he was known amongst his friends as “fat Matt” – it’s a very different story now.

“Wining each and every fight is the best moments for me. You feel that rush, like a drug once you win it hits you,” Semper says, “You learn to live life out here in Phuket and not let your job kill you.”

May 13th, 2013

Fight of Your Life Pictoral..

Tiger Muay Thai photographer, Jeff Sainlar put together this gallery depicting some of the more recent photos from fighters here at Tiger. These photos show the hard work, the pain, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Please take a journey through his eyes as we show the “Fight of Your Life”.

May 11th, 2013

Scholar and a Fighter: Muhsin Corbbrey competes in Road to Glory tournament today

With over 40 professional fights in MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and boxing, Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand alumnus and multiple-time guest Muhsin Corbbrey is ready for whatever comes his way. Today, he steps into the ring to compete in an 8-man kickboxing tournament at Road to Glory: Knockout King in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

The prize: US$20,000

It’s a great score for someone who is also studying for their Political Science and Homeland Security/Emergency Management degree while keeping up with training.

“This is the best place to train,” says the 34-year-old about the Tiger Muay Thai, “I’ve been working with [Kru] Yod since 2006, it’s a long time so he knows my style. Tiger is my extended family, this is my fourth or fifth time here, I’ve had some of my best performances training out of here.”

Corbbrey started boxing at 8-years-old and has trained is several martial arts, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (purple belt), and also Muay Thai. The Road to Glory tournament will also include former training partner and good friend Cyrus Washington. He is no stranger to one-night tournaments since he has won a few in the past decade.

“I’ve been there, I had to grind through it. I know what it feels like going into your second, third fight with bumps and bruises,” he says, “you have to take each fight at a time. The first fight, treat it like it’s your only fight, but understand that you have to be ready for nine rounds, possibly more.”

Aside from kickboxing and combat sports, Corbbrey is using his time in Thailand – away from the hustle and bustle of American city life – and focusing on attaining a bachelor’s degree. He’s close to completion and plans to apply (and hopefully enroll) into a program at Harvard University in the United States.

“It’s good to have your mind on another thing while you train martial arts,” he says, “my downtime is occupied on something positive and that can help me in the future in another way.”