This Is Sad

We’ve all heard it many times throughout our childhood. We’d complain about what we were being served for dinner and our parents would give us the old “you should be grateful, there’s kids in (insert 3rd world country here) that don’t have any food at all”. That comment never really had an effect on me because after all, I was in Canada, and I didn’t want to eat the fucking meatloaf or whatever it was that I was being served that I didn’t like. Yeah, I know there’s kids in poor countries that had it worse than me but, “out of sight, out of mind”. I didn’t really think about it.

Well, there are things that I see on a daily basis here in Thailand that really put things into perspective. For example, last night was Saturday and if you’ve been following my entries, you know that I go out drinking on Saturday nights. And yes, I know it’s not good for me but I view it as a reward for training hard all week. Anyway, I was about 11 or 12 drinks into the evening and it was about 4:30am while I was walking to a club appropriately called “Insomnia”. I was with a really hot girl too. Money hungry, yes .. but hot nonetheless.

While we were walking towards the entrance, a little boy (he was about 8 years old) ran up, grabbed my leg and tried to get me to buy a pack of gum. “Mai Me Sataing” I said. Mai Me Sataing is Thai for “I have no money”. It’s become an automatic response along with “Mae Ow Khap” (no thank you) because as a foreigner, I’m constantly being hit up to buy shirts, suits, bootleg movies, watches and as I mentioned in an earlier post - vaginas.

As I was walking towards the club entrance, the journalist in me (I guess that’s what I am now) kicked in. Why is this 8 year old kid selling packs of gum at 4:30 in the morning? Where are his parents? What is the money going towards? So, I had a decision to make. I could either go into the bar with the girl I was with and spend a ton of cash on overpriced drinks for her and her sister or I could go and talk to the kids. I chose the latter. After all, I was too drunk to “boom boom” anyway.

There was actually a lot of them out there. I’d say about 10 or so. The first girl I talked too was 14 - which is about the same age as my little sister. She was selling glow-sticks which, when you think about it, is pretty smart. She’s selling glow-sticks in between 2 after-hour nightclubs that are full of E-Heads (ecstasy users). She said she was using the money to pay for school (2000 baht per month) and her apartment (3000 baht per month). When I asked her where her parents were, she simply replied with “no hab” (no have).

The little 8 year old boy that tried selling me a pack of gum earlier walked by again so I waved him over. I gave him some money and let him keep the gum. After I gave him the money, he slapped my hand, turned it into a handshake, gave me 3 “daps” (“daps” are just a fist-to-fist greeting) and ended the combo with a peace sign. It was really cute actually. I guess he was selling enough packs of gum to afford a TV to watch hip hop videos on. I really wish I had got the handshake on video.

Some random girl then walked by wearing knee high boots and little jean shorts and started hitting on me. She was clearly a prostitute but I ignored her advances and decided to ask her about why the kids were up all night, alone, selling gum and glow-sticks to the club goers. She said that most of the kids are doing it because their parents are making them and that they’re not allowed to sleep until they make a certain amount of money.

I’ve mentioned that in Thailand, often times the kids are expected to provide for their parents but when they’re 8,9,10,11 years old - that’s a little extreme. After talking to the girl for about 20 minutes, I went looking for the cute kid that did the ghetto handshake so I could give him some money and also, so I could get the handshake on film. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find him again. I did however, come across this little girl…

I’d estimate that she’s about 7 years old and just like the others, she was working all night, alone, without any adult supervision. She told me that she wasn’t allowed to go home until she made 100 more baht and that her dad beats her mom etc.

Stuff like this really makes you think. I’ve seen so many orphan kids since I’ve been here. After seeing these kids last night, it makes me have an even greater appreciation for what they do over at Sityodtong (story here). Then of course, there’s the kids that I came across in Bangkok who were forced to sell flowers to the tourists and if they didn’t sell enough, older Thai men would basically beat them down (story here).

Anyway, I felt this was worthy of an entry. Since it’s sort of sad, I figured I might as well leave you with something funny. So, check out this old dude that was on walking street last night. As if the bright white hair and outfit wasn’t enough of an attention grabber. And yes, those 2 gigantic “ladies” he’s strolling hand-in-hand with are actually men. You’ll also noticed that he gets approached by one of the kids trying to sell stuff.

In my next entry, I’ll be doing a camp profile on Scorpion Gym. I also have a “Fon” update (yes, the crazy girl!) and now I’m even more convinced that she’s a psycho.

Stay Tuned..

If you’re looking to incorporate some new, yet “MMA functional” core exercises into your workout routine .. CHECK THIS OUT!

Kimbo vs. Shamrock - Why?

The contracts are signed and it’s official. On October 4th, the bout between Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock will be the main event on Elite XC’s “Saturday Night Fights” set to air live on CBS. But why was Ken Shamrock selected as the next opponent for Kimbo Slice? The answer is simple - money!

Shamrock and Kimbo are two of the most well known fighters to casual fans. That name recognition is sure to go a long way when it comes to attracting viewers. As a matter of fact, Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock have been involved in two of the three most watched fights in the history of the sport.

Ken Shamrock’s third encounter with Tito Ortiz (which aired free on SpikeTV) drew an audience of 5.7 million viewers while the recent Kimbo vs. Thompson clash pulled in an audience of over 6.5 million. Shamrock vs. Slice, live on CBS - this fight is going to be huge. It makes money sense, that’s for sure.

But Is It Going To Be Competitive?

Ken Shamrock is certainly the more experienced of the two but at age 44, he’s clearly past his prime. His latest string of fights are evidence that he is no longer the fighter he once was. He’s 2-8 in his past 10 fights. He hasn’t won a fight in the last 4+ years and now he’s landed himself in the main event on a event set to air live on national television? Something just doesn’t seem right about that.

The motives here are clear. EliteXC needs the “Shamrock” name recognition to not only draw an audience but also, to build up their “cash cow” in Kimbo Slice. A win over Shamrock will further enhance the perceived legitimacy of Kimbo amongst the casual MMA fans. If you consider the controversy associated with last EliteXC event that featured Kimbo (read here), this new match-up seems a little suspicious to say the least.

