“The DNA of GSP” is a feature documentary that will be released in theaters across the globe. Filming began two years ago – through his rehabilitation from a torn ACL in Los Angeles to his successful title defenses against Carlos Condit and, most recently, Nick Diaz. The film will show GSP’s character, his training, and his life as not just a UFC champion, but a martial artist and human being.

St. Pierre worked with Tiger Muay Thai trainers Kru Yod and Kru Lamsongkran in preparation for both title defenses that will appear in the film (Condit and Diaz, respectively).

“Georges invited us out here and we thought it would be interesting in terms of visuals,” the film’s Director, Peter Svatek, says, ” ‘The DNA of GSP’ is a real three-dimensional portrait of the man and his life. It’s been interesting getting to know him. He’s a fascinating human being.”

Working with the UFC as well as nature photographers from the BBC, the film will incorporate special effects, slow motion shots of GSP’s fights, and his everyday interactions with his inner circle.

“Georges calls himself a lone wolf. We are Going to intercut some of this wolf fighting footage with the UFC footage and it should be quite special,” Svatek, who has directed 23 films, documentaries, and TV shows in his 42-year career.

Both based out of Montreal, Canada, Svatek first met GSP through mutual friends. In time, Svatek would eventually pitch the idea of doing a documentary to St. Pierre and his management team.

“As I began to learn more about Georges, I found him to be a unique individual,” Svatek says, “his dedication, his hard work, his good heart. It makes him verys pecial in the world that he lives in and I think a film about him would be fascinating.”

Svatek says the film will be unlike any other MMA documentary with the use of special effects, slow motion shots, and the portrait-like narrative of the current UFC Welterweight Champion.

“Georges is a real thinking fighter, he has very clear ideas on strategy and even the mental approach to the game. We’re going to visualize that with some very sophistiacted film effects,” Svatek says.

The film is a collaboration between three production companies: Triplex, Jimmy Lee, and Upside Up.

Please enjoy our video and photos of GSP at Tiger Muay Thai:

“During high school I was involved with online gaming guild called Genocide X and we were the top gamers in a lot of servers,” Semper says, “I took gaming a little toos eriously and it took over my life. I started gaining weight, not going anywhere, not going outside, nto doing any sports or anything.”

The catalyst for his decision to take up Muay Thai was when he looked at a photo and could not recognize himself. That is the moment Semper remembers realizing he needed a change, so he quit a cushy job at a magazine, quit his online gaming habit, and devoted himself to Muay Thai full-time at Five Points Academy in lower Manhattan, New York City.

“When first started doing [Muay Thai], it was a hobby to get in better shape, I didn’t think I would be able to get anywhere with it,” Semper says, admitting that he wanted to go to Thailand after just a year of training.

Semper arrived at Tiger Muay Thai in October 2008 and stayed for a year and a half. Once he got back to the states, the fighting bug got to him.

“Fighting became part of me and I had to make this a full-time gig living and training here. That is when I realized that this is all I wanted in my life,” the 25-year-old says.

In early 2010, Semper packed his bags once again – this time with the intention to fight for a living and make a name for himself. He took up a few smoker fights in NYC, but it was BBQ Beatdown 10 at Tiger Muay Thai where he gained the attention of the Thai trainers.

“I fought this guy named Frank the Tank, and Australia that was a lot bigger than me. People expected him to come out and pummel me, but it didn’t happen that way. I threw a lot of kicks and messed up his leg,” Semper says, “it was definitely a kickstarter for me. I loved that it was available for me to do. If I didn’t do it, I don’t think I would’ve gotten into fighting.”

Two weeks later, Semper stepped into his first professional fight and won by thrd round KO with his right hand. That fight was when close friend Adrian Shead named his right hand “Songkram” – meaning “war” and signalling that Semper brings war to his opponents through his strong hand.

Semper has made his dream a reality ever since that first bout. Even now, closing in on his 50th fight, Semper looks back at the time when he was known amongst his friends as “fat Matt” – it’s a very different story now.

“Wining each and every fight is the best moments for me. You feel that rush, like a drug once you win it hits you,” Semper says, “You learn to live life out here in Phuket and not let your job kill you.”

Tiger Muay Thai photographer, Jeff Sainlar put together this gallery depicting some of the more recent photos from fighters here at Tiger. These photos show the hard work, the pain, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Please take a journey through his eyes as we show the “Fight of Your Life”.

The prize: US$20,000

It’s a great score for someone who is also studying for their Political Science and Homeland Security/Emergency Management degree while keeping up with training.

“This is the best place to train,” says the 34-year-old about the Tiger Muay Thai, “I’ve been working with [Kru] Yod since 2006, it’s a long time so he knows my style. Tiger is my extended family, this is my fourth or fifth time here, I’ve had some of my best performances training out of here.”

