MMA Phuket -

Showcased after the FBT Thailand Submission Grappling Open, Tiger Muay Thai competed in 3 amateur MMA fights.

Fighters wore shin pads and 8oz “shooto style” gloves. No elbows. Knees are permitted only to the body from the standing position. No upkicks, or down kicks from both combatants when a fighter is on his back. And no leg submissions.

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It was a bitter sweet weekend for Tiger Muay Thai who took home the 2nd place team trophy for the 2009 Thailand Submission Grappling Open.

Having won the first place trophy the year previously, this team was short handed due to a busy professional fight schedule. Noticeably missing from the team were Brian Ebersole, Andreas Hesselback, and Claire Haigh, who would have all been favorites to medal in their divisions.

Highlights of the weekend included Wiktor Svennson winning the Advanced under 90kg and absolute divisions. Head Instructor Ray Elbe took home a silver medal in the Elite, losing to Australian National Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt champion Ross Dallow 3-0.

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Claire Haigh stepped up in competition big time when she headed to Australia to face 8x National Muay Thai champion Angie Parr in the Gold Coast, Australia.

Angie and Claire are both internationally top 5 ranked Muay Thai fighters, who were both making their MMA debuts. Claire used her Blue Belt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu technique to secure a great takedown in the 2nd Rd. Mounting Angie, “Claire Bear” showed vicious GNP elbow techniques before securing a tight RNC victory.

Suffering a fully fractured nose 4 days prior to this bout during training, Claire should the heart of a true champion with this win.

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Making their professional debuts, Jason Saggo and Mike Hutchison were both victorious in the Ultimate Combat promotion held in Ireland.

Jason a BJJ Purple Belt and Hutch both showcased their superior grappling techniques securing the first round wins by submission. Also on the card was TMT favorite Damo Rooney. Damo suffered a disappointing setback, suffering his first professional loss in a back and forth fight.

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Competing in Bangkok Aug. 12th, 2009 for the Queen of Thailand’s birthday Claire Haigh defeated former Tiger Muay Thai fighter Chantal Ughi becoming the Females 63.5kg WPMF World Champion, in a bout showcased on National TV.

Chantal Ughi who previously won a 67kg World Championship belt while training at TMT switched training camps 8 weeks prior to the Queen’s Cup representing Galaxy Gym at the prestigious event instead of Tiger Muay Thai. The event promoter quickly saw the opportunity to match Chantal against Tiger Muay Thai’s talented 59kg Claire Haigh at a cage weight of 63.5kg for the vacant WPMF Title.

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Bringing a team of 10 competitors Tiger Muay Thai was well represented at the 2nd annual White Belt Grappling Festival held at the EMAC training facility in Bangkok Thailand. Coached by BJJ Brown Belt Instructor Ray Elbe, Team TMT took 3 first place finishes in the Gi and 3 first place finishes in the Nogi.

The total number of top 3 finishes for the team of 10 competitors equaled 13 between the Gi and Nogi divisions.

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AOW 13 was the fourth consecutive Art Of War FC fight card to showcase a Tiger Muay Thai fighter.

Looking to Build upon the momentum of his DRAW with Dai Shuang Hai in AOW 11, Bernueng accepted another tough challenger in veteran Jadamba Narantungalag. Jadamba, who has fought notable fights against Kid Yamamoto, Buakaw, and Andy Sowers is a 5x K1 max veteran, with a 10-2 professional MMA record. Suffering a damaging spinning back kick, Bernueng was taken down by Jadamba and gave up the armbar as he tried to escape mount.

Despite the setback, this was Bernueng’s third professional appearance and he will continue making the transition from World Champion Thai fighter into World Champion MMA star.

Tiger Muay Thai & MMA training camp, Phuket, Thailand gives congrats to Jon Fitch on his win over the previously undefeated BJJ Black Belt Paulo Thiago in UFC 100 this weekend. Thiago has a TKO victory over fellow AKA fighter Josh Koshcheck.

Congratulations also to Alan Belcher who lost a controversial split decision to Korean/Japanese fighter Akiyiama (12-1 record) but won the 100.000$ Fight of the Night bonus.

Alan Belcher and Jon Fitch has both spend time training at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Training Camp.

Its going to be a big night with exciting fights when Tiger Muay Thai & MMA Phuket training camp puts 5 fighters on the 2009 Queen Cups fightcard to celebrate the Queen of Thailands Birthday on August 11th 2009.

