Muay Thai Stuff’s Blog

The Contender Asia Season 2 Qualifiers

Paulo Balicho (Switzerland)

The Portuguese tough fighters who got many of world champion titles.
In the Contender Asia season 2, he will join the tournament on behalf of Switzerland, even though he is a Portuguese. Paulo has very long and tough fight records, some of his achievement as follows;

Thaiboxing World Champion (WKA) 2004
Thaiboxing World Champion (I.K.B.O) 2004
Thaiboxing European Champion (WKA) 2002
Thaiboxing World Champion (I.K.B.O.) 2002
FullContact: European Champion (WKN) 2001
Thaiboxing World Champion (WKN) 2000-2001
Thaiboxing Swiss Champion (M.T.B.S.) 1997-2001
Kickboxing European Championship (I.K.B.F.) 1999-2001
Thaiboxing European Championship (E.P.M.T.F.) 1999
Thaiboxing Vice World Championship (I.A.M.T.F.) 1999

(more…)

Picture from www.contenderasia.com

“The hardest war I ever had” This is what Jaba told us after the fight with David. David was selected by the red team to compete with Jaba for the next elimination fight. I know that this fight is going to be the best fight and memorable match. This because even though I never had chance to see both of them but from roughly estimate their skill, I could say that they probably the best fighters among the rest in their teams.

David actuall did very well during the first two rounds but unfortunately he start to become losing his power and got injury from Jaba’s elbow. But that’s not the big thing for him, the critical points for David’s lost is may be he was thrown down to the floor so many time, almost every time he had clinching.

Even though many people think that this fight is very close and either of them could be the winner. But in Muay Thai, what we call “Roop Muay” which means maintaining the aspect of being ready to fight and not losing power are also important and the fighter who fail to perform this will finally lose the score, and this was unfortunately happened to David.

However, this was a really great fight and I could say that it will be difficult to see this kind of fight again in the Contender Asia, apart from if they were perform by Thai fighters.

Picture from www.contenderasia.com

After the blue tem lost its member, Alan, it’s seems that everything for them completely worse. No more motivation left for them as when the lost of Alan make thing clear that they are losing more member than the red team. David also could do nothing more as because he seems to be very lack of motivation for him self too. However, I have to admit that Alan is too weak and he is noboday for Soran to fight. Just like Yodsaenklai said that they are too far away (too different in terms of fighting skills). However, when the next challenge comes, the game, again looks like the organiser want to make more challenge again about their power and teamwork. But this time, it is very obvious that the blue team just seems completely forget about the fail that has passed on to them and start to fight again. The teamwork of the blue team is mush better and also almost win the game when David drags the cart and runs ahead to John, but finally, David’s and his team lost again and this makes him and blue team feel even worst.

picture from www.contenderasia.com

This fight is really interesting. Even though Alan seems to lost all the advantage since before the fight start and I can easily predict the result of the fight. However, he surprised me by the first two rounds when he could take the fight under control. Grab leg was very effective and Soran just find very difficult to attack, but unfortunately, I can see Alan’s attacks have absolutely no power. The most important thing is that, I believe that Soran knew this as well, and this makes him not too frightened by Alan.

When the third round start, Alan looks very tired and Soran grab opportunities immediately by attacks as many as he can. However, I could see that the overall perspective still looks good for Alan as he still be able to attacks by knee kicks and clinch, but he was too weak too fight. As a result he finally gone with the wound on his face, made by Soran’s elbows.

The fight does not have to end like this if Alan tried not to be too close to Soran and then receives name of elbows attack. If he thinks about using defensive strategies, then he may not lost KO. But unfortunately, he is too weak, which may be due to his stomach disease, then everything seem to be too late for Alan.

At the blue corner, his captain, David and Thai coach are discussing about whether they should tell Alan surrender, due to the wound is getting bigger. But this is not a key decision making that made by himself. No response, no intention to continue the fight and want to finish, that’s what I can see from his eyes.

Picture from www.contenderasia.com

The rule of the challenge of the 5th episode is really simple and I think it is purely judge for the winner by only using power alone. This game is call in Thailand “Chak Yer”. But the different is that there was a really big truck in the middle of the rope. So this task have become more challenge and stressful. When the red team won, I just feel that the reward for all member of the team are really not valuable, even though they worth 500 USD each. I could see somebody just feel disappoint when they know that they get “virtual” money to buy thing on eBay. The prices are not even close to the event and Muay Thai, they might need something more relaxing and enjoying activities.

However, the price is the price, they have to take it and shop online for eBay items. Now finally Alan, one of my favourite fighter was picked up for the fight by Soran, who seems to be very keen and expert in Muay Thai. I am still do not know what the result of the fight at this point but what I certainly know that it is going to be a good and exciting fight.

