Malik Arash Mawlayi beats Carlos Prada in Rumble of the Kings 2010

The Natural Born Killer is back again! This time, Malik faced off against young up-and-coming Swedish talent Carlos Prada in a very exciting MMA fight that took place in Stockholm as part of the Rumble of the Kings 2010 event. Prada started off strong, but was soon overwhelmed by Malik's striking power. Malik landed a number of spinning back kicks cleanly before closing the distance and delivering a flurry of unanswered punches. The referee had no option but to stop the fight, giving Malik the victory by TKO in the first round.

You can watch Malik's fight here.

New fight videos

Here is a video of one of Hampus's recent fights that I missed when I was away. He won by TKO in the first round. Enjoy!


And here you can see Bank in a couple of really tough fights.

First, his fight at the airport stadium in Ubon Ratchathani.




And here is his fight in Khong Chiam, Isaan.








Finally, here is Bo's fight, also in Khong Chiam.

Mikkel wins first fight with head kick KO

Mikkel from Denmark had his first muay thai fight last Friday and defeated his opponent with a beautiful head kick in the very first round. You can watch Mikkel's fight below - thanks to Dennis for the video!

Ajarn Nuay's rematch in Yasothon

Once again, thanks to Lotte for the recording.  Now everybody can enjoy MonkholKhao's comeback victory.

Video of Thalita 'Mad Dog' Vergilio's win in Yasothon

Big thanks to Lotte for the video.  Enjoy!

Legacy Gym 3 - Others 0

Last Saturday the 6th of November, Legacy sent three fighters, Ajarn Nuay, Hampus and Thalita,to Ban Kor Wang in Yasothon. All three fights were very important for different reasons: Ajarn Nuay fought a rematch of the fight he lost by decision six weeks ago, Hampus faced his toughest opponent to date,in a bid to extend his current winning streak to three, and Thalita made her first appearance in over a year since having reconstructive shoulder surgery.

The fight card was packed with talent and all of the fights were closely contested. The event kicked off with a couple of kids' bouts and then it was straight into the good stuff...

Thalita was the first Legacy fighter to take to the ring in the fifth bout of the evening.  She had a lot of support as two pick-ups had made their way from Ubon packed with Ajarn Nuay's friends and family and the majority of the Danish National Muay Thai Team who are currently at Legacy preparing for the World Amateur Championships in Bangkok.

Although Thalita took the fight on only 4 or 5 hours notice, she looked sharp and caught her opponent with a number of powerful right hands early in the fight.  It looked as though 'Mad Dog' might get the KO as she continued to dominate.  But her opponent was very game, and managed to last the distance.  The fight went to a judges'decision and there was no doubt who had won the bout when Thalita's arm was raised.  She was extremely happy to get her first win in Thailand and to emerge completely unscathed after four rounds of action.  Well done Thalita.

Next up was the evening's main event.  Ajarn Nuay's recent defeat in a bout he took at very short notice had left a stale taste in his mouth.  So MongkholKhao(The White Dragon) came out of his early retirement and got back to training once more.  It was obvious from the initial bell that the skill level on display here was far above that of the other fights on the card as both Ajarn Nuay and his opponent put on a superb technical display worthy of the big stadiums in Bangkok.

The opening rounds were a tit-for-tat battle with Ajarn Nuay landing a number of savage leg-kicks while his opponent concentrated more on the body.  With the power on display, it was hard to imagine the fight going the distance and in the middle of the third round, MongkholKhao landed a very quick combination and finished his opponent with an uppercut elbow.  All of us were delighted with his win as he's one of the friendliest faces at the gym and a great trainer to boot.  It seems the victory has breathed new fire into 'The White Dragon' as he now has another fight scheduled for the 19th of November.  Congratulations Ajarn Nuay, well done.

A couple of bouts later 'SuperHam' took the spotlight.  It was Hampus's third fight in recent weeks and, taking a step up in class this time, he took on a much more experienced opponent.  The trainers had been warning him for a couple of weeks about this guy's ability and cunning, so he was prepared for a tough battle.  But as in each of his previous bouts, Hampus wasted no time in launching an all-out attack with elbows and vicious knees to the head.  He took a couple of hard leg kicks and was rocked early in the second round by a combination of punches but, once Hampus smells blood, he is relentless.  He finished his opponent with a flurry of knees in only the second round and has as yet never made it to the third round in his entire fight career.  The trainers were so impressed with his performance that there is talk of him facing off against former Legacy trainer Muuhin, or even SuperClinch in the near future.  Now, that's a match worth writing about: SuperClinch vs SuperHam!!!!!
Well done Hampus.