Ken Shamrock has (on more than one occasion), been suspected of taking “dives” in some of his fights. In his fight with Franklin, he awkwardly drops to the mat before Franklins oncoming punch was even delivered. After that fight, Franklin went on to become a UFC “posterboy” for quite a while and Shamrock collected an unusually high payday.

He has also been criticized for his “performance” in his most recent fight with “Buzz” Berry. Shamrock, who is a veteran of almost 40 MMA fights, got dropped from a jab. A jab! Shamrock has never been known for having a “glass jaw” either so something about that doesn’t seem right.

Although, to be fair, Shamrock claimed to be sick during the fight and recently issued the following statement ..

“It was serious enough to where I lost 20 pounds and I was probably sick for about four weeks after I got back from England. I was hospitalized for about four days. It was a bad sickness. We got the right antibiotics and got everything cleared. I got myself back on the track again and going in the right direction and got my weigh back on. We started pursuing a fight, the Kimbo Slice thing came up and we said, ‘Wow, this is the perfect fight for me, man. You can’t gift wrap one better than this.’”

If that’s actually the case, it explains the lacklustre performance and if anything, he should be commended for stepping into the ring while he was that sick. As for his upcoming fight with Kimbo, UFC president Dana White had some interesting comments about the match-up..

“Another fucking joke from Gary Shaw. This fucker is so clueless that it’s laughable. First he thought we protected our guys, which is bullshit. Then he gave us shit for matching up Brock against Frank Mir. Which would he rather us do? Obviously he’s in favour of protecting guys since Kimbo doesn’t seem to be fighting a good fighter anytime soon. Bo Cantrell? Who the fuck is Bo Cantrell? Tank Abbott? He was never that good, he just looked tough and always got his ass kicked. Now Ken Shamrock? When is Kimbo going to fight a guy who was relevant past 1998? Tito Ortiz, who sucks, destroyed Ken Shamrock three times. It’s clear that Gary is going to milk his YouTube cash cow for all he’s worth but true fans know that Kimbo is a joke and he would get destroyed against any UFC Heavyweight. Maybe that moron Ken Shamrock will expose Kimbo and he’ll go back to fighting guys at the local Burger King. Gary Shaw and his 3rd rate promotion have no fucking credibility”

Not that I commend that fact that Dana is running his mouth and disrespecting some of the fighters that helped build the UFC into the MMA powerhouse that it is today, I think he’s right when he implies that EliteXC is protecting Kimbo and as he put it - “milking his YouTube cash cow for all he’s worth”.

Perhaps a better match up for Kimbo would have been Brett “The Grim” Rogers seeing as how he’s actually earned the shot by racking up a 7 fight win streak (he’s currently undefeated). Rogers, who extended a public challenge to Kimbo at the post fight press conference, has voiced his disappointment with the situation by issuing the following statement to five ounces of pain..

“As for Oct 4th; that was our spot. Shamrock with his name and giant ego butted in line to get a slice of Kevin. At 103 years of age Ken usurped our rightful place against the YouTube champ. Our sincerest hope is that Ken whips Kimbo and then we can finally euthanize the “World’s Most Dangerous Man” and relegate him to some MMA dinosaur exhibit. Maybe taxidermy him and Severn and place them on a rotating pedestal where they can endless circle each other.

If Ken proves to be more sham then rock and Fergi beats him, then the Slice hype grows even greater. Dude is already more myth then Sasquatch, Chupacabra and a fucking unicorn combined. Kevin is the black Yeti…So go ahead [Kimbo] and make us wait while you fight Tank and Shamrock. Hell, why not fight Hackney, Harold Howard, Fred Ettish and the rest of Jurassic MMA? And while your shuckin’ and duckin’ we will be hustlin’ and muscilin’ and when the bell finally tolls the only real question left is … do you wake up looking at canvas or arena lights?”

All in all, it comes down to money. Shamrock vs. Slice will draw a larger audience than a showdown between Kimbo & Rogers. Given the way EliteXC is protecting their “golden boy” investment, I’ll be throwing my money in Kimbo to win.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST BETTING ODDS FOR THIS FIGHT, AS WELL AS FOR THE FIGHTS ON THE UPCOMING UFC CARD!

A Potentially Fatal Attraction

While this is a Muay Thai Blog, I figure things will get pretty boring if all I write about in my entries is skipping and hitting the heavy bag. My vision with this is to not only to document the training, but also, the entire experience of coming to foreign countries to train. As a single 25 year old guy, part of that experience is of course - the ladies that you meet throughout the journey.

Which brings me to a girl named “Fon”. I met Fon about 10 days ago through a mutual friend and of the 10 days that I’ve known her, she’s probably stayed over at my apartment for 8 of those nights. At first, things were great. The thing about most Thai girls I’ve met is that they really take care of you.

She would bring me food, clean my room, fold my clothes, give me massages (she’s a masseuse) and even cut my nails. I’ve met a few girls in Canada that were similar, but I’d say that Fon tops the list in terms of how she takes care of a man.

She’s actually very beautiful too. Sort of like a Thai Barbie doll. She has blonde highlights, implants, tongue ring, belly ring and she’s incredibly fit (most girls here are). Here’s a photo of her and her friend at the salon (Fon is to the left in the black dress). Honestly, this photo really doesn’t do her justice. I find that most Thai girls aren’t very photogenic.

Anyway, about 5 days ago I was playing pool in a common area for the residents of the apartment and I was talking to one of the girls that works here (below is a nightclub). I told her that I was dealing with a girl and she almost immediately replied with “don’t say you love her”. That struck me as being somewhat of an odd comment and when I inquired as to why I shouldn’t say that (not that I’d say that anyway), she made the action of her throat being slit.

Literally about 15 minutes after the disturbing conversation, Fon sent me a text message and for the first time, after only knowing me for 5 days, she dropped the “L-bomb” (I love you). After what the girl at my apartment had just told me, I obviously didn’t return the affectionate words.