Fighters to step up in the ring from Tiger Muay Thai is Elena, Claire, Jonny, Cyrus and Chantal

Making a successful return to the ring after a disappointing loss on the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter Season 9 reality TV show against the eventual Finalist Damarques Johnson, MMA Coach Ray Elbe traveled to Seoul South Korea to fight in the Main Event for the Neofight 12 promotion.

Facing the 6-1 record of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt Chang Koo Lee of the Ansan BJJ team, Elbe displayed his superior MMA Grappling techniques by securing the fight ending Triangle Choke submission 90 seconds into the fight.

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After his impressive showing at AOW 11, Finish Fighter Marko Huusansaari was invited back to face Sanda Kickboxing champion Guo Bin Xue of China.

Former UFC ref. Big John McCarthy over saw the action as the two fighters exchanged on the feet several times, before Marko showcased his Nogi grappling skills by securing the back of Guo Bin Xue as he attempted to execute a head and arm hip toss, moments later Marko was declared the winner Via RNC Submission.

Tiger Muay Thai, brought Andreas Hesselback, Bernueng Sakhomsin, and Marko Huusansaari to compete in Asia’s largest Mixed Martial Arts promotion, Art of War FC. AOW, is held in Mainland China, and is broadcasted on Inner Mongolian Satellite. The first round is 10 minutes, with a 5 minute second round. If at the end of regulation there is no submission, TKO, or KO the bout is ruled a DRAW.

Competing in the main event Rajadamnern Muay Thai champion Bernueng Sakhomsin made his second professional MMA appearance against Dai Shuang Hai, a veteran who was undefeated in 7 professional bouts. Showcasing heart and determination Bernueng outclassed expectations and took the bout the full duration earning himself a DRAW for his efforts.

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Proving that training in Thailand pays off, this season of the Ultimate Fighter features 3 fighters who have previously trained at Tiger Muay Thai.

The 9th season of the UFC reality TV show will feature a twist in action as teams represent the USA and the UK.

Richie Whitson and TMT MMA Coach Ray Elbe represent the USA squad, as former quest instructor Alex Reid is a member of the UK’s team.

While back home training in Orange County California at the No Limits/Lotus Club facility in Irvine, USA ray was awarded his BJJ Brown Belt.

World Champion black belt Marcelo Ramones Copa along side 3rd degree Black Belt Juliano Prado presented him with the honors.

Ray is now one of the few Lotus Club represenatives in Southeast Asia.

Congratulations to Ray!

After successfully running the Nevertap tournament Ray Elbe will be heading to the states to compete. Currently his trip is scheduled to last until mid March.

Covering the MMA/Grappling classes at MMA Phuket/Tiger will be Avellan brothers of the FFA team from Florida, USA. Marcos Avellan a “Hellraiser” Textiera BJJ Black Belt won the 2005 USA ADCC Tryouts without having a point scored against him in the competition.

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After a day of grappling competitors, coaches, fans headed back home to freshen up and relax before the BBQ Beatdown event began. Several notable fighters/coaches were in attendance for the MMA fights. K-1 Max veteran Ole Laursen, Swedish Grappling sensation Malik Mawlayi, and Bangkok Fight Club instructor Alex Berezovik were in attendance. Serving as Judge for all 5 of the MMA fights were, UFC Vet Mike Swick, KOTC Vet Chad Hamzeh, and SuperPro Koh Samui BJJ Instructor Jack Magee, all three fighters veterans of over 10 professional MMA fights. Referees for the Matches were Ray Elbe and Alex Bezerovik.

Highlights from BBQ Beatdown V, included Thai fighter Ngoo Ditty extending his MMA win streak to 4 fights with a spectacular double leg takedown, followed by a cartwheel guard pass and a RNC finish.

Professional Female Muay Thai fighter Claire Haigh made her MMA debut against a much heavier male opponent and won a hard fought 3 round decision.

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TMT hosted another exciting weekend of MMA/Grappling action held in Phuket Thailand. Kicking off the event, was the MMA Seminar hosted by 9x UFC veteran Mike “Quick” Swick. Close to 60 participants showed up for the Swick seminar; including KOTC Vet Chad Hamzeh, BJJ Black Belt Alex Prates, and Switzerland’s Enomoto brothers.

