Tiger Muay Thai News Archive

March 19th, 2013

Tiger Muay Thai MMA fighters get ready for bout in Australia

Two members of the Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand – MMA team have been tapped to fight Roshambo 1 in Australia on April 6.

Ben Nguyen (7-6) and Cody “The Wolverine” Stevens (9-5-1) will represent TMT MMA in the start-up promotion’s first event, which will take place at the Chandler Theatre in Brisbane. This will be Nguyen’s and Stevens’ first professional bout in Australia. Each will take on a fighter from Ingratiated MMA Academy.

Stevens will take on Greg Atzori (7-4), a 6-foot (182 cm) and 155-pound (70 kg) fighter. At just 5’6″ (167 cm) and 145-pounds (65.7 kg), Stevens will be moving up in weight and taking on the bout with a considerable height difference.

“I’ve fought guys that tall and train with guys bigger and taller than me,” Stevens says, “It’s nothing new to me. I’ll be more explosive, and I have more heart. I’ve just got to keep my wits about me when I fight and keep pouring it on him and hopefully walk away with a win. I’m excited to represent Tiger Muay Thai and Fight Farm.”

Stevens’ will look to bounce back from a draw at Rocktagon Elite Series 23, a fight that took place in his hometown of Mansfield, Ohio, USA. The 30-year-old has been putting in time with TMT trainers Brian Ebersole and Roger Huerta since coming back to Thailand in the last month.

“How bad does (Atzori) want to be great? Not as bad as me. My cardio feels good, I feel strong,” Stevens says.

Nguyyen (pronounced “win”) will take on Greg Penaloza (3-2) in a featherweight bout. This is Nguyen’s first fight in a cage since his round 1 win over Andrew Whitney in 2011. The South Dakotan has been itching to fight again and will look to take this opportunity to introduce himself to an audiences in this side of the world.

“I’m hungrier than ever and I can’t wait to show off my refined abilities in the cage, Nguyen says, “Being at (Tiger Muay Thai) and working with world class fighters and trainers such as Brian Ebersole and Roger Huerta, it really boosts my confidence knowing that I’ve been training with some of the best.”

Both Nguyen and Stevens joined the TMT MMA fight team after a multiple-day tryout period last December. Check out the videos below of the MMA tryouts.

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

March 18th, 2013

Fiona Muxlow’s journey to Invicta FC

Fiona Muxlow is a first-time guest at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand. She is currently preparing for her first fight with the all-woman MMA organization Invicta FC, where she will take on Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos on April 5 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

This one time, in Auckland, Fiona Muxlow (6-2) made her MMA debut and ended up beating three women on the same night.

It’s easy to tell the story, with Muxlow stepping into the ring in an 8-woman tournament, having competed in the ADCC Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition just one month prior. The Townsville-native won all fights by submission: the first two by armbar, taking home the belt after tapping out a kickboxer via rear-naked choke in the final.

That last woman, she hit hard – so hard that Muxlow had lumps under her hair for days. Still, even though the only thing she won was a belt and having had all her expenses paid for, she craved another fight. This was 2007.

“I started training at university, when I saw a notice posted on the board. This was in 1996,” Muxlow said,” It was an excuse to get out the room. As a kid I ran around with my brother, both thinking we were Jean Claude Van Damme.”

Muxlow trained in Aikido and even had a go at Tai Chi as a kid. But the moment she began her MMA training, she can tell you it was the 2^nd day of the 1^st semester of the 1^st year of university, a random Tuesday that would change her life.

She eventually picked up skills in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Purple Belt) as well as Renshinkan Karate (Black Belt). In 1998, she began competing in BJJ tournaments, a journey that would allow her to qualify for several ADCC competitions later on.

“I remember competing in ADCC when they had 5 female divisions, instead of the two they have now,” Muxlow says. She hopes that one day the female division will once again expand.

An avid CrossFitter, Muxlow was competing in a CrossFit competition in 2009. Just one week later, she ended up fighting Kyra Purcell. Just before her fight, Muxlow had contracted swine flu and was unable to spar. With swollen arms, Muxlow stepped into the ring and came out with a split decision victory.

“My arms were aching and I couldn’t bend them much,” she says, “ After the win, I just wanted to sit there in the back for a while I was so tired.”

After two more fights (both wins), Muxlow concentrated on her CrossFit gym in Australia and training. Then she got a call from a friend about possibly fighting women’s MMA veteran Marloes Coenen (21-5).

“I jumped at the chance. The only way to get to know how good you are is to fight one of the best, and this was an amazing opportunity,” Muxlow says.

The fight took place in Japan, at DREAM 18 on New Year’s Eve 2012. Muxlow would eventually lose via armbar in the waning moments of the first round.

“To fight in DREAM was pretty cool, except for the whole knees to the head thing,” Muxlow says, smiling.

Now, after signing a multiple-fight contract with women’s MMA promotion, Invicta FC, she is training at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand for her bout against Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (10-1) on April 5 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

March 17th, 2013

TMT-trained Georges St. Pierre defends belt at UFC 158

It was another decision victory for Georges St. Pierre (24-2), defeating Nick Diaz (26-9) in a five-round fight that saw the French-Canadian retain his UFC Welterweight title. Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand sent two trainers, Kru Yod Wilek and Kru Lamsongkram Chuwattana, to help GSP’s Muay Thai standup for the bout.