A couple days later, her best friend added me to msn and started asking me if “i love she” (poor English obviously) and when I tried to explain that I didn’t know Fon well enough to “love her” and that “love takes time to build” blah blah .. she really didn’t understand. After that conversion, she then tells Fon that I said I didn’t like her. Needless to say, that causes all sorts of drama.

Which Brings Us To Last Night

Since there’s no training on Sundays and I have nothing to do all day but sit around my room and well, type up these entries, I allow myself to go out on Saturday nights and have some fun. Due to how quick Fon was moving with things (her friend was even asking me about marrying her), I knew I had to slow things down a bit so when she asked me to go see her, I said that I just wanted some time alone.

Well, she didn’t take that very well. She literally started screaming “you come see me now!” on the phone. I declined. She then responded with “ok, I kill you now”. Obviously, the death threat didn’t sit well with me so I told her off, hung up, went to the bar and started talking to some new girls just to spite her. She called non-stop for about 2 hours straight so after about the fourth call, I turned the volume off, set it to vibrate and put my phone in my front pocket (I’m not going to lie, it felt kind of nice .. haha).

Curiosity eventually got the best of me and I ended up answering to see what she had to say. When I did, she just started rambling on about the most random things. “You want me die?” she asked. “Why you want me die?” she repeated. At this point, it became pretty clear that there’s something psychologically wrong with this girl. I never said, nor implied any such thing. She’s the psycho that threatened to kill me, not the other way around.

Based on the things she was saying, I was a little concerned that perhaps this girl could be suicidal. I also knew she had been drinking so I just tried to be as nice as I could and I reassured her that while tonight wouldn’t be a good time to meet up, I’d could see her tomorrow (today) to talk about things. I also told her that I had booked a room at the Mariott so she wouldn’t show up at my room later on (she had done so before).

While I was walking back to my room, we were sending texts back and fourth and she kept asking me where I was, and when I was going home. I made it to my apartment and all looked well. I was expecting her to be standing outside my building to make sure I didn’t have another girl with me or something but no, the coast was clear.

I walked up the stairs, unlocked the main door and entered the building. The second security measure is a password protected door so I went ahead and input my password. From there, I walked up another small flight of stairs and approached my apartment. While I was in the process of sticking in my key, the door was pulled open from the inside.

My heart rate shot up, my stomach dropped and I immediately jumped back a bit and got into a fighting stance with my right fist cocked back. She then peered her head around the corner. I immediately charged into the room and checked to make sure she didn’t have any sort of weapon in her hands. She didn’t.

I then did a quick search of the room and made sure the safe was still locked and that my laptop was still where it was stored. Nothing was gone. Actually, not only did she not rob me but.. she cleaned my room. But as nice of a gesture as that is, it doesn’t quite overshadow the death threat and the B & E (break & enter).

I told her straight up that I thought she was “ting tong” which translated from Thai to English, means she’s crazy. Her reaction to that was nothing more than a creepy laugh. I knew I really had to get this girl out of my room but at the same time, I wanted to stay on her good side because after all, if she was able to get into my room so easily, I’m sure she could do it again while I’m sleeping.

I told her I was hungry and that I wanted to go across the street to get some food. Prior to leaving my room, I grabbed her purse did a quick scan of my room to make sure she didn’t leave any of her belongings behind. She strongly objected to the fact that I was bringing all her stuff with me (she knew she wasn’t welcome back at this point) but too bad, I basically nudged her out the door, followed, and closed it a.s.a.p.

I really needed to know how she got into my room so while we were eating, I kept drilling her with questions. If this girl was able to pick locks, I’d basically have to change rooms, move to Bangkok, fly to Phuket - basically just get the hell out of here. She finally admitted that she didn’t pock the lock but rather, my neighbour let her into her room since she recognized her.

From my neighbours room, she basically went out onto the balcony (keep in mind she was pretty drunk) and climbed from her balcony onto mine. She then got into my room via my balcony door. I guess it was unlocked but in my defence, I really didn’t think anyone would be crazy enough to be balcony jumping from a few stories up.

Here’s a couple photos. The first is of my balcony in relation to my neighbours and the second is of the distance from my balcony to the ground level concrete. If she had fell, she would have sustained some pretty serious injuries.

Right now it’s about 2am and I haven’t heard from her yet. I’m sure I’ll get a text message or a call within an hour or two though. I’ll give you guys an update on the situation in my next entry.

As for the Muay Thai, I’m still at it. I’ve been training at Scorpion gym lately and it’s been going really well. The owner (Rosalie) is cool. It’s on the baht bus route so it’s cheap to get there and the trainer I’m working with is pretty good about correcting my form. I’ll be here in Pattaya for another 10 days or so then I’ll be heading to Bangkok to check out Fairtex Bangplee, Kaewsamrit Gym and a few others.

Stay Tuned..

..and of course, if you have any tips on how to deal with crazy girls, feel free to leave a comment..

If you’re looking to incorporate some new, yet “MMA functional” core exercises into your workout routine .. CHECK THIS OUT!

Back to the Basics

While it would be nice to spend everyday training at Fairtex, the 800 baht per session price tag doesn’t exactly suit my long term budget. Since I had to move on, the other day I went looking for a Muay Thai/MMA gym that I had heard about here in Pattaya. As usual, I got lost and found myself wandering down a little side street.

I suppose I lucked out because I looked to my left and noticed a small sign that said “Thai Boxing”. I turned down the volume on my Ipod and immediately heard the grunting and sounds of shins smacking against the pads. At first, I was somewhat apprehensive about going in as the place didn’t look like a public gym, but rather, it looked like someone just had a ring set up in their backyard.

After a minute or two of watching from a distance from what appeared to be a garage, I figured I might as well walk through and introduce myself. After all, the chances of me finding the gym I had originally been looking for weren’t very good. As soon as I made myself visible, one of the trainers immediately stopped, mid-round, with the kid he was training and inquired as to what it was that I was looking for (I’m sure he assumed I wanted directions or something).