Picture from www.contenderasia.com

But before I will talk about the new captain of the blue team. There is something to talk about the training. I am not really sure that what I can see on the series is the whole training. I think that the training is too lose for all fighters, compare to their potential. They should get tougher and more intensive training programme. However, this is not just for the commercial purpose, but if the organiser would like to success in business as well as success in promoting Muay Thai, they should arrange some kind of intensive training programmes that similar to what’s being done in Thailand, then the audience should know what the professional training in Thailand look like. However, the objective of this series may be different, so we have nothing to do with it.

Now let’s go further to the game. The atmosphere between teams going on well, but the red team looks a bit better when they have two consecutive wins. However, for the blue team, we got a surprise that one member of them is not well and has a problem with his intestine. But Alan still be good and full of intention to fight. The new captain of the bule team is David, whom I can see his shining since fight between John and Rafik. He was the one who gave support to both Rafik and Bruce. He is strong and tough so it is no doubt he deserve to be the new captain.

Picture from contenderasia.com

Now the time for Thai fighter comes again. I can realise in the early stage before the fight that Yod Saenklai will definitely win, but I also agree with Naruepon’s comments towards his friend’s decision why he choose to fight with Bruce, only Yod Saenklai knows.

Bruce seemed to realise about the different between his ability and Yod Saenklai’s. But this video make me very appreciate him for his great spirit to try the best as a fighter and he must do the best to win the fight, no matter what the result of the fight will be.

When the fight began. It was no surprise for both team’s member that they can see Bruce was attacked most of the time. Bruce start to lost power sing the middle of the third round and some of his friend knew that he turned to survival mode (no ability to attack, just try the best to keep standing on the ring). But Bruce shoed that what his friend thought was a really misunderstood. During the fourth round, Bruce did very well by attacking Yod Saenklai many times and I could have seen and really appreciate his afford that he never give up.

When the fight finished, I think this is a highlight of the scene when Bruce “Wai” Yod Saenklai on the ring to pay the great respect to his opponent and I would say that Bruce is the “winning loser” of this tournament.

Pic from www.contenderasia.com

In general, there will be no interesting points to see the challenges because they looks not very exciting to the audiences and the most interesting ones are obviously the elimination fights. But in my perspective, this game was really interesting to me and I would thank you for the organiser to have this kind of game include in this episode.

What I like of this game is not looking them to do the ice breaking and find the puzzles but what interest me is the lesson learnt from the game. It is very obvious that the red team will lose soon once the blue team gets all the pieces out from the ice. But when people in the blue team found that there was one piece missing, what they did was standing and complaining that there is one puzzle missing but did not try to find where the missing piece was.

This is the critical point that makes the blue team lost this game. The spirit of team working is very important. During the fight, the role of coach and seconds was very important to the fighter, not in terms of advising the techniques to the fighter on the ring but in terms of giving moral support to the fighter, which seems to be the similar aspect to this puzzle game. Then, again, the red team was the winner.

Picture from www.contenderasia.com

Please do not be surprise if the title of each episodes are not familiar and unlike what they have in the official contender website because it is my own title that pick up from my own feeling after watching the video. After Raifk left, every one in the red team were very happy and also they happy for good performance of team’s captain, John. But the tragedy still haunting around that members of the red team think that this was not a very good fight for John, or even for John himself he feels that Rafik was too good to overcome and also he gonna lose to Rafik at the end of the fight. John think that this is not what he expect and the fight was something that not really represent him and he should have done a lot better than that. I personally agree with this because I can notice that they both were losing original patterns of Muay Thai, and they seemed fight only with angry! Due to the conflict between Jaba and Rafik that was made before the fight.
John got serious injuries on both his face and bruises on his feet. I don’t know hoe these happened but it seems not so good for John. So that’s why I named this part of episode like this, when loser become winner and winner becomes a loser. However, the rest have to continue the competition and no matter they are the loser or winner, the more important thing than the result of the competition is the spirit of these guy for being honest and accept all the criticism as well as maintaining the good spirit of Muay Thai.

Picture from contenderasia.com

It finally the time for the fight between John Wyane, the captain of the red team and Rafik, the head of the blue team after both teams had serious argument and seemed that every body wanted Rafik to lose and go as soon as possible, even this may be also the wish of anyone in Rafik’s team!! The fight began with a little bit more advantage for Rafik, but it was not really obvious. Looks like Rafik has speed meanwhile John has power so they were trying to maximize their potential to make an affective attack. Then, again, Rafik did the thing that I personally hate, hands down, and his team mate always reminds him all the time.

John also perform a very good defensive techniques especially his front kicks and very effective to keep Rafiik away and unable to attack him and many times that Rafik down by his front kicks. However, Rafik was so good for his elbow strike, many times that he could make obvious attack on John’s face which finally cause a boldly wound on John’s face. I think if Rafik was more focus on using his effective elbow, he may win.