This is the second time TMT trainers have been able to help St. Pierre. Kru Yod and Kru Lamsongkram trained the UFC megastar before his last title defense against Carlos Condit at UFC 154.

Both trainers are highly decorated veterans. Kru Yod has fought in over 285 fights, capturing several titles in his career. Kru Lamsongkram has had over 300 fights and is the current Rajadamnern Stadium Middleweight Champion in Bangkok.

About Kru Yod:

Yod AKA Wilek Sornnon has been teaching on and off at TMT for 7 years and has traveled to Sweden, Finland, Japan, and China on teaching expeditions. He is one of Tiger’s most popular trainers. Yod has over 280 fights and captured the Bangla and Patong titles, along with the PK-1 Championship.

About Kru Lamsongkram:
Lamsongkram AKA Suphachai Jansod is the current Rajadamnern Middleweight Champion and has over 170 fights. He started training at eight and has won a total of six championship belts. He has taught in various countries including Japan, the USA and England. A professional fighter favorite, he has worked with competitors from around the globe.

March 15th, 2013

Competing with the Wright plan

As a constant fixture at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand, Becky Wright always has a smile on her face.

The 28-year-old Brit, who first came to Tiger Muay Thai in May 2012, is currently training to compete in two body building competitions: Miami Pro World Championships in April and Fit Factor at Body Power Expo in May.

“I feel the fittest I have ever felt and could not be in a better position for me,” Wright says, “I’ll be happy if I place.”

As a personal trainer, Wright has had the chance to travel all over the world, including a stint working for a royal family member in Saudi Arabia and a fitness facility in Bermuda. In fact, her first experience of seeing a live bodybuilding competition was in 2010 in Bermuda on the advice of a friend.

Three years later, Wright decided to tackle one of her life’s goals head on, though she nearly missed the deadline for the Fit Factor competition which will take place in Birmingham, England.

“I thought the deadline was in May, and thankfully I happened to check it the other day and found it it was in March,” she says.

Since arriving at Tiger Muay Thai in January, Wright has lost 10 cm off her waist, 6.5 cm off her hips, lost 3.5 kilos while putting on muscle, and lost 2.6% body fat in the process. Her routines include a mix of bodyfit in the morning for cardio, CrossFit style workouts in the afternoon, and weight training with Peter “The Thai Hulk”.

But its the strutting and posing that has Wright blushing.

“I love training, that’ the easy part. But being on stage… that bit terrifies me,” she says with a laugh.

Wright knows all about overcoming obstacles, something she learned through years of tennis in her teens. The most important lesson, she explains, is to have a goal and be consistent.

“People think that there is a limit on what you can do with your body,” Wright says, “It’s not easy, but if you have a goal and are focused, train hard and are consistent with your diet, it’s really amazing what you can achieve.”

March 12th, 2013

TMT Alumni fight UFC and ONE FC on April 5

Mark your calendars for April 5, as four Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand alums will be bracing up for fights around the world in both UFC and ONE FC events.

Ben “Benny Blanco” Alloway, an Australia MMA fighter and a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes (2012) will be taking on 29-year-old up-and-comer Ryan LaFlare (7-0) at UFC on FUEL TV 9. Alloway is a multiple-time guest of Tiger Muay Thai, with 6 KO’ victories and 4 wins by submission. The Australian’s last bout was against fellow TUF cast member Manuel Rodriguez, where Alloway won with a devastating front kick which won him “Knockout of the Night” honors (video below).

On the other side of the world, three Tiger Muay Thai alums will battle it out in the ONE FC 8: King of Champions event in Singapore, including main eventer Kotetsu Boku (20-7-2). Boku will put his Lightweight title on the line against submission master Shinya Aoki (32-6).

Arnaud “The Game” Lepont (9-2), who trained at Tiger Muay Thai in preparation for his ONE FC main event fight last year, will be taking on Eddie Ng (5-1). This will be the third ONE FC fight for Lepont, who is based in Malaysia. He has won seven of his fights via submission and will be looking to bounce back from a loss.

Shannon “One Shin” Wiratchai (2-0), a Thailand-native and frequent Tiger Muay Thai guest, will fight Bashir Ahmad (1-0). Wiratchai was a huge underdog coming into his first ONE FC fight last year, but was able to defeat Mitch Chilson with a soccer kick. ONE FC officials later deemed the kick illegal, scratching the win from Wiratchai’s record. The young Thai will be looking to continue his winning streak and make a strong impression in Singapore.

March 3rd, 2013

KO win for TMT Alum Mark Hunt in UFC on Fuel

Despite being over 40 cm (over 1 foot) shorter than opponent Stefan Struve, Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand alumnus Mark Hunt walked away with a knockout victory at the UFC on FUEL TV 8 event on Sunday March 3 in Japan.

Hunt (9-7) knocked out Struve in the third round with a big right and left combination. Hunt initially walked away after the last punch landed even though the referee had not yet stopped the fight. Struve was unable to get back up and Hunt was declared the victor.

The big kiwi kickboxer improved his MMA record to 9-7 and is now 4-1 in the UFC. Hunt is a PRIDE veteran and won the K-1 World Grand Prix at heavyweight in 2001. With wins over Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Filipovic, and Ben Rothwell, Hunt is a formidable force with his hands.

Hunt was last at TMT in 2011 before his bout with Rothwell at UFC 135. He won that fight via unanimous decision.