“How much for training?” I asked. He paused and thought for a second, “300 baht” he replied. I have a feeling he just pulled that price out of his a@s but it sure beat the 800 baht I paid at Fairtex so I obliged, got changed and started skipping. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the word “farang” (non-offensive Thai word for foreigner) being tossed around so much. When you’re the only white guy around and the Thai’s are talking are dropping the “F-bomb” (falang) in your presence, it’s a pretty safe bet they’re talking about you.

Not that they were saying anything bad, I’m sure they were just talking about how awesome I am (right?). Anyway, once I was warmed up, I was told to kick the heavy bag 30 times per leg. When you kick the heavy bag, you usually have someone holding it for you and often times, you’ll be kicking it along with someone else (you kick with your right leg, the other guy kicks with his left), then you switch after.

Well, I was trading heavy bag kicks with a 9 year old. It was a unique experience to say the least and in no way am I ashamed to admit that in terms of technique, he was better than me.

With great difficulty, I finished up the 30 kicks per leg and while I was pouring water all over myself and struggling to catch my breath, the kid, who showed no signs of even having an elevated heart rate, came up to me and said “very good” with a big, innocent smile on his face.

Once I re-gained my composure and caught my breath, I stepped into the ring and went through my usual 5 rounds of pad-work. We then moved on to the clinching and again, I’m not ashamed to admit - I got owned. As a matter of fact, it’s been a few days since I trained there and my neck still hurts. I guess that’s a testament to how effective Muay Thai actually is. Right now I weigh around 210lbs (formerly into bodybuilding) and I got tossed around the ring by a Thai guy who weighed no more than 170lbs.

It’s funny to think about all those “roided up” guys in the gyms thinking they’re tough based solely on the amount of weight they use when performing preacher curls. It’s not often you see the “juicepigs” of the gym performing neck extension exercises. It doesn’t matter how much someone can press, curl, row - whatever! If they get into a Thai clinch and get their neck pulled down (because it’s a weak-link for most people), they’ll be defenceless because where the neck/head goes, the body follows.

I learned that the hard way as my strength advantage was completely neutralized when I was “clinched up”. I’m just glad that it happened in training and not an actual fight or else I would have taken some serious knees to the face. Overall, it was a beneficial experience though as I now have an even greater appreciation for the art.

When training was over, I sat for about an hour or so and just talked to my trainer. He spoke very good English and as yet another testament to the hospitality of the Thai’s, he took me on a little tour through the house. He showed me some of the videos he had of the kids (wait, that sounded bad, let me re-phrase).. he showed me some photos and videos he had of the kids that train at the camp FIGHTING..

I then saw a trophy case and walked over to it. He followed and told me some of the stories behind each one. He then pointed to a championship belt that was lying next to the trophies and told me that he was “number 2″ at lumpinee stadium back in the day. I guess that’s Thailand for you. Randomly stumble on a side-street camp and end up training with a formerly ranked fighter at lumpinee stadium. Overall, it was a really cool experience and although I only have a couple weeks left here in Pattaya, I think I’ll be going back.

Here’s a short video tour I took of the camp..

 

Now, in my last entry, I said I had some information on the status of a potential fight between Buakaw Por Pramuk and Yodsanklai Fairtex. Well, I didn’t say it was GOOD news. Although I’m sure the fight will eventually happen (just makes money sense), things are not looking good for the moment.

When training at Fairtex Pattaya, I was informed that Buakaw’s camp was on board at first providing they fought under K1 rules and not full Muay Thai rules. Now, it seems as though they have backed out because, as my source at Fairtex put it, Buakaw has too much to lose at the moment (with him coming off a KO loss at the hands of Yoshihiro Sato). Of course, that’s only one side to the story. Hopefully I’ll make my way to the Por Pramuk gym at some point and get their perspective on the potential match-up.

If you’re looking to incorporate some new, yet “MMA functional” core exercises into your workout routine .. CHECK THIS OUT!

 

Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell

Set to headline the UFC 88 card in Atlanta on September 6th, the Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans showdown is an interesting match-up to say the least. Both fighters have a lot on the line. Liddell, who’s coming off an impressive victory over Wanderlei Silva, is in a sense, fighting for his legacy. He’s turning 39 in December and one would think he’s nearing retirement (although you never know). After going 1-2 in his last 3 fights, he needs a win over Evans to get himself back into title contention.

However, as his near perfect 11-0-1 record indicates, getting a “win over Evans” is no easy task. Granted, Evans has never faced an opponent as tough as Liddell. If there’s anything we’ve seen that may potentially indicate the outcome of this fight, it’s the two Liddell vs. Ortiz fights. Liddell had no problems finishing off Ortiz in both fights and Rashad and Tito have nearly identical skill-sets (as seen when they went to a draw at UFC 73).

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting

Although Rashad and Tito “had” nearly identical skill-sets, Rashad Evans has been working with Kru Phil Nurse. Phil Nurse is a Muay Thai champion and he’s the man behind the much improved striking of Georges St. Pierre. Rashad has yet to fight in 2008 and being the gifted athlete that he is, he’s always improving. While on the Ultimate Fighter reality show, he was primarily a wrestler who could box a little bit. Since then, he’s been constantly improving and has now evolved into a mixed martial artist.

It’s also worth mentioning that Chuck Liddell’s latest defeat was at the hands of Keith Jardine - who is one of Rashad’s training partners. Both fight out of “Jackson’s Submission Fighting” and if they beat Liddell once, who’s to say that they can’t devise a game-plan to do it again. When you consider the fact that Liddell had a hard time defending Jardine’s Thai-style leg kicks and you take into account all the Thai boxing that Rashad’s been doing with Phil Nurse, it makes for an interesting match-up. And of course, you can’t forget the fact that Liddell was sidelined due to a severely torn hamstring, Rashad was in the gym training with some of the best fighters in the world.

So Who’s Going To Win?

I hate the sites that “pick the winners”, so I’m not going to just throw out a random guess. I honestly don’t know who’s going to win so I’m not going to pretend too. Chuck Liddell always seems to prove me wrong. When I pick him to win, he loses and when I pick him to lose, he wins.

