Tiger Muay Thai News Archive

June 5th, 2012

Rafael Pinto Goes Five Rounds To Win Rematch

A much anticipated rematch between Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Phuket’s fighter/trainer Rafael Pinto (18-4) and 31-year-old Thai native, Salatan didn’t disappoint as the Brazilian fought his way to yet another victory.

“I was very motivated for this fight and to win, I have no reasons to lose. I fought him before so I know how he fights,” said Pinto, who is also a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trainer at TMT, after the fight.

The fight started out with a slow burn as both men clearly had the mentality of getting into a chess match. When one man threw a punch, the other was ready with a low kick. Salatan, whose over two hundred fights includes a 3rd KO loss at the hands of Pinto last year, constantly attacked the Brazilian’s right leg with sweeping kicks.

“I try to stay away from his low kicks, I know he likes that a lot, so I made sure he didn’t hurt me so I can last all the rounds” Pinto said.

During the 3rd round, Pinto was forced to the ground after going for a clinch. Pinto returned the favor later in the round during a scuffle. Eventually both men traded knee shots in the clinch, with Pinto peppering in some hard elbows to Salatan’s head.

By the end of the 4th round, it was clear that Pinto was gaining the upper hand with several fake outs and kicks to the head. This is Pinto’s first of three upcoming fights before he makes his way to the Queen’s Cup this August in Bangkok. He has another fight scheduled in China later this month.

June 4th, 2012

School’s Out For Tiger Cubs

‘School’s out’ this week at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA, Phuket for a group of local students.

Tuesday June 5th will see over fifty students from the British International School, Phuket make their way to Tiger for their annual end of year party.

This is the second time that BIS have selected Tiger Muay Thai & MMA, Phuket for their special day, following a successful trip in 2011.

Tiger’s Director of Education and Sales, Philippe Lauren, feels that the camp plays a major role in raising awareness of traditional Thai culture to the local expatriate community.

“Tiger Muay Thai & MMA is always striving to drive awareness to the local community and their families,” says Phillippe. “It is with great excitement that we welcome back the British International School’s 6th Grade classes to enjoy a fun and informative day whilst learning about Thailand’s most time honored tradition – Muay Thai.”

Ever willing to learn, the students will begin their day with a history lesson in Muay Thai and the traditional Wai Kru ritual. They will then take part in a Muay Thai training class with the camp’s trainers followed by a lesson in Brazilian jiu-jitsu inside Tiger’s new world class MMA facility. The day will be rounded off by a healthy and nutritious lunch at the camp’s Tiger Grill.

The British International School, Phuket was established in 1996 and comprises of four sections; Pre-School, Primary School, Middle School and High School. The school caters for over nine hundred students – from 18 months to 18 years old – from Thailand and around the world.

June 4th, 2012

TMT’s Tracy Lockwood Defeats Rival by Decision

Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Phuket’s own veteran fighter, Tracy Lockwood went all five rounds to win the judges’ decision against long-time rival, Gerri O’Callaghan on Sunday, June 3rd.

The native New Zealander came out swinging hard and fast against O’Callaghan, who currently holds the Bangla Boxing Stadium Female Belt. Though it was a non-title fight, the two women got into a war of eight limbs at the main event.

“I thought it was a good fight, there was so much energy I think I drew from crowd,” Lockwood, a veteran of over 30 fights, said after the bought.

Lockwood took obvious control of the fight in the 4th round, when she forced O’Callaghan to the ground following a swift left kick to the torso. Immediately after that, Lockwood clinched O’Callaghan from the back. The current champ was eventually left with a bloody face after Lockwood opened a slight cut over O’Callaghan’s, a veteran of 37 fights herself, right eye.

“I’m happy with the way the fight turned out,” Lockwood said.

The two rivals are now 3-2, with Lockwood leading.

May 30th, 2012

Chris Moir – Marathon Man

Thursday May 31st will see one of Tiger’s top veteran fighters, Chris Moir compete in the prestigious 2012 Toyota Marathon. The Chon Buri tournament is a single elimination, one-day event with the winner pocketing a 300,000 baht cash prize. It’s a tournament that Chris has been vigorously preparing for at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Phuket.

“Over the past three weeks I have increased my training to twice a day so I don’t get stale. It’s going really well,” says Moir. “I’ve been running everyday and my cardio is good. I’m trying to be mentally tough and push myself. It’s a sport so it’s going to be a fun challenge but at the same time – it’s serious.”

