Tiger Muay Thai News Archive

June 16th, 2012

Tiger Alumnus Paul “Semtex” Daley Signs with Bellator Fighting Championships

Tiger Alumnus Paul “Semtex” Daley is in the news again after inking a deal with Bellator Fighting Championships. The prominent striker, who was last at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp in Phuket, Thailand back in January, will make his welterweight debut at Bellator 72 on July 20.

“I’ve been a ‘Semtex’ fan for years,” said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney in a release. “He’s an incredibly explosive fighter who is magic to watch inside the cage. So, when the opportunity presented itself to join forces with Paul, it was a simple decision to make. Paul’s one of those fighters I’ve always intentionally stayed home to watch, and now I can watch him cageside at Bellator.”

Tiger Muay Thai wishes to send Paul our very best and congratulate him on his new deal. Between this and his upcoming first child, things are moving onwards and upwards!

Check out the awesome highlight reel done while he was last year…bomb work by Richie Lattin!

June 15th, 2012

TMT Fighter Matt Semper Wins Bangla Stadium Belt

Tiger Muay Thai & MMA training camp in Phuket, Thailand has been home to several champions in the past, and now the camp is adding one more to the list. Bronx, New York native Matt Semper won the Bangla Boxing Stadium title in Patong on Wednesday night in a decision that was made easy by his performance.

“It’s a good feeling to have a belt around your waist,” an elated Semper said after the fight. “Once we started the fight, I knew it was going to end up going the distance.”

Joyo, of Sweden, came out with a barrage of low kicks to start the fight. The Swede attempted to outbox Semper for much of the second round as well, throwing in some elbows after the kicks became noticeably slower.

It wasn’t until the third round where things got really intense and Semper took complete control of the bout landing a strong right cross that almost knocked Joyo off his feet.

“He was really big but you have to have technique and that will overcome power anyday of the week,” Semper said after the fight.

Semper blocked several of Joyo’s powerful elbow shots and stayed calm under intense pressure at times. Picking his moments, Semper landed several punch.kck cobinations of his own. That all changed in the fourth round when Semper dished out numerous knees to the midsection and the clinch became a go-to move.

“Those knees kept landing and landing and after I threw the first one I knew it was over,” Semper said.

Though his back was on the ropes for much of the exchange, Semper’s right knee strikes were one of many reasons the judges gave the win to the young American.

The final round of the fight saw much of the same as the fourth, with both men exchanging heavy knee strikes though Joyo was apt to throw several punches as well – most of them were blocked.

June 11th, 2012

Knock-Out for Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Guest Fighter Daniel Jaime of Brazil

It only took one round for Daniel Jaime to get comfortable in the ring and one more round for him to knockout his Thai opponent. Not bad for his Muay Thai debut out of Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp in Phuket, Thailand on Friday night (June 8).

Jaime, who has had over 20 mixed martial arts fights in his career, made his way to Thailand just last week to train for his first ever Muay Thai fight in the country. The Brazilian already has a few other Muay Thai fights scheduled back in his Australia, where he currently calls home.

“I came out here to test myself and see what level I am at. This was a great opportunity,” said the 26-year-old.

Left elbow strikes was the key weapon in Jaime’s arsenal, using an aggressive style that saw him jump at his opponent, Deelerd, multiple times throughout the first round. Jaime’s ability to bob and weave his opponent’s strikes really came in handy in the second round, when Jaime forced a takedown following a barrage of combinations.

Just 15 seconds after that takedown, Jaime used a flurry of left kicks to KO his opponent winning his Thailand debut.

June 5th, 2012

Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Goes to the Kids…

Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp in Phuket, Thailand was happy to welcome VIP guests on Tuesday for a day of training, fun, and plenty of laughs. But these guests weren’t professional fighters from the UFC, Bellator or Strikeforce. They were kids…

For the second straight year, the British International School in Phuket held their end of the year celebration at Tiger. Fifty students and a handful of teachers arrived in camp with an excitement that only the conclusion of a school year and the start of vacation can bring. And they were eager to learn from Tiger’s trainers.

The first part of the morning was spent in the beginner’s Muay Thai ring, where the kids learned a series of techniques. It was a nice change of pace for the trainers – former champion fighters used to conducting strictly regimented classes – who now found themselves teaching a group of anxious primary schoolers. But big smiles on every face told the story as these new pupils practiced their punches and kicks under the mentorship of some of the best Muay Thai fighters in the world. It was a hands-on lesson in one of the most valued aspects of Thai culture—a lesson that can’t be learned in any classroom.

After Muay Thai, it was on to some mixed martial arts—something few of the students had even heard of before. This time they were under the tutelage of Tiger’s best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructors. Rafael Pinto and Wiktor Svensson taught the students a few basic maneuvers and allowed them to practice rolling together in Tiger’s newly unveiled MMA training facility. It was a unique thrill for the young grapplers.

“This place is way better than school!” Exclaimed one of the kids. “It was so fun learning how to kick and to punch and how to do takedowns. I learned how to do takedowns. Watch this!”

At the end of the day, the students were given a lesson in the history of Muay Thai and a demonstration of the traditional Wai Kru, wrapping up what was a rich experience for students and teachers, alike.

“We had such a great time,” said Kieren McGill, one of the teachers to participate in the day’s activities. “The lessons were all very well done and the gym has been very accommodating. We’ll definitely be back next year.”

Everyone at Tiger looks forward to it too.

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.