We’re still a ways off from the JWP vs. Yodsanklai rematch on October 17^th…  I’m a fan of both fighters, I suspect this is going to be JWP’s last run at Yod.

Yodsanklai is probably hands down my favorite fighter.  I had an opportunity to meet him briefly at Slamm, and he’s just such a laid back guy.  I’m sure those of you who know him well and had a chance to train with him will agree, he’s just got a very gentle, and laid back character about him.  This is probably one of the best interviews I ever seen on him.  I’m not sure where this originally ran,  but it’s great.

I don’t think they’ve done a great job translating what he’s saying.   That’s being said, you’ll always lose a bit during the translation.   I think the words they’ve chosen have somehow decreased the impact of what he’s saying… particularly around his family,  and the importance of respect in the ring (Wai Kru), and compassion (for your opponents)

In the clip Yod says that by the time he was 8 he already had 7 titles,  let that sink in for a min.

I found this mini interview with him today via Loopnoub.

A couple of weeks ago I did a post on the MuayThai legends seminar.  It was actually less about the seminar, more about the fact they were going to have a suprise Thai guy.  It turns out the surprise Thai guy was my old trainer from FightandFitness, Neungsiam Samphusri.

When I was back in SF, I had a chance to catch up him and it sounds like they all had a great time.  It turns out that they’re looking to do a lot more of these seminars.  They’re looking to do these for charity.

worst boy band ever.

There’s nothing new about this, I recall Fairtex in the Bay Area holding smokers (interclubs) to benefit Nakmuay’s back in Thailand.    There are a lot of Thai Nakmuay’s who need help back in Thailand, but a the NakMuay’s in the states are often overlooked.

The Talent:

Neungsiam Samphusri : Former Lumpini and Mitsubishi 8 man tournament champion.

Matee Jedeepitak:  Former Lumpini (multiple), IKF and WMC champion

Saekson Janjira:  Former Lumpini and multibelt champion

Jongsanan Fairtex: Former Lumpini, ISKA, and IKF Champion

Sakasem Kanthawong: Former Lumpini Champ with over 250 fights.

Kaensak Sor Ploenchit: 2x thai sports writer fighter of the year, Lumpini and Rajadomnern Champion

These guys have come together to help out their compadres in the states.  There is small but tight network of Thai nak muay’s living in the States.  It’s a small community, but they look out for each other. These guys got together, to help some of their friends who were in financial in need.   Their goal is to start a fund, for Nak Muay’s and these seminars would be the primary way of funding it.   Neungsiam  told me that their eager to teach and train, and that their actively looking to do more seminars across the states.

It’s quite rare/nearly impossible  that you can get so much muaythai talent packed into one room.  So if your camp is looking to hold a seminar I would recommend getting in contact with them.  I would  contact Saekson Janjira .

3033 W. Parker Road #202

Plano, TX. 75023

(972) 769-8663

saekson@saekson.com

I just came across this clip from MuayThaiTrainingCamps.com, if you haven’t been check it out, Michael is good peeps.

This clip isn’t pretty… One of the highlights of being a part of MMT was having the opportunity to meet Anuwat.  The Iron Hands of Siam has always been hands down one of my favourite fighters.

I’ve got mixed feelings about seeing my heroes go out like this.   They hold a special place in our hearts and minds.  I had a great conversation with my buddy Rob after the Buakaw, Watson fight.  It was tough watching Buakaw get through his fight.   We see our heroes and it’s painful to watch their decline.

Annica is the Sanskrit term for impermanence, this concept of impermanence is the corner stone of Buddhist philosophy and practice.  Everything, be it feelings, life, moods… arise, plateau, and fall.  We hold on to a picture of how these people should be in our minds.  We hold them to a greater standard… to see them fall is painful.

I fear most of my favourite nak muays are reaching the end of the careers.  I know they are out doing what they love, and their collecting another payday while they still can.  I am happy to go out and support them.  I will continue to go to shows…It’s an honour for me to pay to see them fight.

On one hand the risk of permanent damage is very real… after seeing the Bovy/Dicks fight I was utterly shocked.  Even though Bovy recently won in Japan I still think he should hang it up.

Anuwat & Nopstar MSA MEN

Anuwat is beginning to walk that line in my mind.  He’s definitely slowed down… I think he even knows that.  Recently it appears he’s changed up his fighting style and is relying less on his hands these days.  Like Bovy he takes loads of shots to the dome, I would hate to see him permanently injured.

The following is a demo by K-1 fighter Yoshihiro Sato, on April 25 in Chiba, Japan at the Yod Muay Champions Cup 2010 – Second Qualifying Fight.

Can any of you MMT members out there can translate Japanese?

More about Laura

I’m a Canadian who decided to quit my job, sell most of what I own, pack a suitcase, and skip continents to pursue a martial art I’m not particularly efficient in. A minimalist. A modern nomad. A kid who just likes having a good time.

My attraction to muay thai is that it’s an art with no wasted motion. It has been the greatest vehicle for my continual education. It’s incredibly challenging to me – both the physical and the mental game. The latter probably more so than the former.

Currently I’m in Bangkok training muay thai fulltime. The plan is to be here for a few years, but realistically, I have no idea where this path is leading, or what the timeline is. I like change and pushing my comfort zone. A lot. Nevertheless, muay thai will be the constant among the variables.

Be prepared for updates, rambling, video content and anything I’ve learned that I think may of use to you.

This hasn’t been easy, but so far, its been a pretty sick ride.