Chris first arrived in Thailand in 2007 and a just a few years later, he found himself hitting the pads at Tiger. Prior to training at Tiger, Chris had been teaching and training in his native Calgary for over nine years under the wing of Contender Asia star, Kru Trevor Smandych. With over thirty fights in the bag, 29 year old Chris sees his experience as a key factor in winning the tournament.

“Personally, I’m bringing a lot of experience. I’ve been living in Thailand for nearly three years now. I think I am decently well-rounded and strong for the weight class.”

The tournament will feature eight fighters from across the globe. With fighters emanating from the likes of Brazil, Thailand, Cambodia, Kenya and Iran, Chris is well aware of the high standards he faces in the ring and knows what it takes to progress through the tournament.

“The standard is good. The fighters who have been invited to this tournament are not beginners. At this level, everybody has well-rounded strengths. I think it’s going to come down to conditioning and how much punishment any one person can take over the course of the day. The best plan of action is to take as little damage as possible early on. If you get through to the final, you could have potentially fought eleven rounds in one day – That’s why they call it a ‘Marathon’.”

The 2012 Toyota Marathon takes place on Thursday, May 31st and can be seen on Thai Channel 7 from 2pm.

May 29th, 2012

Phuket Live 89.5 FM’s Jason Wilder Hosts His Show LIVE from Tiger Muay Thai

Amidst the sounds of kicks and punches, DJ Jason Wilder talked about all things Muay Thai and music during his drivetime show on Phuket Live 89.5 FM from Tiger Muay Thai and MMA (TMT) Training Camp on Friday.

“Watching the trainers and watching the connection that the guys have here with the people who come is cool,” said Wilder before his show. “You see them smiling a lot.”

TMT beat out several businesses on the island to host the drive time show, which airs every weekday from 3pm to 7pm. For Wilder, who had been at the camp several times in the past to watch the notorious BBQ Beatdown held the last Saturday of every month, TMT seemed like the logical choice.

“This is a great place and it’s awesome to help spread the word about the atmosphere here – there’s always something going on,” explained Wilder.

Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp, located in Chalong, is regarded as one of the top training facilities in Thailand and hosts guests from all corners of the world. Everyone from beginners to professional fighters from top promotions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship call the camp home for months at a time.

“It was an absolute pleasure to have Jason and the crew here. The entire camp was on fire thanks to his quick wit and welcoming personality,” said TMT’s Director of Communications, Natasha Horrelt.

There were several highlights during Friday’s show, including a live on-air tattoo that Wilder had done on the back of his neck from TMT Trainer and tattoo artist Kru Oh – the outline of a small Buddha with several symbols surrounding the figure.

“The tattoo, on whoever it is on, means that the person is of the highest caliber,” said Kro Oh, whose real name is Waigon Promsuwan.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to get done. I don’t know of any places that have gotten a tattoo done while they are doing a show live,” Wilder said with a laugh.

A speed kicking competition and a tasting from the camp’s well-known Tiger Grill rounded out the show, along with interviews of several figures from TMT and lots of music.

“It was really cool of them to come here,” said Hirini Marshall, a guest at the camp from New Zealand, “I’d never seen a live radio show before – the music was refreshing.”

Check out our video about Jason's day at Tiger!

May 27th, 2012

The Real Scoop on TMT Chiang Mai from its First Official Guest

"Trevor Cooper (left) trains with Lamsongkram"

At only 18-years-old, Trevor Cooper is already making waves in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world with his speed and technical ability. The California native has been at Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp in Phuket, Thailand for a year and-a-half and was previously a student of Cesar Gracie – a mainstay in the BJJ world.

Recently, Trevor was invited to be the first fighter to train at the new TMT facility in Chiang Mai – a majority of which is still being constructed.

Over the sounds of hammers and cranes still building the massive new camp, Trevor talked a bit about life at the site, what fighters can expect, and the progression of his striking game.

What are you thoughts on the TMT Chiang Mai site?

It’s going to be huge, the plot of land is 3-times the size of the area that is currently built now. Only three trainers are here right now. They have the mats out and have some pads. I usually get one of the trainers and hit pads for a bunch of rounds, work on techniques and clinch stuff. But it’s going to be really different once everything is built – more rings and fighter specific. There’s going to be lot of Crossfit and bootcamp stuff. I’m sure the Muay Thai area is twice the size of the Phuket camp’s.

