Tiger Muay Thai News Archive

July 7th, 2012

TMT Head MMA Coach Brian Ebersole Talks UFC 149 (The Pressure, The Training & The Thankfulness)

Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.

For Brian Ebersole, UFC fighter and Tiger Muay Thai & MMA’s Head MMA Coach, that time is now. An injury has forced Claude Patrick to withdraw from his UFC 149 Fight on July 21 in Calgary. Riding a hot streak, Ebersole has stepped in to face James Head in a welterweight match-up…only weeks removed from his UFC win over T.J. Waldburger at UFC on FX 4. Ebersole is 4-0 in the UFC and has no intention of easing up.

Recently, the fighter took a few minutes to converse with his TMT family about what the opportunity means for him.

1. What was your first thought when the request to take Claude Patrick’s place came in?

Can I re-arrange my travel/life plans, to fit in this fight? I travel overseas very soon, and will be postponing my Chicago departure. I also wondered if my partner and personal trainer (Alecia Brazenall) would have enough time left on her USA visa.

2. What’s the training plan now? (How do you go back into training when you’ve just started to relax?)

I did start to relax. I was enjoying some food before the big lifestyle change and intended drop to 155. So I’d been enjoying a bit of animal product and beer for nearly a week. I’m now dropping the beverages and doing without animal products. I’m getting back into the gym. I’m hoping I still have that spring in my step. After only a week, I’m sure I’ll rebound nicely in regards to fitness level.

3. Did you learn anything from your last fight that you’ll be taking with you into your fight with James Head?

That I can fight 15 minutes without gassing out…that I can indeed win two rounds in a row when the pressure is on… and that there are some guys out there that can take my G ‘n P without dying — so I need to be persistent, diligent, and aware of opportunities. TJ kept throwing sub attempts when I thought he was nearly dead. So either there are some cyborgs out there, or I’m not as powerful as I thought. Either way, I fight til the finish!

4. Is the pressure to win building now that you’re coming into this fight on a hot-streak?

Subconsciously, probably. But the forefront of my mind goes right toward the task at hand, and that’ll be solving the riddle of James Head — as he’ll be right in front of me, challenging me, on July 21.

5. When you were a little boy could you ever have imagined your life turning out like this? Do you feel especially grateful?

I did not imagine I’d be a pro athlete. Wrestlers had no options to do so and at 15 years of age I DESPISED pro-wrestlers – after years of idolizing them. So that wasn’t an option for me. Even beginning in MMA, I knew I was good. But there were so many other wrestlers as good or better than me. Never thought I’d get recognised, though I put faith in my athletic endeavors by moving across the USA and later, the world, in order to pursue opportunities in sport.

Signing my own trading card was a special moment. And yes, I’ve been very aware of my luck. Every day for the last few years, I’ve given thanks for what is. As I’ve aged and become more aware/mature, I reflect often. And find myself ever thankful for the grace and understanding that the world has afforded me.

July 2nd, 2012

Congratulations to the Thai Hulk for Five Years at Tiger Muay Thai

Five years ago, Chainarong Reungjaristearn AKA “Peter “Thai Hulk” walked into the Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp in Phuket, Thailand to establish the weight lifting program.

Fast forward to 2012, and the “Thai Hulk” is still a constant presence at TMT with his inviting smile and friendly attitude towards clients, fighters, athletes, and everyone in between.

“I love this job because fitness is my life,” says the 36 year-old, who celebrates his fifth year anniversary at the camp this month, “I stay in touch with many of the people who I trained over the years. We are all still friends.”

As a personal trainer, Peter works around the clock helping his clients reach their fitness goals using traditional weight lifting routines. As a professional bodybuilder, Peter also competes in different parts of Thailand against top competition from around the world.

Peter trains himself, develops all of his own routines, and proudly talks about his resistance towards harmful substances – something he passes on to his clients. The next step for Peter, is to oversee the development of the weight lifting program at TMT Chiang Mai, which should open later this year.

“I’m very excited about it. I’m sure it will be very popular over there,” Peter says.

The “Thai Hulk” started training at 15-years-old with some friends picking up bags of concrete and using household items. Over time, he developed his routine and started competing professionally in his early 20′s. Peter was the very first non-Muay Thai trainer at TMT and one of the most recognizable characters at the camp.

“I have good feedback from clients. It’s not like work for me,” says Peter. We train and then hang out with people as well. Outside of my work everyone is a friend too.”

