Rodtang Jitumangnon wins at ONE Championship: Advances in Muay Thai Tournament
Things have been cracking along at Fairtex. Rodtang and Seesom went to Singapore for ONE Championship. The Iron Man trained with us for his tournament fight. He took on the game Jacob Smith from the UK. Rodtang dominated the fight with his superior skills and intelligence. The hard hitting southern Thai fighter hurt his hand so he’s recovering a bit. We hope to see him back here soon. In the meantime, Seesom is back to training Nakrob for his next bout.
Americans Show Heart at Lumpinee
Both Americans Thai-Ngan Le and Robbinson Galvez lost on points at Lumpinee in great battles.
Le took on Petchsrinin Sor Phuang Thong in a three round fight that went the distance. “I started too slow,” Le said. “I had so much gas in my tank but I got pulled into her rhythm.”
Le turned things up in the third round but by then it was too little too late. The very clever Petchrinin took the game on points by out timing and outsmarting Thai. The Vietnamese American is already back to training and looking to fight again soon.
Galvez went to war in a huge slug fest against Chalamseuk Kiatnavy. Robbinson's unorthodox style with big hands turned the battle raw. Chalamseuk, an established fighter on the entertainment scene, put the Mexican American to the test.
“I felt good that I survived with a guy at that level,” Galvez said. “It was good to see where I’m at.”
Galvez landed some big shots but ate a handful of crosses and body kicks. The experience gap showed in the third and final round. Galvez is out in Thailand for one more month. Then he returns to the states to fight, and fight again!
On the same card, Thanonchai took out Albert PK Saenchai in the first round with a hard left hand. Thanonchai has faced some tough fighters of late and turned around his record with a starching cross.
Getting Strong
Aaron Zackon’s fight in Dubai was rescheduled. Sadly the prince of the UAE passed away so the bout was pushed back. In the meantime, he’s building his muscles with some explosive work. The athletes do strength and conditioning sessions three times a week. They combine basic bodybuilding with explosive drills.
Australia versus Thailand
The world of Muay Thai is growing. Fairtex met with Infliction Fight Series to host an international showdown between Australia and Thailand. The lineup was impressive. Youssef Boughanem, Chadd Collins, Superball Fairtex, James Honey, Jack Sor Kor Nor Khlongsamwa, and more all impressed the crowd.
(In this photo: AS1 Pink)
Superball’s fight with the tall and lanky James Honey from Strikeforce was amazing. The shorter stockier Thai fighter started very strong with significant strikes. In the second and third Honey sweetened the fight with hellacious body shots. Superball showed signs of wear and tear going to the judge’s score card. The Australian got the sweet taste of victory in a great bout that could end up as a rematch.
The Australians are planning on coming back to Lumpinee later this year. Fairtex fighters will be going down under to fight on Infliction soon!
Clinching to Victory
(In this photo: AS1 Green, KPLS2 and FMV9 Yellow)
Fighters at Fairtex clinch very regularly. Every afternoon and most mornings the fighters will work on their clinch skills. The sessions will last between 20-30 minutes. Often athletes will shark tank each other. One person, who has a fight, goes into the middle of a group. The boxers then take turns, attacking the one in the middle. It’s not easy but it makes for durable fighters! Meg Washam clinches with Petchwarin. Both are fighting in June!
Dokmaipaa Gets Silver At SEA Games
(In this photo: AS1 Green and HB6 Banana Bag Black/Gold)
Dokmaipaa went to Hanoi, Vietnam to fight in the Southeast Asian Games. Countries from around the region participate. Dokmaipaa went with the Thai National team. She is part of a two group team. Group A, went to the SEA Games. Group B fights in Abu Dhabi from May 26th to June 2nd for the IFMA Senior Games. Dokmaipaa fought several times and came home with a prestigious silver medal.
Y2K goes to ONE
It’s a big fight for Y2K. The colorful fighter is having his first MMA fight for the year. He’s excited and has been working on all his skills. He’ll take on He takes on Gurdarshan Mangat at flyweight for ONE 158. It starts on Friday, June 3rd. The fight can be viewed on the ONE Championship app/youtube.
Mr. Wong On Fighters
“I always say fighters are like mustangs. They are wild. To keep them behaving and listen, it takes a lot of patience and a lot of love. You are the owner and you can use your power and bully them. That is wrong. They will run away. But with love and tough. Even when they want to run away, they will rethink. ‘Oh my boss, he treats us like his own children. The reason why he’s tough is because he loves us. He wants us to have a good future."
Author: Matt Lucas
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