I’d say the best thing for you to do is to consider the facts and of course, consider how the betting odds weigh against those facts. Make the appropriate bet based on that. And of course, as always, trust your gut instinct.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST ODDS IN THE CHUCK VS. RASHAD FIGHT

Fairtex Pattaya - “Be Inspired”

So, I finally made it over to the Fairtex camp here in Pattaya. I’ll be honest with you, I went to the gym today with the intention of basically picking the place apart based on what I had read in some of the other forums. It seems as though the general consensus amongst the Muay Thai community is that the Fairtex Pattaya gym is nothing more than a resort that just happens to offer some Muay Thai classes.

Upon entering the facility, you basically got treated like royalty. The doors get held open for you, the Thai staff all offer a traditional greeting and of course, the female staff are all quite attractive and dressed in flight attendant-like uniforms. No complains so far. Time to pay for training. “How much?” I asked. “800 baht please” she replied. Alright, my first complaint!

800 baht for training? I’m used to paying around 250 baht at Scorpion and Sityodtong. 800 baht by western standards isn’t so bad (it’s only around 24 US dollars) but this is Thailand. For 800 baht I can get 2 nights in my hotel or 26 meals from the restaurant across the street. Well, I paid the fee anyway so I could do the review for the site.

Before I go any further, check out this video tour I took of the facilities. As you can see, they put a lot of money into this place. Also, look closely and see if you notice the guy who’s training in one of the back rings. More on that later.. (sorry for the poor quality, the youtube compression methods are pretty bad)

As soon as I entered the training area, I started checking out the pro-shop and the plaques on the wall. I checked out the price on a pair of fairtex gloves (the same ones I bought at Scorpion gym for 1400 baht) and at Fairtex, they were 1800 baht (you’d think the Fairtex gloves would be cheaper at the Fairtex gym). Apparently not. If you’re coming to Pattaya and want Fairtex gear, get it from Scorpion gym.

As I was checking the place out, I was greeted by a guy named “Ted”. He spoke perfect English (which was a nice change of pace) as he’s originally from Los Angeles. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that “Ted” is one of the nicest guys I’ve met since I’ve been here. After a quick meet and greet, I started my skipping and bag-work.

After about 20 minutes or so, I was called into the ring for pads. One thing I noticed immediately is that above the ring, there’s a fan that that blows moist air downwards. Since the rounds at Fairtex are 4 minutes, rather than the 3 minutes I’ve been doing at Sityodtong and Scorpion, the fan helped for sure. That extra minute makes a huge difference.

As for the quality of the pad-work, I have to say, the trainer was awesome. For everyone that posts in the forums claiming that the trainers at Fairtex Pattaya just run you through “tourist pad-work” without focusing on technique, that’s not what I experienced at all. He corrected my stance, he corrected my switch-kick technique and he was really good and holding the pads during the two rounds of pure boxing we did.

When my session started off, I was in the ring with two foreigners (one Japanese girl and another white dude). After the third round, the foreigners had finished so I was in the ring by myself. I then saw a Thai guy step into the ring out of the corner of my eye. I looked again and holy sh*t - it was Yodsanklai!

For two full rounds, I was sharing the ring with Yodsanklai Fairtex (one of the best Muay Thai fighters in the world). I try explaining it to my friends who don’t know who Yod is by saying it’s “like shooting around with Micheal Jordan” or like “being stationed next to Tiger Woods at the driving range”.

It’s one thing to see Yod hitting the pads in a Youtube video but when you’re standing 10 feet away from him while he’s training, it’s just unbelievable. I really don’t know how to describe it. It’s like he’s some Muay Thai robot or something. He’s technique is just amazing. He kicks the pads and you just cringe at the thought of being on the receiving end of the shots.

One thing I noticed too is that in person, Yodsanklai is pretty jacked. His calves are massive which I’m sure makes the kicks even more devastating. I took some videos (3 to be exact) of his pad-work but I was later informed that if I posted the videos on the site, I would be presented with a “cease and desist” order (whatever that means). Apparently the Fairtex branch in North America is really strict about the filming of their fighters for commercial use.

For that reason, I can’t post the videos directly on the site. However, I’m pretty sure I can randomly throw them on Youtube and just post the links on here. So here you go..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z18eRu9GnEI

So overall, I had a really good experience today at Fairtex Pattaya. The facility is top notch, the atmosphere is very friendly, the trainers are great and you get to train alongside some of the best Muay Thai fighters in the world. The Fairtex catchphrase “be inspired” certainly rang true today as I was training 5-10 feet from Yodsanklai Fairtex himself.

The Big Question: Is It Worth The Money?

Here’s the thing. What most people don’t know is that Fairtex didn’t “make” Yodsanklai. Meaning, he was already a champion when Fairtex contracted him to fight under the Fairtex name. This is actually the case with most of the fighters that fight for Fairtex. It’s a business. Fairtex knows that if they can create a training environment that will give you the an opportunity to “train alongside the champions”, it will increase the perceived value of the training itself. I actually saw an ad above the urinal in Lucifer nightclub for the Fairtex camp that had the exact “train alongside the champions” slogan printed on it.

But as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I’m stoked after today. I got to witness Muay Thai at it’s highest level and it’s actually pretty “inspiring”. I’ve been telling all my buddies at home about the “Yodsanklai sighting” today to make them jealous (geez, I sound like some Muay Thai groupie!)

At 800 baht a session and 2600 baht a night for an all-inclusive package (room, food, training), you can definitely find more affordable options. However, if you’re only coming for a short time, perhaps money is a non-issue. In that case, Fairtex Pattaya may be a good option for you.

If you’re staying for a longer time or if finances are a concern, you can easily find quality training for under 300 baht a workout and you can find a quality room for about 400-600 baht per night. Even then, I still recommend at least a visit or two to Fairtex Pattaya simply for the experience.

By the same token, if “money ain’t a thang” and you’re staying at the Fairtex Pattaya resort, I also recommend that you train at some of the gyms off the beaten’ track like Sityodtong for a less luxurious, but a “real” Muay Thai experience.

