Episode 8
March 11, 2008 by nopstar
Here is eighth installment of our favorite show. Being able to hook my laptop up to my TV has change my whole viewing experience. The finals look to be right around the corner. Dii Mak you getting tickets? Better be…
Spoiler Alert: Watch the video before reading the rest of this post.
Who saw that one coming? I have to be honest; I didn’t see that one at all. What’s up JWP? Where the effe did you get cooties? Seriously I had to go online to figure out what shingles were… shit sound painful.
It’s a shame about Pitu, he seems like a solid guy. Hopefully we can get more out of Yukay in the following episodes. “The Ghost of the Loft” such an appropriate name for him.
Respect is such a large part of our (muay thai) culture. I’m really not accustomed to watching these types of reality shows and having the fighters get along. I’m curious if any of you watching the show are new to Muay Thai? Do you find it strange that more Nak Muays (Fighters) aren’t all agro and in each other’s face? I know the Ultimate Fighter is an entirely different’ ball of wax, but I often catch myself thinking that would have never happened on TUF.
Anyway, I’m rambling… round two is going to be interesting.
I am fairly new to Muay Thai, I have only watched it for a couple of years, and Yes I have always been excited to see the Amount of Respect The Fighters have for eachother and everyone around them, I saw the UFC show it was just Ugly, with aggressive fighters, not just physical but also Mentally aggressive towards whoever was in the way. I hate Lack of Respect, The episode where Yod Fought Bruce I just loved what Yod Did after the Fight, It makes me believe in The ability to control your ego even though you are respected and Feared as a Fighter.
Ok the Fight, Damn Yukay made Scandinavia(Denmark, Norway, and Sweden)proud, and what Hands, I think Pitu was just so surprised to see the Ghost suddenly manifesting its fist in his face. I really didnt know anything about the Swede but lets see the Second fight, he may have to fight Nauropon or Yod, and we will se how good those hands work, and he will have to use all weapons against the remaining fighters. Pitu? He didnt really get a chance to show us anything, too bad. Now this show is getting Really Exciting.
hey nop, I still can only get the first 5 minutes, i don’t know what’s going on…I downloaded the veoh player and didn’t seem to make a difference. any suggestions?
Shane,
You have to download the player (which you’ve done) and then, when the episode starts on the website, click the orange button that comes down at the top of the media screen that says “watch full episode” or something. It comes down quickly, so watch out. I had the same problem. If that doesn’t work, follow the “HQ Muay Thai Clips” link on the right and you’ll find it.
As for this episode, it was pretty good. I thought the challenge was alright (better than stacking boxes). I feel kind of bad for Pitu; I don’t know if he over-trained or was just too shocked by what Yukay could do, but it kind of sucked. He was definitely one of the better characters in the house and loves his art. That being said, Yukay does have some incredible hands.
NOP TAKE THAT ANONYMOUS POST OUT IT’S A SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous, Fuck off with that Spoiler. Little Bitch.
Suprise suprise…. the spoilers all seem to come from the same user in Milton, QLD Australia…
Thank you nop.
The poor swedes name is Jocke, short for Joakim, it is quite funny they´ve got it wrong though. Just seen todays episode here in Thailand, wont say anything more than that
With regards to the level of respect exhibited amongst the Nak Muays I am overly impressed with their considerations for one another. It brings humanity and integrity to the sport. As for MMA the personality dynamic is complete opposition with the typical aggressive and demeaning personality characteristics that are certainly overexpressed. I am from the States and certainly perceive this difference to be true or at least proportionately different.
Episode 8 was a complete shock to me! I don’t know what others feel, but I think Yukay was looking to end this fight as fast as he could due to the physical/mental draining effects of his late night partying and drinking. This makes sense because Pitu seemed overwhelmed from the dramatic shift in intensity in the 1st round and could not adjust quick enough. Yukay’s def. got some boxing skills with well placed combinations.
Very much looking forward to the 2nd Round fights. Anyone have any news on JWP?