June 27th, 2012

New Federation Hopes to Bring MMA back to Thailand and Become Authority in Asia

When the Sports Authority of Thailand decided to ban Mixed Martial Arts events back in March of this year, some athletes jumped ship and took their training to nearby countries.

Though MMA training is still allowed in Thailand, the ruling was the latest event in the deterioration of the sport in Asia, which began with the collapse of PRIDE FC in 2007. Now, a new organization is working to not only bring MMA back into Thailand, but also become a ruling body for the sport in Asia.

The Association of South East Asian Nations Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (ASEAN BJJF), is laying the groundwork for each ASEAN country (consisting of Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, Philippines, and Singapore) to have their own MMA Association. Working with government authorities of each country, the ASEAN BJJF would be an umbrella organization for all of the MMA assocations – essentially becoming the regulating body of the sport in all of Asia.

“Currently, there is no body governing MMA in Asia. We want to be able to do centralized ruling for the all of the countries,” said Suraya Khan, CEO and Owner of ASEAN BJJF.

Khan was spotted at one of the top training facilities in the region this week, Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp in Phuket to discuss the future of the sport in Thailand with the camp’s Director Will Elliott.

“The possibility of having legally sanctioned MMA fights in Thailand is exciting,” Elliott said, “It’s important to keep discussing this issue and I look forward to what the federation has in store.”

Khan is also the President of the newly created Malaysian MMA Association, working with the government to regulate the sport in that country. Due to it’s centralized location, the ASEAN BJJF would be headquartered in Malaysia and eventually look to become the Asian hub for MMA.

After Thailand decided to ban MMA, many suspected it was to protect the national sport of Muay Thai. The trend has continued in other countries, evidenced by the collapse of other MMA promotions the past few years, including Spirit FC in Korea and Sengoku Raiden Championships in Japan. With the exception of ONE FC, big time promotions in Asia are few and far between.

“Each country is trying to protect their martial art which is quite critical,” Khan said, “If we can affiliate everybody into one community with the same goal keep it a protected sport, that makes things very interesting for Asia.”

ASEAN BJJF will also open up their own training academy this July in Kuala Lumpur, develop youth programs with the Malaysian government, and plan to give self-defense classes for women. BJJ phenom and world renowned talent Hakim Gouram will head the academy, which will also include boxing and Muay Thai instruction.

Eventually, the organization will look to promote and host MMA events of their own, as well as link up ASEAN BJJF affiliated gyms to have amateurs compete against one another.

“MMA is part of our culture. It’s in our blood. It’s in our people,” Khan said, “People come to different places to learn different skills, and all the skills are part of what we are. This identity is critical to maintain.”

June 26th, 2012

KO Win for #1 Ranked MMA Fighter Cat Zingano in Muay Thai Debut

During the second round of Cat Zingano’s Muay Thai debut last night (June 25th), she took several knees to the body and a kick to the head. After going back to her corner, the # 1 ranked female MMA fighter at 125-pounds was admittedly out of her comfort zone.

“I didn’t like how that felt. That was a very big strength of hers and it threw me out of rhythm,” Zingano said after the fight in which she represented Tiger Muay Thai & MMA in Phuket, Thailand. “The name of the game is knees here. It’s not punches or kicks – it’s knees and points.”

With her husband Mauricio and son Brayden looking on, Zingano came out in the third round legs ablazing, with an aggression that proved to overwhelm her veteran opponent, Fahpikart. But she still had to setup the knee strikes and used her strength to clinch Fahpikart, who has had over 35 fights, softening the Thai native first with elbows to the head.

Then the knees started and it was all over just seconds later. It took about six devastating knee shots to Fahpikart’s sternum to knock her down, each one wearing her out.

Zingano, whose professional MMA record is currently stands at 6-0, started the fight with several harsh elbows, eventually dropping her opponent twice in the second round with leg sweeps. The rush of winning her first Muay Thai fight quickly became somewhat of a drug for her.

“I’m addicted right now – the second that the fight got finished,” Zingano said. “I really want to see what I can do with this sport- I’ll definitely be back to get another fight.”

Though it was an impressive win for someone making their debut, Zingano is still not satisfied and craves more.

“I’d really like to showcase what Muay Thai is about and not be on the ropes so much,” Zingano said, “Instead of being big and knowing how to fight MMA, I want to feel like a Muay Thai fighter who just fought a Muay Thai fight.”

June 22nd, 2012

TMT’s Head MMA Coach Brian Ebersole Answers a Few Last Minute Questions Before his UFC Fight

Brian Ebersole Makes Weight

As Brian Ebersole gears up for his UFC FX4 fight against T.J. Waldburger in Atlantic City June 22, he took a few minutes to talk to his Tiger Muay Thai family about his experience so far.