On Another Note..

I finished off my last entry right before heading out for a night on the town. As predicted, it was a wild night and wow, the things you see in Thailand! I was eating at a Thai food stall when a big fight broke out. By the time I saw what was going on, stood up and got my camera out, the majority of the fight was over. However, I did manage to get at least a little bit of the end on video. I’m pretty sure that the “girl” being attacked is actually a ladyboy.

So, that’s it for now. Either tomorrow or sometime next week I’ll be visiting a camp here in Pattaya that offers Muay Thai, Western Boxing, Sambo, BJJ and MMA. In my next entry, I’ll also share some inside info. I got today on a potential fight between Yodsanklai and Baukaw.

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Drinking & Fighting: The Effects of Alcohol

To quote one of my instructors back home, ” winning a fight is like being a rock star for the night” - and we all know what livin’ like a rock star entails. We’ve also all heard numerous UFC fighters shouting out where they’re having their after-party. Of course, they’re getting paid thousands of dollars to do so, but I highly doubt the fighters are sitting in the corner, sipping waters and orange juice all night. Even Fedor, one of the worlds best fighters, is known for his love of Vodka.

There’s obviously a big difference between heavily drinking while you’re preparing for a fight and having a few celebratory drinks to celebrate a win. However, if you’ve ever watched “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show, you’ll often times see the fighters get absolutely wasted and do some of the most idiotic things imaginable. Running into walls, punching threw doors and of course, just outright drunk street fighting.

These are all fighters that are there for an intensive training camp & competition, yet they still opt to drink. Surely, alcohol must have a negative effect on their in-ring performance, but to what extent? The topic of how the consumption of alcohol effects your performance definitely deserves a closer look.

Alcohol On Cardiovascular Endurance

I’m in Thailand right now and of course, there’s a lot of temptation to go out and party. I allow myself only 1 day a week to go out and really let loose and that day is Saturday. The reason I chose Saturday as my “get crunk” night is because on Sunday, there’s no training. I’ve tried to go to Muay Thai after a night of drinking and according to my trainer, I “have no power”. Not only that, but I gassed out a lot quicker than usual.

As it turns out, there’s some pretty solid physiological explanations for the early onset of fatigue. First off, Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it makes you urinate a lot more often than usual. The frequent washroom trips eventually lead to dehydration, which as we already know, is highly detrimental to performance. When you’re dehydrated, less blood is able to make its way to the working muscles. With reduced blood delivery comes less oxygen and nutrient delivery as well. The reduction in both oxygen and nutrients are what cause the pre-mature fatigue. It’s recommended that you avoid heavy drinking for at least 72hrs prior to your fight or training session to ensure optimal performance. Sure, if it’s just a training, you can go and give it a shot a day or two later, but you’re likely to get submitted a few more times than usual.

Alcohol On Strength

Alcohol has depressant effects on the central nervous system. The central nervous system also happens to play a major role when it comes to strength. When neural function isn’t optimal, maximal strength will be drastically inhibited. Try doing your regular one-rep max on the bench press while you’re hung-over. It really isn’t the same. If alcohol consumption effects your strength in the weight room, you can rest assured that it’s effecting the power of your strikes and your effectiveness on the mat as well. Strength, speed, power, agility - they all rely on the efficiency of the central nervous system.

Alcohol consumption also effects your hormone levels. Testosterone; which is a male sex hormone produced in the testes, plays a major role when it comes to strength and aggression. We’ve all heard the term “roid rage” in reference to the overly-aggressive “juicepigs” that pump themselves full of testosterone. Well, when you increase your testosterone beyond the standard baseline levels, that’s what happens.

However, heavy alcohol consumption has been shown to decrease testosterone levels so you’ll get the opposite effect. Rather than being aggressive, a fighter with low testosterone levels will be more hesitant to engage in combat. On the flipside, heavy alcohol consumption has also been shown to increase cortisol levels (cortisol is a feminine hormone).

So What Can You Do?

Aside from not drinking (which isn’t always an option), there’s a few obvious ways you can reduce the negative effects.

1) Don’t overindulge. Small doses of alcohol can actually be very beneficial to your health. Beer and red wine are both high in antioxidants - the protectors of the cells. Small doses have also been linked to increases in HDL cholesterol - which is the good kind that cleanses the arteries. To optimize these benefits, stick to darker selections. Dark beers and wines are usually healthier than ones that are lighter in colour.

2) Drink 8-12 ounces of water for every serving of alcohol. This approach is most effective if the water is alternated between servings of alcohol. For example, have a shot then follow it up with some water. However, if necessary, you can drink the glasses of water when you get home from the bar. Just line them up and drink them down - you’ll be glad you did in the morning.

3) Don’t combine your alcohol with another diuretic - energy drinks for example. Most energy drinks contain caffeine which has diuretic effects similar to that of alcohol. The combination will cause you to become dehydrated even faster.

4) Keep in mind that the diuretic effects of alcohol will counteract some of the positive benefits from select supplements. Take creatine for example. Creatine is known for its cellular hydration effects. Cellular hydration, otherwise known as water retention, has been shown to have beneficial effects when it comes to promoting hypertrophy (muscle size). Alcohol on the other hand, causes the body to release water-weight through the urine. These types of effects are important to take into consideration before you go bar-hopping.

Conclusion

Honestly, it should sort of go without saying that if you’re in a serious training camp to prepare yourself for an upcoming fight - just don’t drink. However, if you have a long time until your next fight, allow yourself to live a little and have some drinks every now and then. If you train seriously but don’t fight and don’t plan too, then train hard, party hard. Live a little on the weekends. All pretty obvious (you’d think anyway).

To finish up, here’s a video I found of Mark Coleman perfectly demonstrating a “roid rage” and Fedor, showing his love for Vodka (at the end of the video).

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The Pound for Pound Debate

So Fedor and Anderson Silva just ran through their opponents without even getting hit. Georges St. Pierre just racked up another impressive victory over Jon Fitch, who before facing St. Pierre, was riding a 15 fight win streak (8 straight UFC wins). Then there’s BJ “The Prodigy” Penn. Every time I watch BJ fight I’m impressed. Some of the things you see BJ Penn pull off in his fights leave you scratching your head in amazement.