I had the pleasure of meeting Neungsiam about 6 years ago shortly before he immigrated to the States.   I credit him for boosting and reinvigorating my passion for MuayThai. I’m quite sure that if I hadn’t met him, I probably wouldn’t have started MMT.    As you’ll read in the interview he’s the real deal, a former Lumpini and 8 Man Title holder, it doesn’t get much more legit that that.

He’s my former trainer and a good friend.  He’s currently the core of the Fight and Fitness MuayThai program.  (If you’re looking to get some quality private training…drop by).  For those of you who’ve met him, you’ll agree that he’s one of the most fun loving, piss taking characters you’ll ever meet.

He fights tomorrow at the MuayThai in America show, if any of you have the good fortune of meeting him, buy him a beer and tell the Thai Bruce Lee, I said Whaddup!  Get out there and show him some love!

Chok Dee Mart!

Nopstar

Interview with Neungsiam Samphusri

Lucas: Where were you born?

Neungsiam: My hometown was Hua Hin, in the south, three hours south of Bangkok. My family lives there. It is a beach town.

Lucas: What does your family do there?

Neungsiam: My brother has a car rental business. My parents take care of my niece.

Lucas: When were you born?

Neungsiam: May 12^th 1975

Lucas: When did you start fighting?

Neungsiam: When I was ten years old.

Lucas: How did you start fighting?

Mark Mian of AlterCenter & Neungsiam

Neungsiam: When I was young I went with my dad every sunday to watch muay thai. My dad loved watching muay thai. I saw it thought it would be fun and so I wanted to try.

Lucas: What happened with your first fight?

Neungsiam: I won my first fight. My mom she didn’t like it, she didn’t want me to fight.

Lucas: How much did you get for your first fight?

Neungsiam: I think 50 baht, it was a long time ago. One baht was a lot! A small bowl of pad thai was one baht, a big bowl two. (Laughs)

Lucas: When did you go to fairtex?

Neungsiam: I went to school for 6 years in total and then went to fairtex. I was 12 years old.

Lucas: How long were you at fairtex?

Neungsiam: I stayed at fairtex til I was 16 or 17 years old.

Lucas: What was your record?

Neungsiam: I can’t remember, I fought over 150 times.

Lucas: When was your last fight here in the states?

Neungsiam: It was three years ago in Fresno.

Lucas: What have you been doing to get ready for this fight?

Neungsiam & Bunkerd Faphimai

Neungsiam: I run 6 days a week. I kick pads every day. I box spar monday, wednesday, friday, and kick spar every day. On tuesday, thursday, saturday I train with Mark for an hour of strength training.

Lucas: Is fighting here in the states similar to fighting in Thailand?

Neungsiam: Fighting here and fighting in Thailand is different. Fighting here you have to think about judges first, and entertaining people. In Thailand you have to feel and look comfortable. Here everything is so tight.

Lucas: You’ve won a belt at Lumpinee, what weight class was that at?

Neungsiam: I fought at 112 lbs.

Lucas: How big were your purses fighting at Lumpinee?

Neungsiam: When I started to fight it was 3,000 baht. If you won your next fight you’d get 3,500 or 4,000. Every time you won you’d get more and more. If you lost your pay would be dropped. You’d drop from 3,000 baht to 2,500. I made 10,000 baht towards the top. Its about $300.

Lucas: What did you do with your winnings?

Neungsiam: I have a pineapple farm at home so I sent money there.  Every day growing up I would eat pineapples. Walking back from school when I was hungry I would eat pineapples, or mangoes. Now I hate pineapples!

Lucas: What do you like about living in the United States?

Neungsiam: I think here in America, a lot of people want to know you but people lie to you. People aren’t sincere.

Lucas: What do you miss about Thailand?

Neungsiam: Oh everything!

Lucas: What’s the difference between Thai and American fighters?

Neungsiam: In Thailand I don’t have to think so much, its easy. Here its not so easy. A lot of people say fighting farang is easy but its not. Before I used to think like that too. Farang only have punches is what I thought but farang are strong. In Thailand I never would kick people’s elbows but here I always kick peoples elbows for some reason. If you fight a thai after five rounds you might kick their elbows a couple times here every round, every time.

Lucas: When did you retire from fighting in Thailand?

Neungsiam: My last fight at lumpinee was five years ago. Then I fought at the fairtex stadium in Pattaya after that.

Lucas: When was your 8 man mitsubshi tournament?

Neungsiam: I won the lumpinee belt then two years later I fought in the tournament. The tournament was 5 fights total over 5 months.

Lucas: Have you ever fought more than once in a month?

Neungsiam: I fought twice in one night in the country.

Lucas: What do you like about training?

Neungsiam: When you train and someone holds pads well its really fun. A lot of people don’t know how to hold pads well. It feels really uncomfortable. I train with Bunkerd, and its really good.

Lucas: What do you like about training other people?

Neungsiam: A lot of people don’t listen. You have to listen to me. A lot of fighters think that they’re super stars.

Lucas: What do you feel are your strengths as a fighter?

Neungsiam: In Thailand people were afraid of my punches and kicks. Here I try to use my elbows.

Lucas: Who is your favorite fighter?

Neungsiam: Karuhat. He’s from the south. Its perfect muay thai. It looks amazing.

Thai Bruce Lee

Lucas: What do you like fighting?

Neungsiam: I like it as a sport. In Thailand when you hit someone and they fall down you don’t kick them when they fall down. They get up and then you fight again. Its really sporting, its fair. Muay Thai looks really clean. I like the techniques. Its not angry looking.