Catching up

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates on the blog recently, I've been away on holidays and I'm only just starting to catch up with everything.

Well, first things first, big congratulations to Ole 'Iron Fist' Laursen who won another MMA fight in Singapore on the 16th of October 2010. It was the final Martial Combat event of the year in Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa complex to wrap up what has been an extremely successful inaugural year for their organisation.

Ole starred in the co-main event of Martial Combat 12, taking on Malaysian newcomer Chee Jian Kai. With Ole’s unbeaten 2-0 Martial Combat record and Legacy’s overall 6-2-1 record at stake, there was a lot of pressure on him to finish this year’s campaign with another victory.

He didn’t disappoint, finishing his opponent viciously by ground and pound TKO in the first round.  Although Martial Combat won’t return until mid 2011, Ole plans to continue training hard and fighting smart, with his next fight scheduled for Sweden’s Rumble of the Kings event later this month.

Hampus from Sweden also fought again, easily defeating his opponent by first round TKO. Niki from Denmark had his first muay thai fight, which he took on short notice. He did well in the first couple of rounds, but was unable to come out for the third round and lost the fight. There were also three Legacy fighters in action last weekend, but I'll blog about them tomorrow when I have the videos.

New Legacy Gym website

The new Legacy Gym website is now up and running. Check it out for information on the gym, videos, photos, frequently asked questions and up-to-date news: http://www.legacygym.com/

Another two TKO victories for Legacy Gym

Hampus, from Sweden, fought again last Sunday, less than a week after coming back from his MMA fight in China. He headlined the card promoted by Ajarn Lai in the village of Na Yia, 30km away from Ubon. Hampus was supposed to fight Pa Yu Yai in a most anticipated muay thai rematch, but ended up having his opponent swapped a couple of days before the fight for local fighter Nu Ang Kor.

Hampus started the first round strong and pushed the pace from the very beginning, not giving Nu Ang Kor space to land his strikes. He caught the Thai fighter with a couple of clean knees to the head that would easily have dropped most mortals. But Nu Ang Kor had a hell of a chin. He landed a couple of big right hands and a good elbow, but Hampus seemed unfazed and kept pressing forward.

In the second round, Hampus was relentless in his attack and determined to end the fight. He utilized his height advantage well, looking for high kicks and knees to the head - and landing them! It wasn't long before Nu Ang Kor got a standing 8 second count by the referee. Hampus continued his flurry of strikes to the point that his opponent was no longer answering back - the referee had no choice but to end the contest and give him the win by TKO.





Nut, the newest Thai kid to join Legacy Gym, also fought on Sunday, on the same card as Hampus. He had a tough battle against an older opponent, who was getting the best of the fight until the last round, when Nut's superior fitness won him the fight. Nut's opponent dropped to the ground in exhaustion, seconds before the end of the last round, and the referee called an end to the fight - another win for Nut, and another TKO for Legacy!







Ajarn Nuay, one of the muay thai trainers at Legacy, came out of retirement to fight in Sisaket that same night. He had only two days' notice after a period of over a year without training. Ajarn Nuay went the distance, but lost on points, and feels like it could perhaps have been a different story had he had more time to train and get ready for the fight. Rematch on the line?

Well, this is it for now. Videos of Hampus's and Nut's fights will be posted here soon, watch this space!

Hampus and Marcus are back from China

Hampus and Marcus are now back from Yulin, China, near the border with Inner Mongolia, where they had a couple of tough MMA fights last week. They were accompanied by Ole Laursen, who flew from Singapore to be in their corner straight after being cornerman for Malik and Isa at Martial Combat 9 and 10.

Marcus fought well and lost a controversial decision on points. The referee's interventions, breaking the action and re-starting the fighters in the middle of  the ring was, at times, hard to justify. Especially since the fighters were re-started in the stand-up position, not the same position they were in when the referee intervened. Marcus had his opponent in a tight armbar at one point (as you can see in the picture above), but was made to let go by the referee, who re-started the fighters in the stand-up position.