Saturday began the Nevertap Asia grappling tournament. With 8 divisions and close to 60 competitors the event ran smoothly. The tournament began on time with the first matches starting at Noon, and the event ending by 4PM. Tournament was first round, double elimination. The winner of the winners bracket, faced the winner of the losers bracket to decide 1st and 2nd place. Bronze was given to the runner up of the winners bracket.

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Exciting fights are nothing new to the TMT Full Moon party tradition, but this BBQ set a new standard for action. The first fight of the night featured a grappling match between a pair of BJJ Blue belts from Sweden, Wiktor Svennson and Jonas Brundustun.

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Tiger Muay Thai proves why they are known as the best Grappling team in Asia! Competing in the FBT BJJ and NOGI Grappling tourney in Bangkok last week MMA Phuket showcased it’s superior technique against 14 different schools from 7 different countries.

A congratulations is due to everyone who made the trip and competed.

Individuals who won medals include;
Gold- Goran, Sara, Chad(2), Hutch, Wiktor(2), Tony(3), Lee, Carlos, Dimitrios(2), and Mike T.

Silver- Adam, Caden, Sarah, Jonas(2), Josh, Dimitrious, Robert, Allen, Patric, Samuel, Ngoo.

Bronze- Mike T, Damion, Mats, Josh, Kenneth, and Dimitrios.

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Suffering a dissapointing training injury Chad Hamzeh has had to withdrawl from his scheduled match against Shanghai BJJ Blue Belt Ryan Melchiano because of a fractured toe. Looking to step up on short notice MMA Phuket favorite “Hutch” quickly accepted the fight offer.

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Fresh off helping prepare Alan Belcher for his bout against Ed Herman, MMA Phuket has sponsored rising WW prospect Brodie Farber.

Farber drew a tough matchup in his first UFC bout against former IFL sensation Rory Markham, losing by KO in an exciting bout that was featured on the telecast. With a professional record of 13 wins and only 4 loses Brodie Farber, a veteran of the WEC wants to add authentic Muay Thai into his striking arsenal. Faber will be facing ATT standout Luigi Fioravanti in UFC Fight Night - Fight for the Troops the 10th of December on Spike TV

While training in Thailand Brodie will look to compete in a professional Muay Thai fight in preparation to his upcoming UFC training camp.

MMA Phuket would like to congratulate Dimitrios Tsitos after his recent dominate performance in Abu Dhabi.

Competing in the first ever Nogi Ramadan Cup, Dimitrios faced 8 opponents, submitting 7 of them, earning the gold medal in the under 82 kilo and open weight divisions.

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MMA Phuket would like to congratulate Alan Belcher on his recent UFC Fight Night victory over Team Quest sensation Ed Herman.

The fights where shown prior to the innagural Ultimate Fighter TV show on Spike TV and carried an average viewer rating of 1.8 million spectators.

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Aussie Michael Katsidis shows his toughness despite suffering a controversial split decision to American Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz . In front of a sellout crowd of 18,000 fans Katsidis battled 12 rounds on a hand he broke early in the 3rd. Diaz (33-1, 17KOs) appeared to build an advantage in the middle rounds, with Katsidis (23-2, 20 KOs) finishing strongly. (news Jornal on Diaz bout)

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MMA Phuket will be headlining two of the three MMA fights being featured at the Thailand Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Open in Bangkok Thailand Sept 27th and 28th.

Ngoo Ditty will be giving up nearly 15lbs in weight as he faces foreigner Xavier Mahdavian and Chad Hamzeh, a veteran of over 10 MMA fights will be facing Shanghai BJJ Blue Belt Ryan Melchiano. Both of these fighters will be competing in the Nogi Grappling competition prior to their MMA bouts.

MMA Phuket will be bringing a team of nearly 25 competitors to compete in the grappling tournament.

Anyone arriving at TMT before the 27th of Sept who is interested in competing in an MMA or Grappling match contact Ray.

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Nevertap comes to Asia January 17th, 2009. The Tiger Muay Thai training facility will mark the first site of the first Nevertap event to be held outside of the United States.

This event has featured many of the top North American grappler’s including;Jeff Glover, Tyrone Glover, Clebber Luciano, Chris Brennan, Bill Cooper, Antonio McKee, Jay Heron, Joe Stevenson, Scott Bieri, Marcos Avellon, Mac Danzig, Brian Peterson, Ulysses Gomez, Scottie Epstien, and Nick Diaz.

The Nevertap tournament is structured to promote exciting matches and submission attempts. All matches are conducted inside of a ring or MMA cage and are judged rather than scored.