So, right now we have 4 fighters that are seemingly untouchable within their divisions. I don’t see BJ Penn losing at lightweight, nor do I see GSP losing at welterweight. Anderson Silva has basically torn through the entire UFC middleweight division and Fedor, well, Fedor seems to be in a league of his own - he just doesn’t lose.

Every time any one of these fighters win (which is pretty much every time they fight), the forums explode with people convinced that fighter-X is the best pound for pound fighter. To be honest, I doubt that 80% of the people making the claims even know what “pound for pound” means.

The term “pound for pound” refers to a fighters strength and skill-set in relation to his size. If for example, BJ Penn (currently fighting at 155 lbs) is considered to be the worlds best “pound for pound” fighter, it does not mean that he can beat Fedor Emelianenko (who fights at approximately 230 lbs).

So who’s the best “pound for pound” fighter? Honestly, who cares? Fedor is the undefeated heavyweight. If you had to class only one man as the “baddest dude on the planet” - it’s Fedor. All four fighters (Fedor, Silva, GSP and Penn) possess nearly perfect skill sets. When the technical skills, cardiovascular conditioning and determination (heart) of two fighters is equal, the decisive factor is almost always size and strength.

But just for the sake of the argument, let’s analyze the fighters and determine who takes the “pound for pound” crown.

BJ Penn: BJ has looked incredible in this last 3 fights. It appears as if he’s really taking his training and conditioning seriously now and to quote Dana White, “an in-shape BJ Penn is a scary dude”. Unfortunately, we can immediately eliminate BJ from the pound-for-pound contention (at least for now) seeing as how Matt Hughes put him in a crucifix pounded his head repeatedly into the octagon canvas like he was violently dribbling a basketball. And of course, he lost to GSP. We’ll see how the re-match turns out now that Penn determined and back in shape.

Georges St. Pierre: Sherdog just posted a similar article profiling the pound-for-pound contenders and the author awarded GSP the crown. Not surprising. I mean, he’s the latest to fight. Like I said before, people seem to get pretty excited when these fighters win and everyone starts making the “Oh my god, (insert fighter name here) is the best ever!” claims.

I can’t completely knock the article though. I mean, the author did bring up some legit points. George St. Pierre has torn through some tough competition with ease. He’s lost twice, but he’s avenged both losses in convincing fashion, so technically, he’s beat everyone that he’s ever faced.

He’s extremely well rounded. He’s been out-wrestling the divisions top wrestlers and passing the guards of BJJ black belts like butter. His stand-up is crisp and on top of all that, he’s freakishly strong. He’s got it all. GSP is a perfect fighter.

Anderson Silva: Anderson’s stand-up skills are just scary. What’s most impressive to me is the way he switches in and out of his fight stances. For someone to be able to transition between a southpaw and conventional stance the way Anderson can - it’s just amazing. With a guy like Anderson, you’d figure the game-plan would be to get the fight to the ground as quickly as possible, but that’s not even much of an option - he’s got a BJJ black belt from the Nogueira brothers.

If there’s any weakness, it’s his wrestling. If a decent wrestler wanted to take him down (as we saw with Henderson), they wouldn’t have any problems taking the fight to the ground. By the same token, if Silva was being out-struck (which doesn’t exactly happen), he would likely have difficulties securing a takedown on anyone with decent takedown defence.

You really have to respect Silva’s decision to fight in both the 185 and the 205 division. The fact that he moved up in weight rather than down just shows what a warrior he is. Brandon Vera made the cocky claim that he would be the first UFC fighter to hold titles in two weight divisions at the same time and it doesn’t exactly look like that’s going to happen for him anytime soon. But for Silva on the other hand, it’s a definite possibility.

Fedor Emelianenko: When you’re at the top, you’re bound to have haters. Everyone is constantly criticizing Fedor’s level of competition. If you back-track and analyze his past fights, his opponents weren’t pushovers at all (for Fedor maybe, but not to the average MMA fighter).

When Fedor fought Lindland, Lindland was, at the time, the top ranked middleweight fighter in the world (sort of like how Anderson Silva is right now). People dismissed him as legit competition saying that he was 2 weight classes below Fedor (even though they were within 10lbs of each other when they fought). Fedor won and people claimed that it was because he grabbed the ropes (he did NOT grab the ropes!).

Before Lindland, Fedor fought Mark Hunt, who again, people dismissed as legit competition. I don’t understand how fighting someone who has almost a 100lb weight advantage and has victories over MMA’s elite in Mirko Cro Cop and Wanderlei Silva gets dismissed as a “can”. Fedor wins again - people still criticize.

After Lindland, Fedor fights Hong Man Choi who while inexperienced, is a threat to anyone. Choi is an accomplished K1 level kickboxer and although he only had 1 MMA fight prior to his fight with Fedor, that one fight that he had ended with a devastating first round knockout. Do I think that Choi deserved a shot at Fedor so early in his MMA career - absolutely not! But do I think that Choi is an easy win for most heavyweights out there - absolutely not.

In his latest fight, Fedor dispatched of multi-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in quick, devastating fashion. If you go through all of Fedor’s fights, you’ll see that Fedor is always just a little bit more technical, quicker and smarter than his opponents. It’s almost as if he’s on an entirely different level. His only loss, back in 2000, was due to a cut from what was actually an illegal strike. He later avenged that “loss”.

As a matter of fact, I don’t think Fedor has even lost a round in the last 8 and a half years. Not since his fight with Ricardo Arona in the Rings promotion. It should also be noted that in Rings, Fedor wasn’t allowed to implement his “ground and pound” techniques that he’s known for. If the rules had been different, who knows, perhaps Fedor never would have even lost a round to date.

So all things considered, who’s the best pound for pound fighter?