Hampus's fight was declared a no-contest. He got repeatedly stomped on the face 20 seconds into round one. The referee stopped the fight and seemed to hesitate a while, before raising the Chinese fighter's arm in victory. After much controversy, the decision was ruled out and changed to a no-contest. Such severe infringement of the rules would, in any other place, mean a sure win for Hampus by disqualification.

Hampus is disappointed that his first MMA fight had to be stopped so early, but he has a muay thai fight scheduled for this weekend, and says he can't wait for another chance to kick some arse again!

Click here to watch a video of Hampus's fight.

Legacy's MMA stars at Martial Combat

The videos of all fights from Martial Combat 7 and 8 are now available to watch. It took a long time, but they were worth waiting for.

Ole's three round battle against Nicolas Lecomte, Vaughn's demolition of Korean Hellboy and Nick's ferocious ground and pound victory against Victor Wang, as well as Alex Niu's defeat at the hands of Vuyisile Colossa can all be found here.

Southeast Asia MMA and Martial Combat have also published a couple of articles about two of Legacy's MMA fighters:

Malik Mawlayi - A History of Violence

Isamu Himura

Natural Born Killer bags another win in Singapore

Malik Arash Mawlayi returned to Resort World Sentosa last Wednesday to fight as the main event in Martial Combat 9. He submitted China based Thai fighter Arthit "Ah Ting" Hanchana in the second round, with an arm triangle. This was his second victory at Martial Combat against a muay thai based opponent. Once again he used his superior grappling and ground skills to secure a victory. Malik has been back in Sweden for a while, training hard, and all of Legacy are looking forward to him returning to Ubon some time next year.

Isamu Himura squared off against American Xavier Macay. It was his second appearance at Martial Combat and his first representing Legacy Gym. By all accounts, it was a close fight and this was reflected in the judges' scorecard, with the fight being scored as a draw - the first one in Martial Combat history. Isamu was very disappointed with the result, as he felt he clearly got the better of the ground fight.

The videos of both fights will be available in a couple of weeks, watch this space. Once again, pictures from ringside at Martial Combat come courtesy of Brett L. Thanks, mate!

World famous wrestling coach comes to Legacy

Legacy Gym is very proud to welcome one of the world's top wrestling coaches, Jason Townsend, to our small corner of Thailand. He is here as a guest coach to work with our mma guys and I recently had the pleasure to have a chat with him.

Jason Townsend was a champion wrestler as a youth. He has since gone on to coach the USA national grappling team, helping them win three world titles. He has been a wrestling coach at some of the world's most famous mma teams and has been one of the figures behind the movement responsible for the adoption of grappling as an official wrestling style by FILA (International Wrestling Federation). As a result, grappling is soon expected to be recognised as an olympic sport. Jason is currently an active member of the World Pankration and Grappling Commitee.

Interview
1) Why are you in Thailand? How did you find out about Legacy gym?
I've been working in the Youth Olympic games in Singapore. I have always wanted to come to Thailand and, when I met Ole at Martial Combat, he invited me to come and train at his gym. I am honoured to be a guest coach at Legacy. I like being a coach, helping make people into better fighters. I feel my 27 years of experience aren't going to waste if they go into making fighters better at what they do.

My parents sacrificed a lot for my wrestling career. Lots of money and lots of time. They were always very supportive and I feel a deep obligation to them to take that investment and pass the knowledge I gained on to others.

I plan on learning some thai boxing while here. I like learning new things and I believe it is never too late to learn a new skill. The more you learn and diversify, the more you understand mma and fighting in general.

2) How long are you here for? What do you hope to achieve during your time here?
I'll be here for 11 days and, while I am here, I would like to help the guys as much as I possibly can, give them as much knowledge as possible, help them understand. It's a short time, but we're recording everything on film so the guys can go back to it and practice, drill the techniques, etc after I've gone home.

3) How did you get into wrestling? How long have you been wrestling?
I've been wrestling since I was 7. I'm 34 years old now, so that makes it 27 years of experience. I believe wrestling is in my blood. When I was only 6 years old, I asked my father if I could start learning wrestling. I didn't even know what it was, but I knew I wanted to do it. He told me to wait a year and, the following year, he signed me up to start wrestling classes.