Lucas: How did you learn english?

Neungsiam: I went to school and learned english in thailand. I knew how to say “yes” that’s it. Now I go to school every day.

Lucas: Your english is much better than pi’coke! How can you be a successful fighter?

Neungsiam: In Thailand, you have to know the promoters. Its who you know. If I’m a promoter and you’re from my gym then you’ll fight for the title. Sometimes I don’t know why people are champions.

Lucas: You fought Saenchai sor Kingstar correct?

Neungsiam: Yeah I fought him for the title at Lumpinee. I lost. It was at 115lbs. It was very close. The score was even. In the last round I missed  a kick once and lost. He’s southpaw and I right kicked him. My leg ended up in the ropes and he kicked my back so he won! I’ve fought Attachai. Tongchai as well.

Lucas: Have you fought someone in particular a lot?

Neungsiam: I fought Neungpichit four times. I lost three times (laughs). When I fought him I thought he was easy. The first three rounds he didn’t punch or kick. It was like kicking a ball, it seemed so easy. In the fourth round he’d go crazy! Punch and kick a lot! In the fourth round every time. I won once because I knocked him out.

Lucas: What was your most memorable fight?

Neugsiam: When I fought for the title at Lumpinee against Sittichai.

Lucas: Have you ever been knocked out before?

Neungsiam. I have a funny story. I was fighting at Rajadamern against a tall guy. The first round I punched him and he elbowed me. I got cut. I thought oh shit. I didn’t want to fight. I got cut in the first round I didn’t want to fight anymore. The doctor checked my cut. I was hoping the doctor would stop the fight. The doctor said okay. I was like oh shit! We had to fight. Fuck! My opponent he kicked me in the neck and I fell down. The referee started to count and I didn’t get up. I didn’t want to fight. The stretchers came over and they kept trying to look at my eyes. I was fine but I had a hard time not laughing as they were looking at my eyes.

More about Matt Lucas

Born to a working class family in rural New York I grew up working like a dog and drinking Natural light in the woods. After a brief stint attempting to escape the poverty of employment via university I gave up on escaping the grind and moved to sunny California where the burritos are as generous as the weather. I work in the service industry slinging booze and food.

I got into Muay Thai as a recreational activity. I saw an interclub fight and decided to try it out, everyone has to test their mettle somehow. A few fights and a year later I was in Thailand training, and fighting. I haven’t quit stepping into the ring since. I currently live in East Oakland and balance my time blocking punches with my head with attempting to prevent brain deterioration through writing, studying Thai; language, culture and history, and going to wild dance parties with my friends.

]]> http://www.mymuaythai.com/archives/interview-with-neungsiam-samphusri/feed/ 23 http://www.mymuaythai.com/archives/kaiyasit-chuwattana/ http://www.mymuaythai.com/archives/kaiyasit-chuwattana/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:30:17 +0000 ldf http://www.mymuaythai.com/?p=2843

I was so happy to finally see this online.  Kaiyasit is one of my favourite fighters, not just of the Chuwattana camp, in general, and few people I’ve met outside of Thailand know who he is.  Actually, I don’t know if I’ve met anyone outside of Thailand who does, but you should. He’s technical, fiercely intelligent and has held a number of belts.  I’m about five hours away from Chuwattana right now and I don’t have this kid’s number, but if I remember correctly, he’s been a WBC champion, Rajdamnern Stadium champion…..ah man, I wish I could do him justice here, but I can’t….he’s in his early thirties, fights consistently (meaning every month or so), has been fighting out of Chuwattana since he was a kid and of all the guys that have come and gone in that gym over the past year, I always watch this one – I just try to learn as much as I can.

I’ve seen his name listed as Kaiyasit, Kaiyasith, Gaiyasit and Gaiyasith…..he’s in red.

More about Laura

I’m a Canadian who decided to quit my job, sell most of what I own, pack a suitcase, and skip continents to pursue a martial art I’m not particularly efficient in. A minimalist. A modern nomad. A kid who just likes having a good time.

My attraction to muay thai is that it’s an art with no wasted motion. It has been the greatest vehicle for my continual education. It’s incredibly challenging to me – both the physical and the mental game. The latter probably more so than the former.

Currently I’m in Bangkok training muay thai fulltime. The plan is to be here for a few years, but realistically, I have no idea where this path is leading, or what the timeline is. I like change and pushing my comfort zone. A lot. Nevertheless, muay thai will be the constant among the variables.

Be prepared for updates, rambling, video content and anything I’ve learned that I think may of use to you.

This hasn’t been easy, but so far, its been a pretty sick ride.

I had a brief chance to catch up with Jordan Watson before his fight the other night. As you can see his teeth are still very much in place.

Saturday was the second time I had seen him fight.  I’m impressed, it’s a shame we’re not going to see him in the Contender, I think he would have surprised a lot of people.

One of the things I often forget is how young he is… he’s got a lot more time to develop (physically and technically) which is scary.  He’s got an amazing opportunity ahead, albeit challenging. Which Buakaw is going to show up to the fight is anyone’s guess, but Buakaw is still Buakaw.

Hopefully I can get a few minutes with the White Lotus, but I understand his manager is particularly protective of him.  We’ll see what we can do.They’re going to be putting up tickets in the next week or so.  I’ll be sure to let you know when I can find out anything.

Rumour has it Badr is currently in talks with the Moroccan Olympic body about representing Morocco as a heavyweight boxer in the London 2012 Olympics.

