Tiger Muay Thai News Archive

May 1st, 2012

17-year-old New Zealander knocks out veteran during Muay Thai debut for Tiger Muay Thai & MMA in Phuket, Thailand

Monday night’s (April 30th) bout between 17-year-old Tiger Muay Thai & MMA in Phuket, Thailand’s guest fighter Hirini Marshall and Thai national fighter Roongavi ended with a veritable knock out at Patong Boxing Stadium.

Marshall, making his Muay Thai debut, ended the bout in the middle of the second round with a right cross to the gut that sent Roongavi to the mat. Making the bout more impressive was the fact that Roongavi is 3-years older and a veteran of 35 professional Muay Thai fights.

“I’m excited to have my first win,” Marshall said after the fight, “This was a big confidence booster and I’m looking forward to more fights in the near future.”

In the first round, it was Marshall who went to the mat after slipping while giving a left kick, but quickly recovered. He took some heavy kicks to the head throughout the first round but kept his composure as he gave a good kick to his opponent’s gut quickly thereafter.

“I knew I hurt him,” the New Zealander said, “I kept working on that belly and finally caught him in the second with the straight right.”

April 30th, 2012

Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Announces the UFC’s Brian “Bad Boy” Ebersole as New Head MMA Coach!

Written by Jon Pritchard with images by Jeff Sainlar

With 65 professional fights, an undefeated 3-0 UFC record, an improbable debut victory over legend Chris Lytle, an impenetrable chin, and an odd fixation with his chest hair, it’s safe to say that Brian Ebersole carries an impressive resume—both as a fighter and as an “interesting” guy.

But there’s one major talent in his repertoire that most people are probably unaware of. He’s also an incredible coach, mentor, and leader. And that’s exactly why Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp in Phuket, Thailand is proud to announce its decision to hire him as their new Head MMA Coach.

After a long-running mutual love affair, the two parties came to an agreement that seemed only natural. Ebersole has been one of Tiger’s favorite guests over the past few years, while the UFC Welterweight has often called Tiger his “home.”

See our video interview with Brian about his sweet new gig!

The training camp—one of the largest in Thailand—originally opened as a traditional Muay Thai – only gym. But has since expanded its model to include mixed martial arts and various fitness classes. However, the addition of Ebersole will surely be a giant leap forward for the still-developing MMA program.

“What can you say about the guy, except that he’s a current UFC superstar, he’s ultra-popular, and he’s super exciting—I mean he does cartwheel kicks…” exclaimed Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Director Will Elliot. “He’s overhauling our entire MMA program, overseeing the whole thing, and he’ll put his own twist on it. It’s going to be fantastic; it will be a Brian-Ebersole-created program.”

Ebersole, who will look to improve his record to 4-0 this June at UFC on FX 4 in Atlantic City, has earned a reputation as a gritty, but unorthodox striker. He’ll be honest with you and admit that his Muay Thai isn’t yet the greatest. But his wrestling skills? Ebersole’s roots were planted on the wrestling mat. He started in the sport at the age of five, and it’s what carried him through to a Division I collegiate wrestling scholarship in the U.S. and eventually to the pinnacle of competitive mixed martial arts—a UFC contract.

“I have to acknowledge the fact that I’ve gone from being a wrestler to being a martial artist,” he says of his evolution as a fighter. “Like Randy Couture, I’d like to someday be known as one of the guys that was able to bridge the gap between wrestling and the world of combat sports.”

Tiger’s announcement that Ebersole will be taking over its MMA program comes at the end of his fourth trip out to Phuket. He’s gotten well acquainted with the place, as he’s completed at least part of each training camp prior to his three—and soon to be four—UFC fights, thus far.

“When I first came to Tiger, I was struck by, not only the quality of training, but also the quantity of training,” he said. “As an athlete, all you want to do here is train. And also the quality and quantity of trainers—there must be about 30 Thai trainers. That blows me away. You just don’t find gyms that have those kinds of resources.”

For Ebersole, one of Thailand’s biggest draws as a training destination is “the affordability and the stress-free lifestyle.” After spending a summer in college traveling to various minor-league MMA venues throughout the Midwestern United States—crashing on buddies’ couches to save money and accepting any and all fights that came his way—he knows a thing or two about the financial struggle of trying to develop an MMA career. In his opinion, Thailand offers an easier way…

“What really endears me is eventually trying to help put regular guys on a training routine in which they go off to Australia or the U.S. or wherever to work for three months (and make enough money) and they come back here to Thailand to train hard for the other nine.”

His deal with Tiger Muay Thai and MMA will have Ebersole on-site, coaching in Phuket for roughly six months out of the year. The other half of his time will be spent elsewhere, branding and marketing the gym—oh, and not-to-mention fighting in UFC events.

Sitting down with him, it’s actually difficult to sense which he enjoys more—the fighting or the coaching side of things. Maybe there’s no fair answer to that question; there’s certainly passion in his voice when he speaks of either. However, there’s no doubt that he’s psyched about his new gig in Thailand.

“They’ve had a great program here—from the grappling to the wrestling to the MMA—and I want to continue that, but I’m just really looking forward to adding my own training philosophy and my own little flavor to things.”

For now those plans will have be made on-the-move. Coach Ebersole is off to Las Vegas and the rest of his training camp as his June 22 date with grappling talent T.J. Waldburger fast approaches.

See our video interview with Brian about his sweet new gig!