I worked hard at the gym and started competing. In 1992, a the age of 16, I was state champion. It was around then that I first saw the UFC on TV. I think it was UFC 2. I was fascinated and started practicing armbars and other submissions I saw. I learned a lot of moves from those guys.

In 1994/5, I was lucky enough to have UFC champion and olympic wrestler Mark Kerr as my coach at Syracuse University. He was a huge inspiration to me. I then transferred from Syracuse to Hofstra University, where I competed in wrestling. I was a Varsity wrestler at both Universities and was ranked as high as 10th in the country.

My team at the time was full of really great guys who went on to become well known professional fighters. Phil Baroni, Rich Attonito, Jay Hieron were all in my team and we became good friends, as well as training partners.

Unfortunately, 1999 was the year when tore my ACL and ended up having reconstructive knee surgery. I had to take a year off from wrestling, and it was then that I started to work on grappling and jiu jitsu.

4) When did you start coaching?
In 1999. I moved to Fullerton, California and became assistant wrestling coach at Cal State University in Fullerton. I stayed there until 2005 when I moved to Vegas and started coaching at Xtreme Couture and Marc Laimon's.

5) What was your greatest achievement as a wrestler? As a coach?
I was two times state champion from Maryland. I was also a Junior National and Espoir National All-American in freestyle wrestling.

As a coach, I am proud to have worked at Xtreme Couture and at Marc Laimon's Cobra Kai Jiu Jitsu in Vegas. I have coached two world teams for USA grappling, bringing home the 2007 no-gi world title and both the no-gi and gi world titles in 2008.

I've always thought that I underachieved as a wrestler, but I feel that I've more than made up for that in my coaching career.

6) I know you've coached a number of very talented fighters. So, who is the best fighter you've ever worked with?
Yeah, I've worked with many good people: Frank Mir, Heath Herring, Jay Hieron who is a good wrestling and training partner, Martin Kampman and others. It is hard to pick who is the best. My aim is to help fighters find their wrestling skills. I suppose, if I had to choose, Frank Mir would be up near the top because of his credentials in the cage, but I definitely won't take the credit for his wrestling skills, he was a state champion in Nevada before I met him.

7) Why is wrestling important in MMA?
Well, most fights end up on the ground. If you are on top, gravity is in your favour and, as far as strikes go, it is best to have them coming down. Also, takedowns and top control score highly in mma. It is pretty much always better to be on top and have gravity help you.

Oh, and the occasional slam is cool too.

8) What do you think the future holds for MMA in Southeast Asia?
Southeast Asia is the wide open frontier right now, with so many places getting involved and new shows in so many countries like Laos, Macau, Singapore. It is really the new frontier. With countries like Thailand, where fighting is such a big tradition and has such deep roots, there is no doubt that mma is going to take off, it is just a matter of time. The level of fighters and competitions will continue to improve. In fact, I've been impressed with some of the styles like sanda and sanshou, that I saw for the first time in Martial Combat. These styles are a good base for mma fighters, and new styles are very interesting, they help evolve the sport.

Kong vs. Muuhin: Battle of the Ajarns

On the 31 August, the spectators at Ubon stadium were treated to the highly anticipated re-match between current Legacy Gym trainer Ajarn Kong and former trainer Ajarn Muuhin. Their previous bout went the distance, with Muuhin proving to be the stronger fighter in the clinch. He used his size and strength advantage well to overpower Kong throughout the fight and get the decision. Ajarn Kong was really disappointed with his performance and eager to have a rematch.

Ajarn Kong spent the whole of August training hard for the fight, and many hours improving his clinch work with Ajarn Nimnuan. It seemed Muuhin was training hard too, as he was spotted running around the lake on numerous occasions.

On the night of the fight, a large crowd gathered in support of both fighters, despite the heavy rain. Ajarn Kong's supporters included nearly all the staff and fighters at Legacy, some of his personal friends, and even a very loud drummer. Both fighters lost a noticeable amount of weight since their previous encounter, and looked mean and ready for a reckless war.