All I’ve got to say is he’d better get boxing… He’s a fantastic fighter but a boxer he is not.  For those of you who’ve boxed and have experience with MuayThai you know that they are very different worlds.

You have a handful of Thai fighters who’ve moved successfully between boxing and Muay Thai and vice versa, but these guys are exceptions.

I think if Badr took some time to clean up his hands, it would pay huge dividends in his K-1 career.  He loves his haymakers and catches enough opponents … but I think against a decent boxer get torn up.

Here are the boxing finals from last summer’s games.  These guys actually have pretty good hand speak for big boys… how do you think Badr would fair?

Chantal has twenty five fights, ten of which were in 2008 and twelve in 2009.  She just recently won a WMA title on December 23 at MBK, Bangkok ….

LDF – Do you want to tell us a little about it?

CU- Sure, it’s a world title at 63.5 kilos for the World Muay Thai Association and I just accepted this fight on three days notice.  My manager called me out of nowhere and asked me if I wanted to fight and I said, “Yeah, why not, I’ll do it, sure” and I was kind of happy because I had a fight two weeks before and I lost.  I got cut by an elbow and I wanted another fight before the end of the year and this just came unexpectedly, so I was really happy that I won.

LDF – And the fight before was at the King’s Cup…?

CU – Yeah

LDF – …and in 2008 at the King’s Cup, you won another title….

CU – Yes, it was a WPMF world title last year at the King’s birthday, December 4, 2008 against Carly Giumulli from Australia and it was a very good fight.  I won on points and it was at 69 kilos.

LDF – How long have you been doing muay thai for?

CU – I actually started in New York and I did it for about four years, but for the first couple of years, I was just training for fun…for fitness and in the last two years I got interested in fighting and I tried a couple of amateur fights in New York and then one day I didn’t like my life in New York and I wasn’t happy with what I was doing…I was just working to pay the bills and my acting career wasn’t going the way I wanted, so I just decided to leave everything and go to Thailand to be a professional muay thai fighter.

LDF – What gym are you currently fighting out of?

CU – I’m fighting out of Keatkhamtorn.

LDF – When you fight abroad, who are you fighting under?

CU – Actually, I have an Italian manager and trainer, his name is Diego Calzolari of De .

Gym in Milano.  He founded Team De Pro, which I am a part of

LDF – Is there anyone you fought that stands out…a favourite fight?

CU –  I think my best two fights so far was the WPMF title against the Australian girl…(traffic and men shouting)….she was pretty strong….and the other fight, with Julie Kitchen, she’s a good fighter and we’re about the same size, she’s just a bit taller than me.  That was also a very hard fight and I lost…(more shouting, Chantal discussing things I wish I could hear and me interjecting with things I can neither remember nor understand)…

LDF – I remember that fight, and you fought a few weeks previous to that right?

CU – (laughing)…yeah, I know, I do this….yeah, I fought a week before and this other girl from Tiger Muay Thai was supposed to fight Julie, and then for some reason, actually two girls said no, (lots of noise………………)…..

LDF – The other thing I think about you, just from out interaction, which I find interesting, is the fact that you’ve stepped into the ring with guys a few times, haven’t you?

CU – Yeah…

LDF – Now, did you know that ahead of time, or was it one of these, you show up and….?

CU – No…it was kind of a last minute thing.  The first time was in Phuket and I was going home and I was supposed to fight a girl and it was like two days before, three days before and they couldn’t find any Thai girls to fight or Falang, and the gym owner was like, “You can fight a boy”, and I’m like.. “What?”  He’s like, “Mai bpen rai, mai bpen rai” (No worries)…and I was like, “Okay…” and I really wanted a fight, so I said, “Okay, I’ll do it”, and I don’t know, I only had a few fights in Thailand at that time and it was really hard.  He kicked really hard but I ended up winning on points and the other one was in Bangkok.  I was supposed to fight with a girl and the day before they told me, “O no, there’s no girl, we’ll find a man” and I said, “A man?”…A man.  So I said, “Okay I’m not sure”, but then, I don’t know, I accepted it…

LDF – Do you find it difficult to find fights in Thailand in your weight class?

CU – Sometimes, yeah, especially if you want to fight Thai.

LDF – Do you have any fights coming up; is there anything we can look forward to from you?

CU – Yeah, I’ll be fighting in France at the end of January (January 30 on the same bill with Anuwat and Bovvy) and in Italy in February and then I want one more fight before I leave Bangkok (for France).  I should be fighting at MBK again and maybe next year (2010) I’d like to fight Julie Kitchen again…I don’t know…if I’m ready… but I’d like to do it…yeah my plan is to keep going…

Here is a nice piece on Chantal by Eriveproductions

More about Laura

I’m a Canadian who decided to quit my job, sell most of what I own, pack a suitcase, and skip continents to pursue a martial art I’m not particularly efficient in. A minimalist. A modern nomad. A kid who just likes having a good time.

My attraction to muay thai is that it’s an art with no wasted motion. It has been the greatest vehicle for my continual education. It’s incredibly challenging to me – both the physical and the mental game. The latter probably more so than the former.

Currently I’m in Bangkok training muay thai fulltime. The plan is to be here for a few years, but realistically, I have no idea where this path is leading, or what the timeline is. I like change and pushing my comfort zone. A lot. Nevertheless, muay thai will be the constant among the variables.

Be prepared for updates, rambling, video content and anything I’ve learned that I think may of use to you.

This hasn’t been easy, but so far, its been a pretty sick ride.