Just watched episode 9 and all I can do is sigh…
No spoilers. Let’s just say that Lady Fate has a way of messing with people eh…
How is coming to the finals in Singapore?
Is it a Muay Thai attitude vs a boxing or MMA attitude?? Or is it an American agro thing?? I don’t know. I will tell you this, I was really sick when I watched this episode, like feverishly sick, so my emotions were all outta whack and I seriously almost cried over how supportive and caring all these boys are. Seriously….seriously funny to be on the floor huddled over my computer, blowing my nose and on the verge of sobbing.
Ha ha ha Yukay= Joakim, That makes MUCH more sense, Never heard Yuakay before, But Joakim is The Danish Princes name hence a Normal Danish and Scandinavian name. I would be mad as hell if that was my name and They put up Yukay.
you can’t compare this show to the ultimate fighter. all of the fighters in the contender asia are given tons of freedom. they obviously can leave whenever they please, most likely keep in touch with their family, and their rewards for the competitions are very nice. you imagine being stuck in a house all day with 15 other guys, you’re all competing for the same prize, and you have no entertainment what so ever.
it’s oranges & apples, completely different.
i dont care what people say muay thai has more respect than any other… MMA its all about kill,and smash, Muay Thai you really care for one another like they are your brothers there is more of a bond. Muay thai is way better to watch also.
Suli, what you say is strictly opinion. anderson silva, georges st. pierre, randy couture, michael bisping have all expressed the utmost respect for their opponents. you don’t see everything that goes on behind the scenes. its very narrow minded to think muay thai has more respect than any other combat sport.
Sakkis- the same thing happened to me as well. funny how your emotions run wild when you are running a high fever. i was watching ep.7 while fighting the flu and i nearly broke out in tears when I was watching Zach’s shoulder pop out.
I almost completely agree with Dustin. MMA people, especially teachers and those at the top of their game, are incredibly professional. They realize that the people they are going against are fellow human beings first, opponents second. The WEC, which is mostly full of young guys, often comes off as brash and incredibly arrogant. However, the more one watches, the more it becomes apparent that there is camaraderie in the cage as well, especially after the fights. I don’t know if that type of brotherhood is vapid–that’s up for interpretation–but signs of respect are all over in MMA.
That being said, I truly think Muay Thai is more respectful. I think it’s linked to the emphasis on tradition (the wai kru, the different adornments, the music) that MMA often loses with its emphasis on sport or practicality. What’s more, and this is just a personal gripe: the ground-and-pound is absolutely brutal. To me, this fosters a lot of the “dumb angry gorilla” mentality of some MMA fighters because they sit on top of a guy and try to elbow his face in.
Either way, I personally think that Muay Thai is more respectful than MMA, but not but the great amount people other than Dustin seem to be saying. It’s like saying a man who’s 7′ tall is taller than a man who’s 6′10″ tall; true, but that leaves out a lot of detail.
Yukay really surprised, at least Pitu. I believe that Pitu was kind of underestimating him. I mean, that uppercut did a thing. Twice.
And what’s with the judge? Looked pretty amateurish with that slow counting, even a blind man would know that Pitu was convincingly KOed.
Pitu was really a nice guy, sad to see him leave. Hope JWP will be back, can’t see resigning him in such a way.
The second round will be more intense and interesting for sure. Cheers
“michael bisping have all expressed the utmost respect for their opponents.”
Bullshit!
I have to agree with the MMA, gorilla, smash-smash comment above. I love watching a good fight just like the rest of you. What I simply cannot stand is to see someone taken advantage of when their guard is down. When two MMA fighters are on the ground and one is just crushing the others face between his fist and the ground..I just cringe and get kinda queazy. However, when a fighter, any style, sees a weakness and takes advantage of it and wins because of it…I don’t know, it’s just more respectable. Does this make sense??? I don’t know, I guess a fight is a fight.