Everyone is going to have their own opinion on this. It’s not one of these questions that has a concrete answer. It’s all a matter of opinion. I’m writing this article so I’ll say that in my personal opinion, I think that Fedor Emelianenko is not only the best overall fighter in the world (weight not being a factor), but also, I think he’s the best “pound for pound” fighter as well.

What do you think?

Leave a comment below and state your case for who you believe is the best..

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The Future Of Muay Thai

I vagely remember my childhood but I’m pretty sure that when I was 7 years old, I was into “WWF” wrestling and the ninja turtle movies. The closest I came to fighting at that age was when I’d act out the wrestling moves on a pillow while watching summerslam. Of course, at the time, I thought I was a badass.

The scene at the Sityodtong Muay Thai camp is unique to say the least. Upon first walking in, you really don’t know what to make of it. The average age of the people training there is about .. 14. There’s a lot that are younger, and of course, there’s a few older guys like myself. At first, you’re not so sure if the fact that there’s so many kids around is a good thing or a bad thing.

Well, it’s a good thing. The thing about Sityodtong is that they create champions. They start training the kids when they’re around 6 years old and by the time they’re 8, their technique is crisp and they’re able to kick the pads harder than beginners that are twice their age. I can only imagine what would happen if all the 8 year olds from the countries around the world went to war (hand to hand combat only).

Check out these little guys .. and girls, hitting the pads!

So why would this kids want to start training at such a young age? Well, I think it comes back to the fact that in Thailand, the younger generation is expected to provide for the family when the parents stop working. A lot of the girls look to prostitution (most don’t) while a lot of the boys test their skills with Muay Thai as it’s seen as a way “out” of poverty.

There’s a story that needs to be told here.

In most of the gyms, the kids are allowed to train for “free” but if they don’t become good quick, they get kicked out of the camp. The camps want the best fighters because in exchange for the free living & training, the kids are expected to fight and donate a portion of their winnings to the camp. Most Thai fighters rack up between 200-300 fights in their careers.

This is where the Sityodtong camp differs. The other day I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the trainers (a former lumpinee champion) and “the boss” and living legend himself - Kru Yodtong (born Erawan Sriwaralak). Kru Yodtong has been recognized by the Kingdom of Thailand as “superior teacher of Muay Thai” and throughout his teaching career, he has trained multiple Thai boxing champions (many of who are current trainers at the camp).

When I was made aware of Kru Yodtong’s contribution to not only Muay Thai, but his people in general, I had to write this story. Unlike at other camps, the fighters at Sityodtong aren’t expected to donate their winnings to the camp. It’s to my understanding that they’re givin half their fight purse up front and the other half goes towards their food, clothing etc.

The kids do not get kicked out of the camp for poor performance. Most of the kids training there are orphins or troubled kids that Kru Yodtong has unselfishly taken in and basically adopted into his family. What’s most important to Kru Yodtong is that these kids succeed in life and become good, productive members of society.

I guess it’s true when people say that “good things happen to good people” because Kru Yodtong has hit the lottery.. twice. The first time was a jackpot of approx. 56 million baht (just under 2 million US dollars) and the second time was good for another 2 million baht (around 60,000 US dollars). The money was not spent on himself.

Rather, the money was put towards bringing in more orphined and troubled youth. They were given a shelter, food and most importantly, they were given guidance through both Kru Yodtong, the family atmosphere at the camp and of course, the sport of Muay Thai.

It’s quite apparent that to Kru Yodtong, money is secondary. He just loves his sport and wants to teach and guide as many people as he can. Even when foreigners come to train, the fee is a modest 250 baht per session. Out of that 250 baht, 150 baht goes to the trainer and only 100 baht goes to the camp itself to help pay the electric bill. For those that don’t know, 100 baht is approx. 3 US dollars.

So what would YOU do with 2,000,000 US dollars? Would you give it all away to underprivilaged children? If not, that’s alright. Most people wouldn’t. I’m just glad I caught wind of this so I could get his story out to as many Muay Thai enthuasists as I could.

Up Next .. I’ll hopefully get a video of my padwork and perhaps a trip to Fairtex?

And of course, with tonight being my big night to go out, I’ll prob. get some footage of the crazy nightlife..

Stay tuned..

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Combat Core Review

What’s “Combat Core”?

Combat Core is basically an e-book & DVD series that demonstrates all kinds of crazy, yet innovative exercises designed to improve the strength of your core. Most of the exercises are designed to improve rotary strength, which is important for basically all of the movements you perform in a fight. Throwing a punch, a Thai style kick, a Judo throw - the effectiveness of these fight-related movements are dependant on core strength.

Who Wrote “Combat Core”?

The book is written buy a guy named Jim Smith, who is the co-founder of Diesel Crew. The Diesel Crew guys are known for coming up with all sorts of wacky, yet effective exercises that are very specific to fighting. Jim Smith holds the CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) designation which is perhaps the most sought after and respected certifications in the personal training industry.

Who Endorses “Combat Core”?

If you check out the combat core pitch-page, you’ll see testimonials from some of the industries most respected “guru’s”. Alwyn Cosgrove and Ross Enamait are a couple of the standouts. While both of these guys have solid reputations in the industry, there’s always the possibility that they just give a testimonial without reading the book so they could get some exposure for their own sites (unlikely but a definite possibility).

My Personal Opinion of “Combat Core”

I actually got the combat core book and looked it over. You’ll see some of the exercises and think to yourself “wow, as if I didn’t think of that” and there’s some exercises that you’ll see and think to yourself “damn, how did he ever think of that?”. Overall, it’s pretty solid.

Is “Combat Core” Worth The Money?

Honestly, I think it depends. Whether combat core is worth the money or not all depends on whether or not you actually implement the exercises into your workouts. If you just order the book, look it over, think to yourself “ya, that’s sort of cool” and never actually try the movements, the combat core book will be a complete waste of money.

On the other hand, if you read combat core and actually perform the exercises on a regular basis, then absolutely, you’ll get a good bang for your buck. It all depends on how dedicated you are.

Recommendation - YES, but only if you’ll actually DO the exercises.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT A PROMOTION THAT’S CURRENTLY RUNNING FOR COMBAT CORE

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