Many thanks to Gusnark for sharing and posting this fight. This fight features one of my new favorite Nak Muay’s, Sudsakorn Sor. Klinmee.  This was part of the March 13th It’s Showtime event in Milan Italy.  This was Sudsakorn’s 4th K1 rules event, which I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of…

Nice entrance it’s nice to see he’s having some fun.  I think he’s got a long way to go though if he wants to take it to Genki Sudo’s level.

I think if Sudsakorn is going to have any success in K-1 he’s going to need to work on his boxing skills.  I honestly don’t know who has worse hands, Sudsakorn or Kaoklai?  I know he can clown most people with his reach, but his chin is always going to be vulnerable if he continues to fight with his hands so low.  Honestly it wasn’t that long ago since he’s been caught.

Anyway I hope some peeps in the UK can get him on a card, it would be nice to meet him, see him fight live.

Pad Thai is street food. Its cheap and quick to make. Street side food stalls sell it everywhere in Bangkok. In the U.S the dish is considered a bit more classy. Its like having a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a fine dining restaurant. All the same Eric Luna and I still ordered the Pad Thai when we sat down for an interview. Luna just represented the American Team in the IMFA amateur competitions held in Bangkok this past December. Luna came back with the gold and some good stories.

Lucas: How did you get into Muay Thai

Luna: I was always a fan of MMA. In 2006 my pop’s and I went to UFC 57, I think. Chuck Liddell was headlining and on the undercard was this guy Paul Buentello. He was on the UFC and he came back recently. He trains at AKA. I was always fans of the guys from there because they were from San Jose as well. Paul destroyed this guy. I told myself  when I got back home I would try out the gym. I went to the AKA and checked out the classes. I signed up right away. I started taking the group classes all the time. I knew I wanted to fight but I didn’t know if I wanted to do boxing or Muay Thai or MMA. I knew that I wanted to do something competitive. My instructor gave a recommendation to Derek Yuen. “Hey I got a guy who is really hungry and wants to be involved.”  That was it.

Lucas: There’s a big contingent of MMA guys at AKA correct?

Luna: Yeah, there is. There’s a lot of professional fighters down here. There was a pro boxer for a little while. His name was RicardoCortez. He was a top ranker in middleweight or supermiddleweight for a while. He had a couple kids so he’s not as involved. All the non-professional fighters are part of the amateur Muay Thai team. There was a lot of diversity when I first came to the gym. There were boxers, kickboxers, mma guys, but now its mostly mma guys.

Lucas: What appealed to you about doing Muay Thai versus MMA?

Luna: I like that Muay Thai is all stand up. You can punch, kick, knee, elbow, you don’t have to worry about going to the ground or submissions like in jiu jitsu. You can go toe to toe, which is more exciting.

Lucas: Do you cross train at all?

Luna: Not really. For a little while the amateur team was doing jiu jitsu once a week, just as a break from regular training for fun.

Lucas: What is your training like?

Luna: Everyone meets at the gym at 6:30 pm. You have to be ready and warmed up then. We do warm ups, shadow boxing, or working the bags. Derek will hold thai pads for the fighters, for about five rounds. People who have fights coming up will get priority. Everyone rotates through. We do drills as well.

I train about six days a week. We spar on Sundays. Mondays are the hardest days. Its the most difficult pad work day and has the most strenuous drills. On Tuesdays the training is more technical as we also do cross fit and or lift weights. Thursday is a cardio day. We all go running together. Friday is our day off. Derek wants us to have one full day off. He doesn’t want us to do even an easy jog.

We do hard sparring twice a  week. We do Muay Thai on sundays and boxing on wednesdays. All the other days we do really light drills. Its a lot like tag. When we do that we work on feinting and combinations. We knee spar about three days a week.

Lucas: How many people are on your amateur team?

Luna: Its pretty big. We have three or four new people. There is about a dozen of us. We have two girls that are about 110, another guy at about 125. There’s a couple guys about my size 135, and then there’s two guys at 155

Lucas: What do you do for a living?

Luna: I’m a medical courier. I drive around delivering blood samples, and medications to medical labs, doctor offices, and hospitals. Its a full time job. I actually got the job a month before I went to Thailand. I told them that I was going to be leaving for about three weeks. I thought they were going to say that I wouldn’t have a job when I got back but my boss was really cool about it. I hadn’t been at the job for that long. My boss just told me good luck and that I would be put to work when I got back.

Before that I worked at a body shop. I also did a stint at a moving company. I worked as a clerk at an auto parts center, when I first started at the gym.

Lucas: What made you want to start fighting?

Luna: I felt like it was good angry management for me. I have a really bad temper. Sometimes I would want to hit something but wouldn’t want to do it because I shouldn’t. I would instead break stuff that I could.

I love the sport and the competition. I don’t have a problem hitting someone. I don’t enjoy it but I don’t have that barrier that other people have. I don’t like fighting in the streets, I’ve been hurt really bad and hurt other people too. Its not really healthy. In the ring the fighters know what’s going to happen. Before and after the fight though its all respect. I try to be friendly with the guys at weigh in. After the fight I’ll tell him good fight and try to buy them a beer.

Lucas: That’s good sportsmanship.

Luna: Even though we’re amateurs I try to be professional.

Lucas: What is your record?

Luna: 7-0 before Thailand. Now its 11 and 0. I fight at 135lbs.

Lucas: How do you think fighting has impacted your life?