Corbbrey started boxing at 8-years-old and has trained is several martial arts, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (purple belt), and also Muay Thai. The Road to Glory tournament will also include former training partner and good friend Cyrus Washington. He is no stranger to one-night tournaments since he has won a few in the past decade.

“I’ve been there, I had to grind through it. I know what it feels like going into your second, third fight with bumps and bruises,” he says, “you have to take each fight at a time. The first fight, treat it like it’s your only fight, but understand that you have to be ready for nine rounds, possibly more.”

Aside from kickboxing and combat sports, Corbbrey is using his time in Thailand – away from the hustle and bustle of American city life – and focusing on attaining a bachelor’s degree. He’s close to completion and plans to apply (and hopefully enroll) into a program at Harvard University in the United States.

“It’s good to have your mind on another thing while you train martial arts,” he says, “my downtime is occupied on something positive and that can help me in the future in another way.”

The 27-year-old Australian-Turk will fight tonight (May 10) at the Global Fighting Championships 2 Grand Prix in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The four-man, one night MMA tournament will be fought at welterweight (75 kg).

“I make sure that I am always fight ready,” he says, “the amount of training I’ve been doing for wrestling and standup I feel is really going to help me going into this.”

Just eight days later, on May 18, Turkyilmaz will travel to Instanbul, Turkey to compete in another four-man tournament, this time in kickboxing, with a chance to qualify for US$100,000 prize fight later this year. The tournament pits the best Turkish kickboxers against Europe’s most ferocious standup artists.

The potential to fight four times in two weeks is high as Turkyilmaz has been training like a madman recently, going 15 rounds in pads and sparring at times. Nothing new for someone who fought their first amateur kickboxing bout at 14-years-old and MMA at 16.

“It’s always a challenge when you fight. Some say it is crazy but I love it,” he says. “It’s another challenge, mentally. No fight is an easy fight. And I want to see how much I can push myself.”

Two tournaments in two weeks also increases the risk of injury. Turkyilmaz believes he is prepared to deal with whatever comes his way, though it is a concern.

“You’re always worried, but it’s funny I get injured more at training than I do in a fight, if that makes sense,” Turkyilmaz says as he laughs, “[injuries are] part of the sport. You have to keep on top of it, like a car. Maintain your car, if something is broken have to keep on top of it. I have gotten wiser with my recovery also, more ice baths and massages.”

Turkyilmaz is coming off a win against Troy O’Connor at the WRFC – Warrior’s Realm event in March. He won that bout by forcing his opponent’s corner to throw in the towel just after the second round.

The Tiger family wishes Turkyilmaz good luck as he takes on this difficult yet exciting task!

“I’d like to thank my sponsors, Tiger Muay Thai, Phuket Pro Nutrition, FTP Clothing, Yakuza Tattoo, and Elite Tattoo,” Turkyilmaz says.

Chris Mesnard proved this during his second deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. Just 22-years-old at the time, the American gathered some buddies who were also part of the 3rd battalion, 3rd Marine regiment and created a makeshift gym out of equipment that was lying around.

“Surprisingly, a lot of the staff and some CO’s were not happy about having a fight gym. They thought people were going to get hurt,” Mesnard, a guest at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp, Phuket Thailand says, “But the Colonel was cordial and he supported it 100%. Nobody got hurt, it was all good training.”

Mesnard (4-1) discovered MMA before enlisting as a Navy Seaman. After watching the entire first season of UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter, he decided to step into the gym and train. He’s the first to admit he had no idea what he was doing, but he would spar with other guys, figuring things out along the way.

This led to his first MMA fight at 18-years-old, a bout he won in 47 seconds of the first round via armbar. Three more fights followed, all wins. Then he enlisted in the Navy and became a corpsmen – treating wounded soldiers on the battlefield.

Training became an escape from the grind of war.

Photo: Reece Lodder via Marine Corps Blog

“It’s Afghanistan, so you’re going to patrols everyday. On your free time, you get to do whatever you choose with it. Some guys sit in their cot and watch movies. Others workout,” The Nebraska-native says.

After 8 months in Helmund Province in 2010, Mesnard was sent to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border (Forward Operating Base Delhi) for a similar amount of time.

“It was a bit larger so it had more resources. A couple of the other guys like to train as well so I started grabbing all kinds of gear: tires, chains, mats, gloves, bags, etc.,” he says, “we just built everything that we needed for circuits and fight conditioning.”

In temperatures that can climb upwards of 40 degrees celsius, the fact that Mesnard chose to train shows his love for the sport.

“It was just a nice escape. The entire time I’ve been in the military, my brain has been somewhere else,” he says, “Especially in Afghanistan, dealing with all that, you feel cooped up. It was a great way to get all your frustration and anger out.”

