After picking up an impressive Muay Thai win for Tiger Muay Thai during his first training trip in Phuket Thailand, Raja Shippen has decided to utilize Bellator Lightweight Tournament fighter JJ Ambrose and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, professor Ray Elbe as he prepares to face Sarmiento, a veteran of over 50 professional fights.

Currently 3-7 as a professional in Muay Thai, Shippen will look to utilize his striking as he prepares to put on a fight of the night performance against his hard hitting Hawaiian opponent. As the first fight in a 3 fight deal with the PXC look for Raja Shippen to return to Tiger Muay Thai once his next PXC bout is announced.

A black belt under John Rallo, Rocky has had an opportunity to train with many of the stars of the game including; Renzo Gracie, Sean Alvarez, Matt Serra, and Ricardo Almeida. Earning his black belt in 2008, Rocky currently owns the Ground Control Gym in Washington DC, USA.

Look for Rocky to work in with the students and run a free Nogi clinic for the guest of Tiger Muay Thai during his training trip.

Humble and unassuming, Andreas Birgels of Germany seems like the type who speaks quietly but carries a big stick. His soft-spoken nature makes it difficult to tell that this MMA fighter is actually the sparring partner of choice for the Enomoto brothers – Yasubey and Felipe. He is currently helping Felipe prepare for his Feb. 11th One FC fight against Ole Lauren.

Birgels is so respectful of the fighting abilities of the Enomotos that it’s hard to shift the conversation to his own achievements. The fighter is also at TMT for a month to further his skills for a Feb. 4th eight man Superior Fighting Championship belt tournament.

“I would fight just to fight,” explains the 27 year-old, who has a 3-3 record after starting to fight professionally three years ago. “I fell in-love with it when I started karate 10 years ago and it’s never gone away.”

With that he shrugs his shoulders as if to imply there isn’t much more to his story, before adding, “I want to thank Tiger Muay Thai for letting me train here. It’s the perfect place.”

Twenty-one year old Cho is happy to wrap up his nine week stay at Tiger with a TKO, moving his Muay Thai record to 2-2. It’s an experience he would have been hard-pressed to imagine when he first came to Tiger straight out of highschool three years ago.

“Last time I kind of just ran away and left a note for my family,” chuckles the self-described “broke entrepreneur” from Atlanta, Georgia. “They thought I was crazy, but now they’re proud of me.”

Cho scored a nasty elbow in the first round that left him with seven stitches. He managed, however, to push through to the second round where a solid left knee followed by several punches sealed the deal against his opponent.

“It’s only a cut,” explains the fighter who plans on returning sometime this year. “It’s worth the stitches every time!”

TMT professional fighter, Rafael Pinto AKA The Brazilian Killer, was up next and he didn’t leave his fans disappointed.

The Brazilian grabbed a second round knock out thanks to some very heavy punches, moving his record to 12-4.

“I just cannot have any other job than fighting,” explains the Jui-Jitsu brown belt who’s been in Thailand for close to two years. “I can’t sit in an office all day. I don’t know what my motivation is. This is just what I like to do.”

Pinto plans on expanding into MMA and hopes to be ready for his first fight within three months.

Article by Natasha Horrelt

“I’m in-love with the business,” explains Graff, who’s worked as a stunt double for Maggie Gyllenhaal and Elizabeth Hurley. “I just want to work out all day. One minute it’s boxing, the next it’s Kung Fu. From there it’s trampoline and then sword work. After that it’s gymnastics and motorcycle training. It never ends.”

Graff has worked in a litany of movies including X-Men: First Class, Transformers 2 and 3, Live Free or Die Hard, Ironman 2 and Bridesmaids. Although the former competitive gymnast professes that she does have the “best job in the world,” she admits it isn’t all about glamor and celebrities.

“The worst is when you have one of those days where all you have to do is trip once, but you have to wait twelve hours to do it. You’re also probably in an uncomfortable wardrobe, whether it be a full burn victim mask or four-inch stilettos and leather. It’s an attitude of, ‘Be ready at all times…but don’t do anything!’”

Thailand is a far cry from her Santa Monica, California roots where she grew up parachuting from roofs with a sheet, but Graff says it’s time to spread her wings. Her true passion lies in the martial arts.

“I get a lot of work in the US,” says the adrenaline junkie, who is also undertaking a jungle survival course while in Thailand for an upcoming audition with the television show, Survivor. “Most of the time you get hit by something and fall down or you’re asked to trip. There aren’t very many fight scenes. My dream is to be a martial arts action hero with flips and all kinds of craziness.”

Although TMT was only supposed to be a short stop on her itinerary, Graff is already planning a trip back to pursue more Muay Thai instruction.

“I’ve never been in a place so focused on fighting. It you want hardcore training, it’s perfect. You can do classes all day long and I can’t wait to get back here.”

Graff is confident that Tiger’s Muay Thai training will be what sets her apart from the competition, so that she can further explore her life’s calling.

“I have a job that justifies and facilitates my passion on a bigger level than I have the ability to create on my own. Imagine if someone came up to you and said they’d pay you to do what you love most. They’ll set it all up and make it look even cooler than it actually is. Then they’ll record it so that you can watch it for the rest of your life. It doesn’t get much better than that!”

Leslie Smith is a Kickdown Classic veteran, and lost a decision to UFC STAR Brandon Vera wife Kerry Vera in 2009 During a Bellator Chicago event.

A veteran of the Queen’s Cup Muay Thai event when she represented Kaewsamrit last year, look for Leslie to continue working in with the fighters program at Tiger Muay Thai training camp while she is on the island of Phuket.