Luna: Its been really positive for me. Its given me a lot of discipline. When I was younger I used to mouth off a lot, now I have a lot of self discipline and control. I’ve learned about respect. I try to stay humble and to not have an ego.

Lucas: How did you get onto the USA amateur Muay Thai team?

Luna: I was invited on to it after my fight on the Fairtex War of the Heroes 4 which was in August of 2009. The fight was a qualifier to get on the team. It was funny Derek asked me if I had my passport. I told him no and he told me to get one.

“For what,” I asked.

“For Thailand,” he replied.

“Oh for next year,” I said. The amateur team had a plan to go over to fight and train for a little while.

“No for this year,” Derek said. “You got a spot on the US team. Anthony from Fairtex told me that you got a spot on the team.”

The way he said it was really understated. He has a reputation for doing things like that. He’ll be really nonchalant about really awesome news.

Lucas: Who did you fight for the spot on the team?

Luna: Rick Erlec, from Dan Black’s team. Our bout was a qualifier for the spot. Anthony Lin sent us an email telling us when they wanted us out there. Right when I got the information I got my passport expedited. It came just a little before I was due to leave. I hadn’t gotten my plane ticket though because I didn’t have any money. I had a fundraiser dinner which gave me just enough money for the plane ticket and a little spending money. It worked out. I was in Thailand for three and a half weeks.

When I first got out there I hung out with my sponsor. My girlfriend found this guy on facebook who has an energy drink company. He was interested in Muay Thai. My girlfriend marketed me out. He contacted me back and told me he wanted to help me out. My sponsor helped me with the training at Fairtex. I spent a couple days with him in Bangkok. He does an energy drink called 666. Its not out yet. It will be released in North America soon. He’s going to produce it in Thailand then sell it over here.  He wants to sell it in packets in the end. He’ll can it first though and sell that.

Lucas: How was staying at Fairtex?

Luna: It was really nice. It wasn’t a huge place but it had every thing you needed. It had 5 rings, bikes and treadmills and everything. I was at Fairtex in Bangplee for eleven or twelve days before the tournament.

I trained twice a day starting at 6:30 then I did whatever. I trained again around 4pm. There was no training on sundays.

Jongsanaan came out to the camp a few days before the fight. He was the coach for the team.

Lucas: What were the rules for the tournament?

Luna: It was full Muay Thai rules, so you could elbow, kick, knees to the face. We wore headgear, shin guards, a chest protector and elbow pads. The shin guards were thin, it was like wearing two pairs of socks. The elbow pads slipped around a lot too. They didn’t really do anything. In my first fight I walked right into a knee into the chest, it hurt. The chest protector didn’t do much. The gloves were 10 ounces I believe. The fights were four two minute rounds in the B class, which I participated in.

Lucas: How many fights did you have?

Luna: I had four fights over five days.

Lucas: Did you get banged up much from the fights?

Luna: One of my worst injuries, well I’m not sure I would call it an injury because I was able to continue, but the worst thing that happened to me was in my first fight. I fought a Korean who was a southpaw. It happened twice. We both decided to throw rear kicks at the same time and because he was southpaw we clashed knees both times. The first time didn’t hurt that much but the second time it nailed me right on the spot. I had a really deep bruise. It bugged me for a month and a half. I wasn’t able to knee at all with that leg. I felt the injury in almost every fight.

In my final fight for the gold medal. In the first round in the first minute. I hit the guy with some good punches. He was on the ropes and I turned to pivot to throw a hook and my knee popped. I pivoted so hard and fast. I thought I could knock him out. It was the last punch in the combination. I had to jab out. I was so disappointed because I thought I could have finished the fight early.

Lucas: Where were the fighters you fought from?

Luna: The preliminary fight was with a Korean. The second fighter was from Argentina. The winner of that went into the medal round. The third guy was from Spain and in the finals I fought a guy from Kazakhstan.

Anthony told us that there were powerhouses in the tournament and that Kazakhstan was one of them. The US team isn’t a powerhouse. We’re not at the bottom but are an upcoming team.

Lucas: I think the Kazakhstan gets a lot of funding.

Luna: Yeah, the government gives them money. I think its the same with the Ukrainians and Iraq. Its crazy.

Lucas: What were the fight results?

Luna: I won all the fights unanimously.

Lucas: Did you get a gold medal of some sort?

Luna: Yeah. I was excited because on the day of the finals we were doing the wai khru but they stopped us. Another weight class was going through the medals ceremony on a pedestal nearby. I was so excited to get on the pedestal and go through the ceremony. They stopped doing it. After the fight it was really anti climatic. I went up to the table and told them my name and the organizers gave me my gold medal. I was like “gee thanks.”

I left two days after the tournament.

Lucas: What was the rest of the U.S.A team like?

Luna: They were really nice. A lot guys were from here in the Bay Area. There was also Eric Utsch, who I’ve seen fight a couple of times. There were a couple people from Texas, at Saekson’s gym.

Lucas: Have you won any other medals, or titles?

Luna: I won a state title in December of 2008. It was against Sterling Seymour who is from Dan Black’s Team. It was for WCSC. I won the fight. I beat the guy up for five rounds. It was one of my best fights. I used all my tools. Performance wise I was really pleased.

After I won they put this belt on me for the photos but it was a loaner belt. The promoter didn’t have time to get the belts before the match. The belt he had on me was from a previous card that was all girls. I had a belt that said WCSC Female Fury Bantamweight champion. I have technically won a championship but don’t have the belt. I’ve seen the guy countless times and he always tells me that he has my belt in his office. He always says that he’s going to bring my belt down to me he still hasn’t given it to me and now I’ve given up on getting it.

