Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand fighter Marcel Gaines fulfilled a dream of winning a muay thai championship Wednesday night when he won the AMCO Bangla Stadium 140-pound title via decision victory over a tough foreign fighter.
The 28-year-old frustrated his opponent, Leigh Malcolmson of Australia, throughout the entire five rounds by knocking him down over four times and slipping away from most of his strikes. Gaines’ blocking coupled with his penchant for fast punch/kick combinations were enough to sway the judges.
On two occasions, Gaines almost forced Malcolmson over the top rope before the official called for a reset from both fighters.
The South African’s calm demeanor helped him gain an edge throughout the five rounds as he was relaxed in throwing all of his combinations. On one occasion in the second round, his opponent caught Gaines with an elbow to the throat, though the eventual champ battled on.
The win puts Gaines’ record at 7-1, with his only loss coming against Malaysian muay thai champion Matt Ropi in a five round war last month. He is expected to fight a rematch sometime in early 2013.
With the title, Gaines has achieved the next level in the sport with match ups against tougher opponents sure to come.