Like I said, you don’t see everything that goes on behind the scenes. Michael Bisping can sell a fight, that’s the reason whenever he does fight you usually see his face plastered all over the advertisements and promos. The UFC targets the USA, 18 – 34 year olds, who love all that bullshit talk, so that’s what you get. The specific example I’m talking about with Michael Bisping is after his fight with Christian Rothermel on TUF 3, he went into Christians locker room and did the same exact thing Yod did. You didn’t see this on Spike, but you will see this if you ever watch the DVD bonus footage.
i can definitely understand everyones point of view though, with MMA you have guys with varying backgrounds & training. muay thai is much more specific with the culture & training with respect being a big part of it
however, mma is not barbaric or gorilla like.
Poor Pitu, he really looked very sad because he says he trained for a year and was well-disciplined, then lost in less than two minutes. Ouch. Good luck to him in the future…
If you’re comparing the guys in Contender vs the guys in The Ultimate Fighter, well obviously the guys in Contender are more respectful, more professional and basically more decent human beings. There are a lot of punks in MMA, but the guys at the higher levels are generally very decent guys. People like Wanderlei Silva and Fedor Emelianenko fight like monsters, but you would be very surprised at how respectful they are to their opponents and how sincerely grateful they are to their fans.
As to preferences over MMA and MT/Kickboxing, it is of course very subjective and simply a matter of opinion or taste. I enjoy MMA very much because there are beautiful submissions and throws, but very often there are boring fights where nothing happens. MT and kickboxing is almost always exciting and I always good to watch.
Anyway, I’d just like to share a quote from an MMA fighter, Takanori Gomi, which shows the amount of respect these guys can have for one another:
“But at the end of the day, fighters are still fighters, and fights are still fights. All of us train just the same as each other, and we still fight each other, just the same. The main attraction is us and what we do. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a title or just for entertainment. MMA, to me, is how fighters connect and communicate, in a way. In the ring, age, seniority, ethnicity, the gym you come from, etc. All that does not really matter beyond the fight. If you step into the ring, we are all the same. We are all brothers, and that’s the truth of the relationship we have.”
Episode 9 is now available for download
http://www.mininova.org/tor/1237711
MMA tends to pander to the lowest common denominator and I tell you truthfully it hurts their sport in the long term. Why are ex-prowrestlers, yard brawlers and internet phenoms getting all this undeserved attention over a fighter who has honed his craft in KOTC or anything comparable?
The likes of Gary Shaw and Dana White are doing a massive disservice to fans of MMA and the sport as whole. The long term goals are readily sacrificed in lieu of the next PPV numbers and it’s a damn shame.
That said I prefer Muay Thai because it’s just plainly a higher level of refined striking. MMA striking is at its best with someone like Anderson Silva who holds both boxing and Muay Thai to very high regards in respect. In fact Silva makes an active effort to refine his Muay Thai, has fought real Muay Thai, real boxing and real MMA.
Funny how someone with even the somewhat limited experience of Silva in both fight styles has a high respect for them whereas someone who hasn’t (ie most MMA practitioners and fans) have not. It bothers me to see someone like Delagrotte in the west claiming proudly the title of both Kru and Muay Thai elite trainer.
It’s all very clear where standings are among the Stadiums of Thailand and even internationally rankings actually mean something. MMA is more a promotional title holder only for any given promotion IE UFC, WVR, and so forth. It lends itself to a very PT BArnumesque and sensationalistic method of presenting fight sport coupled with all the focus on preipheral things like ring girls and how bitchin Liddell’s cars are. As ring sport MMA holds almost no interest for me.
can someone upload the link for episode 9, that is not a torrent
I’ve been involved in Muay Thai and Western Boxing for more than 20 years and can state that the respect is like night and day. Because Muay Thai is so brutal and low pay, I believe that much more respect exists there. You definately don’t see that in boxing where the boxer are just “pieces of meat” for the promoter and manager to make money off of. Go to any boxing or Muay Thai fight and you will see the difference in the back rooms.