There is construction going on everyday here. Right now they are building this 10-foot wall around the camp and setting up the restaurant area. They’re painting the office – this big 3-story building, orange with black stripes. It’s definitely easy to become motivated here. There is a lot more stuff that you can’t get distracted by. People can find all the stuff they need really cheap in the this area of Thailand.

What do you think site has to offer people who want to train?

It would be better than the TMT in Phuket. All the same stuff is going to be here but in a newer facility and a bigger area. People who want to come down here will save money and party less. It’s way more training focused. We are pretty far out from anything so I would say it’s the same training, but this is more for dedicated people and it’s a lot more fighter specific. This place is not just for the weekend warrior. There is nothing else to do here at this second. You could run here, there are trails that aren’t paved and they run along the river. There are no cars driving out here so you could take a really good run if you wanted to without any distractions. It’s a lot cooler up here too in terms of weather. When it rains it isn’t the same kind of humidity as in Phuket so you can train longer and harder. It’s more foreigner friendly because of that.

My advice to any fighter who really wants to focus on training and budget more, then this would be the place to come. It’s definitely easy to become motivated here. You really have to wake up like a Thai person in the early morning. You have only one choice, you train and you go home 2-3 times a day depending on the weather or how hot it is. This is definitely geared toward the guy who is fitness-oriented or goal-oriented. The training has been great, it is really focused and it’s top notch. It’s definitely the area where if you want to knuckle down, take 30-days out of the year and try to double down on your training.

What do you think about the city of Chiang Mai?

I think it’s a nice city, people there are very friendly like in Phuket. The whole city is basically a circle. There are these little buses all over the place so you don’t need to take a taxi everywhere. The buses are about 20-30 Baht. The area is less than half the price of Phuket so it helps with accommodations. You can buy food for 20 Baht which is super cheap.There is a night market everyday of the week. Once TMT gets setup I’m sure you’ll be able to find that stuff too (temples, museums, zoos, etc) through them. There are places to party as well and it’s a lot less expensive too. Laos is right next door, about a 3 to 4-hour bus ride so Visa runs are much easier. But keep in mind that we are in Mae Rim, the city is 40 minutes away.

If you’re in Mae Rim, for example, and you wanted to eat a sandwich, you can’t just walk down the street for that, or get new hand wraps. You really need to plan, you can’t miss details when you come here. My best piece of advice is figure out exactly what you need before you come just in case. You do not get very distracted here at all. And I’m sure nutrition wise once the restaurant is set-up people will have tons of options.

As far as accommodations go, it’s either Tiger or a hotel at least 15-20 minutes away. Motorbikes are more expensive here than in Phuket. It’s hard to find stuff you need. I’m sure people would like it but they would have to get used to it. Phuket camp right now is super luxurious compared to what Chiang Mai is right this second. It’s up to the person who comes here to train to decide what their priorities are. If you wanted to just train and didn’t care about sitting around in some restaurant, then you’d want to come here.

What are your thoughts on how you are progressing as a fighter at the camp?

I train everyday and see improvements every other day. I notice things I didn’t notice before; you just feel your level of experience get better day-by-day. The trainers are very specific and technical. Right now, I’m focused on striking. I’m getting so much better, where I was taking baby steps before. Now I take big long steps and am figuring it all out easier. Timing is getting a lot better, everything is coming together striking wise.

When I first came here, they picked my game apart. It is really cool to not be stagnant on training. I’m super young now, I want to get two or three Muay Thai fights for experience and striking before doing some MMA fights in Asia. Doing a lot of clinching work with Lamsongkram Chuwattana. He’s pretty tall, at almost 6-feet, and holds 2-3 belts right now and is the current Middleweight Champion at Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok. He’s just one of the best around. I definitely skipped out on a few things, specifically the Pan Asian BJJ tournament to be here, but it’s going to be worth it. I’ll probably come back to TMT Phuket in the next six months. In the meantime, I’ll try to get some Muay Thai fights in Chiang Mai city. I have been at TMT for a year and a half doing MMA training and some Muay Thai, but here I got more focused on striking because that’s all there is to do right now.

Tiger Muay Thai Chiang Mai is set for its full grand opening at the beginning of 2013!