Lucas: Sadly, I think promoters do that sort of thing all the time.

Luna: My stablemate Gabriel won a championship under the same promoter at kezar stadium. Gabe got his belt then. The promoter asked for the belt back so he could engrave it. Gabe gave the belt back and the promoter never got it engraved, he stole the belt from Gabe. Gabe was so pissed. Gabe is always like “Fuck that guy, he stole my belt.”

This guy, Danny Kelly, at AKA, had something similar happen to him. He won his first championship but the promoter didn’t give him his belt. So his dad called the promoter every day for six weeks. “Where’s Danny’s belt at? Where’s Danny’s belt at?” The promoter told Danny’s dad “You have a ringside magazine, go to the back page and pick something out.” Danny Kelly had to buy his own championship belt.

Lucas: What do you think is one of your strongest attributes as a fighter?

Luna: I’ve always had really good hands. I haven’t fought anyone that has better hands than me. If I had to pick one tool it would be my boxing although I think my best attribute is my ability to listen to my coach, Derek. I can do whatever it is that he tells me. My ability to follow directions is really good. Derek is always telling me before the fight and right up to it “Use all your tools, open up your toolbox. I can’t see anyone beating you if you use everything. If you punch, kick, and knee.” I think my best attribute is being able to listen to him. I can hear him and obey commands. I pay attention to the advice in my corner between rounds.

Lucas: That’s really important. I can’t always seem to achieve that. I can’t always hear my coaches during the fight.

Luna: Yeah it can be difficult. You have all the fans yelling, then the other corner screaming as well. I’ve always had an easy time hearing my own corner. Derek isn’t always loud but the other guys in the corner repeat what he says. I can always pick out my own corner.

Derek always tells me to really sit down and do some damage with the first combination in the first round of the fight that way my opponent means that I’m not going to fuck around. Then I try to gauge my opponent, I still try to win the round but I also try to figure him out.

More about Matt Lucas

Born to a working class family in rural New York I grew up working like a dog and drinking Natural light in the woods. After a brief stint attempting to escape the poverty of employment via university I gave up on escaping the grind and moved to sunny California where the burritos are as generous as the weather. I work in the service industry slinging booze and food.

I got into Muay Thai as a recreational activity. I saw an interclub fight and decided to try it out, everyone has to test their mettle somehow. A few fights and a year later I was in Thailand training, and fighting. I haven’t quit stepping into the ring since. I currently live in East Oakland and balance my time blocking punches with my head with attempting to prevent brain deterioration through writing, studying Thai; language, culture and history, and going to wild dance parties with my friends.

]]> http://www.mymuaythai.com/archives/interview-with-eric-luna/feed/ 4 http://www.mymuaythai.com/archives/chaz-mulkey-interview/ http://www.mymuaythai.com/archives/chaz-mulkey-interview/#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 06:30:04 +0000 mattlucas http://www.mymuaythai.com/?p=2790 ?????? ? ????????

I first saw Chaz Mulkey fight in a brutal match with Brazillian Marfio Canoletti on a Fairtex card here in the bay. The brutal fight was hands down the fight of the night. A few months later I heard that Mulkey had been continuing his pro fighting career, having a bout with the respectable USA nak muay Chike Lindsay. I was able to talk to Mulkey on the phone and ask him about his current profession as a basher of brains.

Lucas: What weight do you fight at?

Mulkey: 154lbs.

Lucas: How old are you?

Mulkey: 29.

Lucas: How did you get into Muay Thai?

Mulkey: I just fell into it. A little over 4 years ago. I was working in a night club in Dallas. I always wanted to do something like boxing. My buddy Joe  came into work one night wearing a Muay Thai t-shirt. He was into Muay Thai and asked me to go to the gym in Dallas, it was Saekson Janjira’s place. All the stars aligned, it seemed perfect.

I wasn’t there that long, just six months although I was there twice a day. My mom was out here in Vegas so it made sense for me to be out in Vegas. I’d been in Dallas my whole life and needed a change of scenery. Saekson found out I was going to Nevada and he referred to me Master Toddy’s.

Lucas: What do you do for a living?

Mulkey: I have a small pool cleaning business but the majority of my money comes from being an instructional trainer at Warrior’s Way Training Center. I have about 7 classes a week and I do a lot of privates along with doing a kid’s class twice a week.

Lucas:What appeals to you about Muay Thai?

Mulkey:I like how raw and aggressive it is. Its fun and competitive.

Lucas: How did you start fighting?

Mulkey: I actually started fighting in Vegas. I was at Toddy’s for 3 or 4 days. I wasn’t in the fighting class, but I asked about it. I told him he I wanted to fight. A week later I was at One Kick Nick’s. One Kick Nick has a pretty big show for amateur fights and a week later I was fighting my first amateur bout.

Lucas: What made you get into the ring?

Mulkey: I didn’t fight when I was younger, although I got into scraps here and there. Usually people who have an aggressive nature do well in this sport. I feel like I have something of an aggressive personality and its something that I like to do.

Lucas: What do you think of the Las Vegas Muay Thai scene?

Mulkey: Its pretty nonexistent. Every once in a while there’s an mma show with

There’s Dennis Warner’s cards. He’s awesome. He only puts on a show every  three or four months here. Its pretty thin around here.

Lucas: How many amateur fights have you had?