Check out the www.nevertap.asia website for more details and to start planning your fitness goal of the New Year.

The annual Full Moon BBQ’s hosted by Tiger Muay Thai are becoming legendary.

This edition of amateur fights was no exception. With celebrity guests UFC Vet Alan Belcher and BJJ Black Belt Tony Eduardo in attendance a 5 bout fight card was highlighted by two MMA matches.

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MMA Phuket would like to congratulate Mike Hutchison on his recent dominate performance at the Java Grappling games in Jakarta Indonesia.

Competing under modified grappling rules, the event allowed several advanced submissions including heel hooks, spine locks, and neck cranks. Hutch won gold in the under 88 Kilo division defeating Synergy Jiu Jitsu instructor, and 3x tournament winner Max Metino in the finals with an impressive knee bar submission. Stepping into the open weight division Hutch took home a bronze medal, eventually losing to BJJ Purple belt Fransino Tirta in the Semi Finals by guillotine choke.

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MMA Phuket has officially sponsored UFC Veteran Alan Belcher as he prepares for his UFC fight against Team Quest’s Ed Herman. Herman, an Ultimate Fighter reality show Semifinalist will be a formable opponent.

Belcher is a dangerous Muay Thai striker from the United States who has a 12-6 professional MMA record. His fight will be on the broadcasted portion of the Sept 17th Ultimate Fight Night card. Over 4 ½ million viewers are expected to tune into Spike TV and watch the live broadcast. Spending the next 4 weeks at TMT, look for Belcher to split training time between the MMA program and the Advanced Muay Thai trainers. Belcher will work privates exclusively with; Kru Phatet, Bernueng, Rattanasak and Robert as he prepares for his 7th UFC fight.

Check out Belcher’s gym in Biloxi Mississippi and his website.

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With Special guest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Cristiano Jose Carvalho from Singapore in Attendance, Tiger Muay Thai hosted Phuket Island’s first ever amateur MMA tournament this past weekend.

Fighters wore shin pads and 8oz “shooto style” gloves. No knees to the head when the opponent is standing or on the ground. Knees are permitted only to the body from the standing position. No upkicks, or down kicks from both combatants when a fighter is on his back. And no leg submissions. This tournament featured 2 rounds of 3 minute duration.

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At only 26 years of age Tony Eduardo captured a Bronze Medal in the BJJ Black Belt 2007 Nogi Mundials held in Los Angeles California. Being awarded his Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu Black Belt under Master Rilion, Eduardo is a master instructor, who also possessing a Physical Education degree from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Florianopolis, Brazil).

Tony has done seminars at world renowned schools such as Renzo Gracie’s NY and Ralph Gracie’s San Francisco academies and will be enjoying the tropics of Phuket Thailand after an extended training trip with Shanghai BJJ.

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After almost a 5 year layoff from pro MMA competition, 2nd degree Lotus Club BJJ BB, and former Gladiator Challenge Champion, Juliano Prado got back to his winning ways with his quick first round submission victory over LA Boxing’s Thor Skancke. Using his superior BJJ techniques Juliano earned the submission victory at 1:01 of the first round by Triangle Choke. Read about the fight on Sherdog here.

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MMA Phuket would like to say good bye to training partner Wade Henderson as he returns home to Johannesburg South Africa.

Wade trained full time at Tiger Muay Thai for the last 8 months, competing in four different countries. (Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia)

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After falling victim to an accidental head butt against UFC prospect Anthony Ruiz last November, Bobby Southworth was on the receiving end of a controversial ref stoppage.

Gearing up for an eventual rematch, Bobby came to Tiger Muay Thai to train for his redemption. Bobby trained extremely hard with Kru Yod, and taught a free MMA seminar for guest training at TMT to show his appreciation.  Look for Bobby to successfully defend his Strikeforce LHW belt, displaying his refined Muay Thai techniques.

See the Camp Showcase of when Bobby was here training and watch video from the seminar.

For more pictures go to Combat Lifestyle

3 new episodes of the MMA Phuket Mini Instructionals are up.

Ray chose three linking Rubber Guard attacks for a showcase in this edition of MMA Phuket Mini Instructional Series. Flow through the transitions with him as he demonstrates the steps to an Armbar, Omoplata, and eventual North/South Choke from a variation of Eddie Bravo’s innovative Tenth Planet Jiu Jitsu.

Check them out with video and text here! Enjoy!