For MMA fighter Leslie Smith, being a fighter is less about taking on her opponents and more about battling people’s preconceived ideas.

“Fighting seems more difficult than most things,” explains the former Bellator Fighting Championships competitor. “A lot of my incentive is the idea that I’m fighting against people’s perception that I shouldn’t be a female fighter. I’ve always been stubborn like that.”

Smith, a Cesar Gracie student out of California, is in Thailand getting ready for her February 18th bought against Shana “Rock Solid” Olsen set to happen in Fargo, North Dakota. She came to Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket for two weeks to get in some solid training and to support fellow fighter Elaina “The Beef” Maxwell.

Although Smith openly admits she isn’t a huge headliner with “big boobs,” she says she’s always ready for her next fight and the opportunity to improve on her 3-2 record. For her, experiencing Thailand is a way to escape western bias.

“No one is condescending here as long as you fight. At home people are still super encouraging and supportive, but you’ll always hear them say, ‘she’s tough…for a girl.’ I don’t find that here.”

Fans and forums are abuzz wondering when Dana White will forgive Paul “Semtex” Daley for the infamous UFC 113 “sucker punch” incident. The fighter is moving ever closer to getting back into the UFC and is training at Tiger Muay Thai and MMA training camp in Phuket, Thailand for ten days in preparation for an undisclosed fight with a US promotion.

“I’ve learned to have more self-control,” explains Daley who has spent the last two years in the world’s top ten rankings. “I’ve come to know how to play the game a little bit and how to act the right way.”

Sayings he’s just a “cool guy” who made a mistake, Daley has had a deep love of the martial arts since he was a little boy watching Bruce Lee movies with his dad.

“There’s a real mystique to it all,” explains Daley, who started karate at the age of 7 and developed into a prominent striker in the Mixed Martial Arts realm. “MMA encourages you to stick with something. You can’t turn into a great fighter overnight. You have to learn patience.”

And it’s patience he’ll have to have if he wants to get into the good books of Dana White again. There’s no better place to foster it than at TMT in Thailand – the largest camp of its kind in Southeast Asia. With its Buddhist culture and hardcore Muay Thai and MMA training, he’ll be working with the most elite Muay Thai trainers in the world – ones who will further instil the ideals of discipline and decorum.

“I chose Tiger Muay Thai because of the presence of high-level MMA and Muay Thai fighters like
JJ Ambrose, Ryan Diaz and Felipe Enomoto,” says the top two ranked European welterweight five years running. “The Thai trainers have a lot of tricks and techniques. I want to get a bit of everything while out here.”

Semtex will be holding a seminar at TMT on Jan. 12 from 4-6 pm revealing his secrets to knockout power, superior striking and takedown defence. It is free to Tiger guests and 2,000 Baht for non Tiger guests.

Article by Natasha Horrelt

“I am debating fighting again,” says Diaz, who now lives in Arizona and has a 13-13 record. “I want to see if my body and my mind can take it. I have a fighter mentality and that is almost impossible to give up.”

A couple of self-described “heartwrenching” fights along with a viral infection that left him bedridden in 2010, turned Diaz away from fighting – something he’s loved before MMA was even a household name.

“I’m an old school guy,” explains the King of the Cage World and Canadian champion. “We used to fight for $200 on three days notice. I would fight guys three weight classes up. We didn’t care about records. We fought because we liked to fight. MMA wasn’t even a word we used back then.”

For Diaz, it’s his love of entertaining that pushes him to try again. He says he’d rather lose an entertaining fight than win a boring one.

“I like to push the pace,” explains Diaz, who will be at TMT on an off until the beginning of February. “Nowadays a lot of guys fight not to lose instead of fighting to win. They play the safe game. I’ll stand in front of anyone and bang.”

Whether or not Diaz makes it back into the game remains to be seen, but his motivation to do so is clearly high.

“Sometimes when you sit at home sore, you wonder why you’re doing this. I tell myself that I started something that I want to finish. When I became the world champ four years ago I felt I was on top. I didn’t feel like anyone could touch me and I want that feeling again.”

“This was the perfect experience because it was real,” explained Heinemann right after the session. “It isn’t just for tourists. I can’t believe what you get for the price. There’s no way you’ll get something like this anywhere else.”

The show, which features the ladies trying a variety of different adventure activities, has already filmed in the Canary Islands, the Dominican Republic and Egypt.

“Traveling has been an incredible experience,” exclaims Gutmann. “It has allowed us to see so many wonderful things and meet such amazing people…just like the people here at Tiger.”

When asked to compare her pageant days to her day of training, the former title holder could only shake her head and laugh.

The Holiday Checker airs February 2012.

Article by Natasha Horrelt

Tongues were wagging today at TMT as female Muay Thai world champion and star of Oxygen’s “Fight Girls,” Ariana Ramirez, stepped into the ring. The beauty couldn’t pass up some private training with WMC and Rajadamnern Stadium Champion, Lamsongkram Chuwattana while in Thailand.

Alongside her husband, four-time world Muay Thai champion Kru Alberto Ramirez, the two snuck in some sparring at Tiger while on their second honeymoon.

Both retired from fighting, the couple own and operate Chaisai Muay Thai in Seattle, which has the most champions in the Washington area. When it comes to knowing what it takes to win, Kru Alberto’s advice is clear.

“You have to sacrifice,” he says matter-of-factly. “Success doesn’t come without a price. Muay Thai has to be your primary focus. Your best fights will come after some of your hardest losses. If you haven’t lost, you haven’t fought the right people.”

The couple, who were married in 2002, plan on returning to Tiger next year, saying TMT has added a personalized approach to Muay Thai training with its all-around targeting of fitness and nutrition.