Mulkey: I had sixteen or seventeen fights with a  perfect record. They start to blur together after a while though. I was fighting once every six weeks for 7 or 8 fights. Then it started to slow down. The more fights you’ve had, and the more fights you win the harder it is to match up. After 7 or 8 fights a lot of people go pro.

Lucas: What was your amateur career like?

Mulkey: It was really fun at first. It started to get frustrating because it got harder to get fights. You get to the weigh ins and something happens. The other fighter bails and  you ask yourself; “Where am I going next?” or “What am I doing?” The first half was really fun, then it got more questionable as I had to decide if I was ready for pro fights or not.

Lucas: What is the difference for you between amateur and professional fighting?

Mulkey: In amateur bouts you can break people. They haven’t had that much experience. Their spirits aren’t always strong.

Plus in amateur fighting people get weeded out. With each step up more people drop out. First there’s the smokers then amateur shows, people quit in between those stages. There is a similar jump up to the professional stage.

Professional fighters, they’re tough and smart, the two worse combinations. Its what makes pro fighters good. The guys that don’t look technical are still tough and with their experience they’re smarter. It makes the fighters harder.

Lucas: How many pro fights have you had?

Mulkey: I’ve had four pro fights. In my pro career I’m split even  2-2.  I’ve fought the notable Chike Lindsay, Marfio Canoletti on the Fairtex War of the Heroes card, Douglas Edwards and Bryce Krauss who was my last match. I actually ko’ed Krauss a minute and forty seconds in. He threw something he shouldn’t have, and ended up turning his body and I hit him with a strong knee. We locked up for a second and then I caught him with a square hook.

Lucas:What has been the most memorable fight you’ve had thus far?

Mulkey: My last fight with Bryce Krauss. It was so short. I’ve been looking for a knock out in my career but hadn’t had one yet. Everyone kept telling me that it just happens. I wasn’t trying to knock him out. He just went out. It wasn’t something that I was trying for though.

My  fight with Marfio was one of my toughest fight. I took the fight short notice and he weighed more than me. My conditioning wasn’t that good and it was a hard match. We both stepping in at the same time and he got me with an elbow that counted. The upward elbow cut me right in the middle of my forehead.

Lucas: How did you feel about your close match with Lindsay?

Mulkey: I wanted to exchange with him more but he grabbed more, body locking me. I thought that I was winning most of the fight but he caught me in the fourth with a clean elbow which gave me an 8-count. That set me back two rounds. Its not a bad loss to have. He’s fought notable people.

Lucas:What is your training here like?

Mulkey: I train twice a day for the most part. Five days a week I train twice a day and once on saturday. Each session is 2 or 3 hours. I start at 8 o’clock then train again at 5 o’clock. I run 3 days a week for about 3 miles. I do a fair amount of bag work. I used to run more but I was burning out my legs. I wasn’t kicking as sharp so I scaled back on it. Along with the bag work I do a lot of timing sparring, or light sparring with Kevin Ross. I had to back off on my pad work as I’m no longer with Toddy. It was time for me to go a separate course. Right now I’m at Warrior’s Way. I also go over to One Kick Nick’s regularly as Master Lookchang is there. He used to corner me for a number of fights when I was at Toddy’s but he went his own way about a year ago as well. Its harder getting pad work now as I have to pay for privates so I don’t do it as much except when I’m gearing up for a fight, maybe I’ll start twice a week a month before a fight.

Lucas: How would you describe yourself as a fighter?

Mulkey: I think I’m a competitive tough opponent. I think the harder people push the harder I push. I try to push the pace more or apply the pressure more.

Lucas: What is your strongest attribute?

Mulkey: I have a pretty long reach for my size. My cardio is real good. I’m technical. The three attributes are probably tied.

Lucas: What are your goals with fighting?

Mulkey: The first goal I set was fighting on a Dennis Warner card and I accomplished that. Warner’s show was the first live real Muay Thai fight that I saw. The card had Michael Mannequil fighting Ra Karma. I saw that fight and said to myself “That’s where I want to be.”

Secondly I’d like to fight in Thailand. I have that small pool business that I can’t leave for more than 7 days. Being an instructor I can’t just leave my classes, I need to find people to fill my classes. It doesn’t make sense to go over there right now. It takes a few days to adjust and then I’d have to come right back.

Presently I’m shooting for 5 pro fights this year. The pro cards seem to happen every two or three months. You take more damage with a  pro fight so it makes sense to have them a little more spaced out. Being stablemates with Shawn Yarbough and Kevin Ross should help me get on some cards that and being friends with One Kick Nick. He actually got me on my last card.

Lucas: Where do you think Muay Thai here in the states will go?

Mulkey: I think it will always be overshadowed by MMA. MMA is the new trend. Everyone wants to do it. I think people just follow it cuz its popular. In Muay Thai there’s more of a dedication you don’t see it all over the place. You have to go looking for it.

More about Matt Lucas

Born to a working class family in rural New York I grew up working like a dog and drinking Natural light in the woods. After a brief stint attempting to escape the poverty of employment via university I gave up on escaping the grind and moved to sunny California where the burritos are as generous as the weather. I work in the service industry slinging booze and food.

I got into Muay Thai as a recreational activity. I saw an interclub fight and decided to try it out, everyone has to test their mettle somehow. A few fights and a year later I was in Thailand training, and fighting.  I haven’t quit stepping into the ring since. I currently live in East Oakland and balance my time blocking punches with my head with attempting to prevent brain deterioration through writing, studying Thai; language, culture and history, and going to wild dance parties with my friends.

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