April 28th, 2012

Benny’s Back – This time it’s War

Professional Welterweight fighter and Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Phuket alumni Benny Alloway will step into the cage this Saturday night at the ‘Brace For War 15′ event in Coffs Harbour, Australia.

A win against veteran Rod Staader would make it five-straight for Benny and improve his overall record to 12 wins, 3 losses.

Alloway spent the majority of his pre-fight training camp here at Tiger. In addition to his daily Muay Thai sessions, he worked hard on the mats as well. The presence of UFC fighter (and wrestling phenom) Brian Ebersole gave Alloway that chance to improve his own wrestling game, as the two spent most afternoons as training partners.

“Wrestling is the weakest part of my game, so It was nice to get a lot of training in with Brian,” he said.

Staader, who favors his Muay Thai stand-up game should have his hands full with Alloway after such a dynamic training camp here in Phuket.

Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Phuket would like to wish Ben ‘Benny Blanco’ Alloway the best of luck tomorrow night and we also look forward to hosting more training camps in the future for this very talented, gritty fighter.

To follow his progress, follow Benny Alloway on Twitter @bennyblancomma.

April 27th, 2012

Tiger Muay Thai Kicks Their Way to Sweeping Victories at the National Stadium Thursday Night

Two Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Phuket Training Camp fighters cruised to victory on Thursday night, strutting their training and getting a handle on the competition.

Both Mikiali Freitas (2-0) and Siamand Barzani (4-0) kicked, elbowed, and punched their way to wins with Freitas earning a TKO victory in the final round against a fellow American opponent at Patong Boxing Stadium.

Freitas started the fight fast and furious with a barrage of punches to her opponent, Rachel’s, head and ended the first round with a swift kick to her foe’s gut. It wasn’t until the second round that Freitas sent her to the ground, which would be repeated again in the third.

“I landed a few good combinations on her and she just kept coming,” The 26-year-old Hawaii native said after the fight, “She was a tough girl.”

The referee stopped the fight in the middle of the fifth round after Freitas’ continued assault on her opponent’s right leg.

“I just tried to hold my own and pick her apart a bit,” Freitas said, “I knew I hurt her so I just kept attacking that right leg and sure enough we got a stoppage on that.”

In the men’s bout, Swedish international Siamand Barzani went the distance with his Australian foe, Finlay (2-2), winning by unanimous decision.

Though the crowd of mostly Australian tourists made it seem like an away bout, Barcani pushed through and out-kicked his opponent with tactical precision. By the end of the third round, both men were landing devastating knee shots to the other’s torso, with Bazani taking some heavy handed punches to the head.

But Barzani bounced back in the later rounds, dishing out heavy kicks and eventually quieting the crowd.

“Every fight for me is a learning experience,” the Stockholm native said, “I know from the beginning he wasn’t going to quit, I saw that he was a fighter with a heart.”

April 26th, 2012

Professor Ray Elbe and Tiger Muay Thai Part Ways

After a successful five-year relationship, Tiger Muay Thai & MMA’s Head MMA Instructor, Professor Ray Elbe, is stepping down from his position. Please see the attached press release for further details:

Professor Ray Elbe and Tiger Muay Thai Part Ways

April 25th, 2012

Dean Amasinger – Reality to Renegade

Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Phuket has played host to the fighting world’s biggest names this month and Dean Amasinger is certainly no exception.

The 28 year-old British fighter established himself in the world of MMA as a Welterweight contestant on the ‘United States vs. United Kingdom’ season of the UFC’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. He lost his quarterfinal match with DaMarques Johnson, but the magnitude of that experience is not lost on Amasinger.

“That was an amazing opportunity,” he said. “That show really helped me to establish my career.”

Amasinger’s professional Mixed Martial Arts record currently stands at an impressive 9 wins—6 losses. Though he is yet to work out the specifics of his next fight, he plans to be on a card tentatively scheduled for late June in his native United Kingdom. He’ll be looking to regain some momentum after a questionable loss this past February.

“My last fight was quite controversial. I lost after I was kneed on the ground (an illegal blow). I should have been given the proper amount of time to recover from it, but I was too anxious to continue the fight,” he remembered disappointingly. “But my corner and I should have been smarter about it.”

Still dazed from the illegal knee, Amasinger lost the fight only seconds later.

“I deserve a rematch. I definitely want that rematch…”

Highly motivated from that loss, he put in some hard days of training here in Phuket. Although the focus of his camp was Muay Thai, he also participated in Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Phuket’s recent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar from American blackbelt—and grappling phenom—Jeff Glover.

“The seminar was brilliant. I’ve seen (Glover’s) videos and competitions, but it was interesting to be able to see how his mind works,” Amasinger said. “I took away quite a few things that I’ll be able to add to my game.”

But one of the highlights of this trip was the fact that he was able to bring his family along. While dad was putting in long hours of training, his wife and young daughter were enjoying Phuket’s beautiful beaches. But once the hard work was finished, the whole family found plenty of time to enjoy some of the many other pleasures the area has to offer.

Amasinger, who has now completed the last of his training at Tiger, heads to Australia to teach string of MMA classes based on his six years of professional fighting. However, despite his passion for teaching, the ‘Renegade’ was still reluctant to leave Tiger behind.

“Tiger is the best gym I’ve trained at. I love the atmosphere here,” he said. “I’d love to be able to make it out here two or three times a year.”

Well, Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Phuket is always proud to host him. Come back to see us soon, Dean and good luck getting that big 10th win!