Lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev steps into the cage in Las Vegas this weekend hoping to be the latest fighter to begin a journey to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) glory from a production line of mixed martial arts (MMA) champions in Phuket, Thailand.
Tiger Muay Thai gym was, before the COVID-19 pandemic, attracting fighters from all over the globe, lured by world-class training, an idyllic tropical beach lifestyle and a growing reputation.
The gym has produced a string of fighters progressing into the UFC, the biggest MMA promotion — several becoming world champions.
Photo: Hip Panakom Santayanon / AFP
“Before lockdown, we were seeing many fighters from Tiger Muay Thai sign with the UFC. It was like a wave,” said Fiziev, who is from Kyrgyzstan and has an MMA record of eight wins with just one defeat. “The lockdown has kept people away, but our fighters are winning and the wave will come again.”
MMA was one of the first sports to restart after the pandemic shutdown, with UFC staging events in bio-secure bubbles since May and Asia’s One Championship welcoming back limited crowds in Singapore since the end of October.
“The fighters we have coming through help to breed success. Seeing them train inspires everyone,” said George Hickman, MMA coach at Tiger Muay Thai.
One of the most explosive UFC talents, middleweight champ Israel Adesanya of New Zealand, has also tapped into the gym, as has Australian featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
Thailand’s first UFC star, strawweight Loma Lookboonmee, has caused an explosion of interest in MMA in her home country, encouraging fighters to make the move from traditional forms of combat such as kickboxing or Muay Thai.
“We have a group of young Thai guys who are dabbling,” Hickman said. “It’s coming along and Loma is a big reason why.”
Fiziev, 27, who fights Brazilian Renato Carneiro (14-3) on the UFC 256 undercard, also coaches kickboxing at Tiger Muay Thai.
“Some Fridays we have about 100 people sparring and everyone is strong, with different talents,” he said. “The Muay Thai fighters can mix it with the best.”
Taiwan suffered its first defeat of the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, losing to defending champion Japan 3-1 at the Taipei Dome last night. Japan’s victory put Taiwan’s score at two wins and one loss in WBSC Premier12 championship Group B play. In the top of the first inning, a sacrifice fly from Japanese batter Shota Morishita allowed Masayuki Kuwahara to score a run on Taiwan’s starter Chen Po-ching (陳柏清). Taiwan’s attempt to catch up in the bottom of the first ended to no avail and an uneventful second inning saw the score
Taiwan last night defeated Cuba 2-0 in their World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 Group B game at the Taipei Dome and finished the group second. At the Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium, South Korea yesterday defeated Australia 5-2, while Japan last night won 11-3 against the Dominican Republic. On Sunday, Taiwan scored two three-run homers in an 11-3 blowout win over Australia at the Taipei Dome to advance to the Super Round. Fresh off a defeat at the hands of defending Premier12 champions and Group B winners Japan the previous day, Taiwan’s offense came out slugging against Australia from the
Taiwan scored two three-run homers in an 11-3 blowout win over Australia at the Taipei Dome last night to advance to the Super Round of the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 tournament. Fresh off a defeat at the hands of defending Premier12 champion and Group B winner Japan the previous day, Taiwan’s offense came out slugging against Australia from the off. After taking a walk to first base, Taiwan’s Chen Chieh- hsien (陳傑憲) then stole second before Tseng Song-en (曾頌恩) drew a walk to first in the top of the first inning. Chen then
A debate over the soul of soccer is raging in FIFA World Cup holders Argentina, pitting defenders of the social role of the beautiful game against the government of libertarian Argentine President Javier Milei, who wants to turn clubs into for-profit companies. Argentina, which gave the world Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, is home to some of the world’s most devoted soccer fans — a fact attributed by supporters like Gabriel Nicosia to the clubs’ community outreach. Nicosia is a lifelong supporter of San Lorenzo, a more than 100-year-old first division club based in the working-class Buenos Aires neighborhood of Boedo where
RSS