I think that a lot of Muay Thai’s kindness and respect stems from Buddism. Not all nak muays or kickboxers are Buddist, but I believe that Muay Thai’s beliefs are deeply rooted in Buddism.
I got shingles before my last fight. That shit is seriously painful. However the doc told me that it wasn’t contagious and I kept training (got kicked in them once which felt like a branding iron). And there was no talk of me quarentining (sp?) myself. Nobdy close to me (wife or training partners) got it.
Ep 9
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GU3Y99JP
‘pieces of meat’ is part and parcel to any fight sport including Muay Thai. IF you doubt this your 20 years of ‘experience’ has been either within an excedelingly limited circle or you only dealt with amatuers.
Boxing trainers a re wmoang the most repectful in any sport as are the manahers. Not everyone is Panama Lewis or the Muay Thai equivelant Toddy or Anthony Lin.
“Dustin // Mar 12, 2008 at 10:13 am
you can’t compare this show to the ultimate fighter. all of the fighters in the contender asia are given tons of freedom. they obviously can leave whenever they please, most likely keep in touch with their family, and their rewards for the competitions are very nice. you imagine being stuck in a house all day with 15 other guys, you’re all competing for the same prize, and you have no entertainment what so ever.
it’s oranges & apples, completely different.”
Nah man, we were locked in the loft, no freedom like what you said. We were not allowed cell phones or lap tops and couldnt just walk out of the loft when we wanted.
So its apples and apples.
Ugh, I remember my bout with shingles during a fight training. I had to take 3 days off while they are in their “contagious stage” and then I could return. I unfortunately had them on my head running down the nerve line in my jaw.
Like Josh said, getting hit…in the shingles(?)…is a new kind of pain. especially when you are getting hit in the jaw with them. terrible memories.
I was going to say what JWP said, it’s the same thing. The only thing that differs is that the TUF fighters stayed pissed the whole time and yelled, bitched, and fought with their “competition”. While the Contender fellas found things to do with their new “friends”.
Its the fighters themselves that differ. Some ego bumping and so forth is expected in a houseful of fighters put in a position where they must challenge one another. But you can readily see the difference between the ‘Contenders’ and TUF imo.
Challenges happen and even trash talk happens but in a way that seems more formal and devoid of any real hatred of each other. But then most of the Contenders aren’t trying to be ‘extreme’ badasses or anything. They just love the sport.
Just saw the episode. I am sad for Pitu… I know a few big time fighters that get wasted on the day before the fight and still do really well… I guess it just depends on the person!
I don’t know about mma guys being hyper-aggro, It seems to me every sport has their jai ron and jai yen(Yin and Yang or Hot headed and Chill people). I feel like alot of fighters are not aggressive outside of the ring because they have the opportunity to release their tension and aggression in the ring and during training. Although, I do believe alot of people who participate in combat sports but don’t or have yet to fight are overly aggressive because they get involved not to learn discipline and focus their energy in a positive way but to become “Badass” and “Gangsta”, I like to call these people posers. salaam!
JWP Thanks For Clarifying. Gotta Love The Respect.
Yod was a real pimp in this epp.
“When I got to the disco, my body just wanted to move” :)
Btw, Yukay proved you can drink alcohol and still be a good fighter. I’ll never stop drinking beer, actually I’ll double the consume. :)
Alcohol generally inhibits your stamina. If he didn’t end it in the second round then he could have been in trouble.
HighRevinSi and A5YF K thanx for the links. I just got finished watchin’ episode 9 and I am utterly disgusted…It seemed a lil too “convenient”..I’ll stop it there.
Now about episode 8, I was really dissapointed to have seen Pitu leave this way, he trained way too hard, but it does goes to show that u should never judge a book by it’s cover. Yukay, punch combinations were swift, accurate and strong…it also looks like Pitu’s nose got broken early during the round, and it seems like that might have took a lot of his confidence and focus away from the fight. Sometimes it only takes one good strike to throw your whole SHIT OFF!!!