Rounds 1 and 2 were slow paced, with each of the ajarns seemingly searching for holes in the other's technique. The action started to pick up in round 3, but it was round 4 that decided the bout. Ajarn Kong won in convincing fashion, dominating not only in the clinch but also in the striking game. Below is a video of the fight in full, including Ajarn Kong's amazing acrobatic celebration as the decision was announced.

Legacy wins 2 out of 3 on Saturday

It was a busy day on Saturday for Legacy fighters, with Phillip fighting at Talat Wichai and both Kim and Leeyam fighting at Ubon Stadium.

Phillip faced off against the same opponent who, a couple of months ago, defeated Frankie from San Francisco. The bout headlined an event staged by Yamaha, which was televised locally on channel 11. It included a seated dinner for around 200 guests, 8 muay thai fights and performances by Thai singers. Phillip started the fight strongly, with a couple of sharp boxing combinations. As his confidence grew, he started using a variety of techniques, including a spinning elbow which wowed the crowd. His opponent landed a couple of good elbows, but Phillip was unphased and continued to attack. The fight finished suddenly when Phillip landed a solid kick cleanly on his opponent's jaw, knocking him out cold. The crowd was impressed with Phillip's technique and accuracy, and many came to congratulate him after the fight.



Kim Siam continues to ease through his opponents with superb technique and vicious knees. His fight at the stadium on Saturday night seemed a foregone conclusion, with none of the bookies willing to take bets against him. He started the fight in his usual manner, tentatively gauging his opponent's range whilst evading most of his attacks. At the end of the first round, he began to close down the distance and deliver a few knees to his opponent's midsection. In the second round, Kim continued to land accurate knees to the body, hurting his opponent, who started to show signs of fatigue. He finished the fight in the third round, with a succession of powerful knees that knocked the wind out of his opponent and left him unable to continue.



On the same card, Leeyam, another Legacy youngster, took on a much heavier opponent in a gruelling five round battle. The first couple of rounds were typical of Thai fights, with both fighters feeling each other out. Leeyam picked up the pace in rounds 3 and 4, and seemed to be getting the better of his opponent in the clinch. He was however visibly tired in round 5, and allowed his opponent to come back and get the decision.




Congratulations to the three fighters, who topped up Ole's birthday weekend with some great results for Legacy.

A hat-trick of victories for Legacy Gym at Martial Combat 7 and 8

Nick 'Hooligan' Mellor scored an impressive victory over Canadian Victor Wang at last night's Martial Combat 7 event, in Singapore. Nick started the fight strongly, landing some good strikes, before taking his opponent to the ground. Wang was active off his back, but Nick managed to pass his guard before both fighters returned to their feet. Nick finished the round in a dominant position, looking for a rear naked choke. The second round followed a similar pattern, with Nick taking Wang to the ground once again. He escaped a tight submission attempt by Wang, before mounting him and forcing the referee to stop the fight with some savage ground and pound.

The Legacy boys have obviously been working hard on their ground and pound skills, as Vaughn 'Blud' Anderson also secured a victory by ground and pound TKO in the second round of his first Martial Combat event. His fight against Korean 'Hellboy' Hyoung Woo Kim was a more one-sided affair. Vaughn's striking power and wealth of experience on the ground easily won him the first round. In the second round, he looked determined to end the bout. He stepped up the pace of his strikes and finished his opponent on the ground, in brutal fashion.

Ole 'Iron Fist' Laursen completed the hat-trick of victories for Legacy Gym, winning a close-fought decision over American Nicolas Leconte. We have no other details about this fight as it just finished a few minutes ago.

 On a final note, Alex Niu, who trained at Legacy recently, suffered a defeat at the hands of rising star and muay thai world champion Vuisile Colossa. Alex fought hard and secured a couple of takedowns, but was overpowered by his opponent's superior striking in the second round.

Photos courtesy of Brett L via his iPhone. More pictures, links to videos and other details of the fights will be posted as soon as they become available.

Isaan Style features Vaughn 'Blud' Anderson

Well, Brunty did take us up on the offer and came back to the gym last Saturday, this time to interview the current grappling coach Vaughn Anderson. He's published an extensive article on Vaughn, and uploaded some great videos of his previous fights. The article can be found here.

Nice one, Brunty!