For now, Mesnard spends his days training Muay Thai and refining his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (since he is a blue belt) at TMT with trainers Robert “The Terminator”, Fernando Maccachero, and Roger Huerta. As a former training parter of UFC fighters Jake Ellenburger and Houston Alexander, Mesnard also says he’d like to get back into that grind when time allows.

“I want to train full-time, I want to fight. I still keep in touch with the guys I trained with (during deployment) and it’s always on the back of my mind what we’ve been able to accomplish in a war zone,” he says.

The event, which will take place at the Chin Woo Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will host Kara-France’s (5-2) third bout for Legend FC. The 20-year-old won his last bout against Sam Chan via guillotine choke in the first round.

On April 27, Kara-France will take on Danaa Batgerel (3-1), a 23-year-old Mongolian fighter who is known as a striking specialist. Kara-France is an all-around fighter who is both explosive and powerful for someone so young.

Kara-France won a spot on the TMT MMA Fight Team last November after a two-day tryout period, which you can WATCH HERE.

::Muay Thai::

Our TMT Muay Thai Fight Team has been pulling double duty to prepare for their bouts on April 20-21 in Malaysia.

Marcel Gaines, Matthew Semper, Ncedo Gombo, and Eric Bradach will be competing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Gaines and Bradach both fought in Malaysia back in December, along with fellow fight team member Jonny Betts.

Ncedo, the newcomer to the team, has already racked up an impressive string of wins, including a title at the AITMA World Championships in Ayutayah in late March. As the most experienced member of the team, Semper will look to capture another win as he closes in on his 50th fight.

::Boxing::

TMT Alum Sonya Lamonakis (7-0) is the no. 1 ranked heavyweight women’s boxer on Boxrec.com and was last in Phuket earlier this year preparing for two bouts. The first will take place on April 13, against Martha Salazar (11-3) in Sacramanto, California, USA. Her nickname is “The Scholar” because she is also a grade school teacher in several different subjects and only started boxing at the age of 27.
WATCH THE FIGHT BY CLICKING HERE.

::MMA::

Making her UFC debut is Cat Zingano (7-0), a TMT alum who celebrated her wedding anniversary last year in Phuket: holding seminars and fighting Muay Thai. As the former no. 1 ranked fighter in the world at 125-pounds (56 kg), she takes on Miesha Tate (13-3) at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale on April 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. This 135-pound grappler has a chance to fight for the UFC Women’s title against Ronda Rousey with a win.

Gokhan Turkyilmaz (7-7) has been training at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand since our MMA tryouts late last year. He recently won a bout via TKO in the second round in March, and is looking to continue his streak on May 10 when he fights in Dubai at 7pm.

Young fighter Will Chope (15-5) is a TMT alum who will fight on April 27 in the biggest MMA promotion in the Philippines, the Universal Reality Combat Champship (URCC). The fight takes place in Manila; check out a teaser for the bout here.

American Eric Bradach, Thai sensation Saeksan, and South African newcomer Ncedo Gombo all had a war in the Muay Thai ring at Nakok Market on Sunday, April 7. Bradach took on a larger, more powerful opponent. After getting dropped in the first round, he came back in the later rounds to tie up the score card only to lose by split decision.

Saeksan had another war of knees and elbows with Rawee. Both men fought hard but ultimately Rawee took the match on points.

Gombo, who won his division in the AITMA World Muay Thai Championships just a few weeks ago, earned “Fight of the Night” honors after his win against a much larger and skilled opponents. The five-round war can be seen below.

In other news, TMT alum and multiple-time guest Becky Wright placed first and third in her very first bodybuilding competition at the Miami Pro World Championships in England this past weekend. Wright came first in the Muscle Model category and third in the Fitness Model category against 20 other women.

Wright made TMT her home for the past few months, training hard and becoming a constant fixture around the camp. Next up, the 28-year-old will compete at the Fit Factor Competition at the Body World Expo in May.

In MMA, both Cody “The Wolverine” Stevens and Ben Nguyen won their fights at Roshambo 1 in Brisbane, Australia on April 6, with Nguyen taking home “Fight of the Night” honors. With Tiger’s MMA Head Coach Brian Ebersole by their side, both men brought back W’s for Team TMT after some exciting bouts.

Stevens (10-5-1) defeated Greg Atzori (7-5) via submission in the second round after spending much of the fight on top. Nguyen (8-6) claimed victory against Greg Penaloza (3-3) in the second round as well, through TKO, and came out of the fight virtually unscathed.

Both fighters made the Tiger Muay Thai MMA Fight Team late last year after a grueling two-day tryout, which you can check out here.

Check out Stevens’ fight here: Round 1 and Round 2.
Check out Nguyen’s fight here: Round 1 and Round 2.

In other news, TMT alum Fiona Muxlow took on Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos at Invicta 5 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA on April 5. Though Muxlow lost the bout in the first round, we would like to congratulate her on a fantastic effort and know that she will bounce back better than ever!