Agreed Spydaman
wait a second… the president of sweden called up to wish yukay luck? did i hear that right?
i kind of empathize with pitu. every time i’ve psyched myself up for a fight by saying to myself that it’s really important and that i’ve trained n number of months for it and the sky will fall if i don’t win it, i never won the fights. maybe some of our brains just aren’t wired that way. so i don’t do that anymore.
Wazz Uppp
Im new to this series and i watched every episode since it started. I was really disappointed when Pitu trained so hard, did his best to lose weight, condition himself, and restrict himself from negative things. In the end it kind of send a bad message that ‘Hard work Doesn’t pay off” to me that is. Pitu did his best and so did Yukay, lets all just hope Pitu doesn’t doubt himself after the fight and come back 10000% better and well condition for a rematch in the future. The episode upset me but thats life, you never get what you always wish for, but you can keep trying until you get close to it.
come on alekos86 with the hidden spoiler
Gusnark // Mar 13, 2008 at 11:57 am
Yod was a real pimp in this epp.
“When I got to the disco, my body just wanted to move”
not a spoiler, but, if you liked that, you’re gonna LOVE Yoddy in ep 9 !! :)
Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems that there was only tension in the house early on when Rafik was there …. :)
But then again, that was early days and the fighters didn’t really know each other so well. 8 Episodes on, you can see there are some genuine friendships in the loft, and very little ego going on. It is a really nice thing to see, esp for a great ringsport like muay thai!!!
(If you watch some of those youtube webvideos they have of outtakes of the show, you see even more on the friendships in the house. real nice)
Hi Reality.
I’ve seen ep9.
Yoddy is daman… spydaman?
Spydaman, is that you Yodsaenklai? :)
Yeah, we’ll talk about ep9, when nop posts it.
again, NOT a spoiler …… heh heh ….. “hi, honey!”
Reality, LMAO.
Keep the funny comments later, when Nop posts ep9.
Cheers!
Souvik-
Yeah I caught the comment about the president of Sweden! I think Fox is just having diarrhea of the mouth.
Gusnark…lol…”Yoddy is daman… spydaman?
Spydaman, is that you Yodsaenklai? :)”………Very clever….I hope u don’t mind if I use it……lol.
DUde!, eps 9 is straight SICK!.
Pauly….If u mean “SICK” as in the “Makin’ me sick to my stomach” kinda sick….then I totally agree wit u.
Eps 9 is a great episode. I noticed nearly every episode Yod has more air time compared to other fighters. Even when he didn’t say anything or keep still the camera followed his routine. Thanks again A5YFK for continuing using megaupload.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really like the match up but still its one of the best TCA episode.
if u goto http://www.thaifights.com they have all the episodes up
Heeeyyyy, Sweden doesn’t even have a president! It’s a kingdom. Some education for this day also…. ; )
Maybe stefan meant to say: the president of yukay’s gym/ club? cos the fights aren’t live, how would the swedish government even know yukay was fighting, you know? HAHA. stefan cracks me up!!
LOL!!! John Wayne got shingles!!!! And Yod afraid of heights!
I finally got to see Episode 8 (thanks for the Megaupload links). Besides his punches, Yukay seemed very stiff (especially in his guard and the few kicks I saw). I wonder if that’s his style or if that was the alcohol… Either way, that uppercut was a big shot. I’ve always found the left hook right uppercut is my favorite power punching combo (especially when you set up the uppercut by slapping the hook and then putting all the power into the uppercut).
What so funny about someone getting shingles?
Just watched Ep 9, which was very interesting. Looking forward to discussing it. All I have to say for now is that, the fight editing is just horrible. They sometimes pick the worst camera angles so you don’t see what’s happening.
Dan, funny cuz of what other guy says. He got it from some girl :) John Wayne was chasin tail while they were doing contender LOL Yeah saw 9 as well. I am very curios about a couple thing and have questions that maybe you all can answer.
uploading epp 10 now to usual places i wont ruin it for u guys but im glad this guy won
Is episode 9 going to be on here?