1. How did your training camp?

I had a pretty good camp. I signed my bout agreement in Australia, I spent a month-long pre-season at Tiger Muay Thai, and trained in Illinois for 6 weeks… I hadn’t trained in Illinois for at least 6 years, so that was a bit of a treat. I was able to visit my hometown on a number of weekends, and seek out some talented wrestlers with which to revisit my base.

I touched on every range of combat with specialist in that area, which is something I try to do in every camp…. Finally being able to train in the USA has allowed me to get on the mat with wrestlers again, to complement my ongoing adventures into the world’s of BJJ and Muay Thai.

2. What have been the best and worst parts of the camp for you?

The best part of camp? I get to compete. The worst part of camp? I had to wait for three months before being able to compete.

3. How are you feeling going into this fight?

I like the matchup I’ve been given, as it’s a great challenge fighting a young guy with such a dangerous ground game. But it’s one of those fights where I feel some pressure. Being the favorite is much different than being the
underdog.

4. This is your first fight as Tiger Muay Thai’s Head MMA Coach. Are you feeling extra support from your TMT family?

I’m hoping I’ll have a few more fans and interested parties. I’ll have TMT’s Director, Will Elliott, sitting next to my girlfriend, Alecia. So there’s a bit of support there. And having the media department at TMT supporting me with online advertising and such, is quite a nice thing to have. Being able to gain more and more interested viewers, that know my story…that’s a bonus. And it should make for a cool post-fight experience, riding the wave of success and hopefully fielding emails and facebook messages from well-wishers.

5. Any hints for the chest hair??

No.

Brian also added the following to his message:

“I appreciate the effort and support that you guys have all shown, on each and every trip to TMT. And I’m very honored to officially be a member of the team.

I’ll celebrate this fight with all of you, near and far. And I look forward to my return to Phuket in September, as we gear up for what will be a monumental 2013 calendar.”

Good luck, Brian! We are beyond excited!

June 19th, 2012

From tragedy comes a Fresh Outlook for Swedish Hockey Player at Tiger Muay Thai

Daniel Fernholm remembers vividly the first hockey game of the 2011 Russiang league season. His side, Atlant Moscow, was taking on his former team, Dinamo Minsk, when the news broke.

During the middle of the game, an announcement was made that a plane carrying his friend and fellow Swedish national team member, goalie Stefan Liv, crashed just north of the Russian capital, killing the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl club.

“The President of the league interrupted the game to make the announcement. A lot of us Swedish guys on the team saw some of the Russians start to cry,” the 28 year-old recalls. “I asked what happened and they told me that a plane had crashed.”

He immediately thought of his good friend, whom he had just played alongside just months before in the International Ice Hockey World Championship. In fact, both men were part of the starting squad that took Sweden to the finals, which they lost to Finland.

“I got calls from my mom and a bunch of friends thinking it was my team, since the news in Sweden said it was a club from Moscow,” Fernholm said, “I could not play for more than two weeks, something did not feel right.”

Depressed, Fernholm would end his season playing in Finland for HIFK, helping them finish third in the league standings. Still, Fernholm gained a new appreciation for life and family. So much so that he has also begun a new offseason routine.

“Before when we would lose a game, I felt destroyed,” the defenseman said. “But now, I just look at it for what it is – a game. It also changed me a lot in my relationship with my family. We are closer now.”

In the past, Fernholm would take a trip to Thailand to enjoy the night life and then slowly ease back into his training for the upcoming season. Now, he has decided to take up a few weeks of intense workouts at Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp in Phuket, Thailand limiting his party hopping and focusing on being in the best possible shape.

After all, he was once a 17 year-old kid who was drafted in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League in the United States.

“I was training with guys like Mario Lemeuix and a young Sidney Crosby. I thought I had the world, but looking back my mind was not in the best state. I was just too young and not mature,” Fernholm said, who was sent to play in the minor leagues before eventually making it in the Russian leagues.

The training he puts at TMT has been one of the best decisions he says he has done. He’s already making plans for a two month trip next year.

Though Fernholm has not signed with a team for the upcoming 2012 season, he hopes to have a contract with a Russian league team.

“I think this (training) will make me mentally tougher,” Fernholm said. “I been training with Kru Kay, and its funny because when I let my guard down, he hits me in the face. It’s humbling but fun. I love it here.”