Isaan Style gives Legacy a great review

One of Thailand's most prolific and well read bloggers, Brunty from Isaan Style, has just posted a lengthy and in-depth review of Legacy Gym. He has been blogging about life in Isaan for over 4 years, and has covered a wide range of topics, from local lifestyle and culture to reviews of attractions and things to do in and around Ubon.

Last Saturday, Brunty paid Legacy Gym a visit, gathering information and taking some very cool photographs. Click here to read the article.

Brunty's blog is essential reading for those planning a visit to Ubon, or for those interested in general aspects of life in rural Thailand.

Thanks Brunty for a great write up. You are welcome back to Legacy any time but, next time, bring a pair of gloves and not a pen!

Legacy represents at Martial Combat 7 and 8

Legacy Gym is sending four fighters to the upcoming Martial Combat event in Singapore. On 18 August 2010, Nick "Hooligan" Mellor will face off against muay thai specialist Victor Wang, current CMTA Western Canadian Light Heavyweight Champion, in a tough bout at 84kg. On the same card, Alex Niu, who has recently returned to China after spending a month training at Legacy, will fight Contender Asia finalist and current WLF world thai boxing champion Vuysile "The Cheetah" Colossa.

The following night, 19 August 2010, Martial Combat superbout lightweight champion and Legacy Gym owner Ole "Iron Fist" Laursen will take on American BJJ fighter Nicolas Leconte. Current grappling coach at Legacy and Art of War veteran, Vaughn "Blud" Anderson, from Canada, will make his Martial Combat debut against Korean "Hellboy" Hyoung Woo Kim. 

Legacy Gym is proud to be so well represented at such a prestigious event and wishes the boys all the best in their upcoming fights. Keep training hard. WAR!!

Phillip and Hampus to fight again

Last weekend, Phillip was approached by a local promoter outside Ubon stadium and offered a fight. Despite it being short notice, he had no hesitation in accepting it, and will fight this Saturday 7 August 2010. He had been training really hard anyway, in the hope of picking up a couple more fights before his return to Sweden.

As for Hampus, after his recent knockout victory in Na Yia, he has been given the opportunity to fight internationally, in China. He is scheduled to fly out early next week and will fight on Wednesday 11 August 2010. Hampus has been training like a man possessed, as he's also been offered a re-match against Pa Yu Yai at the end of the month.

We wish both fighters all the best and look forward to watching the fights.

Richard returns to England and takes British boxing title

Remember Richard, the London geezer with the mad boxing skills? Well, after his short stint at Legacy a couple of months ago, he returned to England and fought for the lightweight IFA British boxing title. The event was held on the 1st of August, in London, and he faced off against the reigning champion Jimmy Lovelock.

By all accounts, it was a tough fight, but Richard's hard training and dedication paid off. He forced a standing 8 count in the fourth round, and dropped Lovelock in the fifth. He got the decision in the end, and deservedly had the belt wrapped around his waist.

Richard has been in contact and thanked everyone for their support during his stay here. He hopes to return to further hone his skills later this year.

Well done, mate! We are looking forward to watching the video of your fight.

Kim wins on 23 July 2010 by first round KO

Ole Laursen is hot news in Asia

Since winning his Martial Combat championship belt in May 2010, Ole Laursen has received a lot of attention from the international media. He was featured in articles by South East Asia MMA, Bloody Elbow and Bleacher Report, and he's also made the cover of the August issue of FHM Singapore.

Here is a sneak peek at next month's FHM magazine.

Way to go, Ole!

Two victories by KO over holiday weekend

Legacy's home-grown young talent, Kim Siam, added another victory to his impressive and extensive fight record on Friday 23 July. In the very first round, Kim delivered a powerful and accurate knee to the body of his opponent, leaving him unable to continue.

On Sunday, Hampus, from Sweden, also ended his fight early through a succession of well-targeted knees. He controlled the fight from the first bell, and caught Suan Phet with a powerful high knee that knocked him down. The referee gave the Thai fighter a standing 8 count, but he never seemed to fully recover from the blow. Hampus aggressively chased Suan Phet around the ring, looking to finish the fight whilst not giving him the chance to answer his attacks. Suan Phet got knocked down again a couple of times, but was saved by the bell at the end of the round. Hampus began the second round like he ended the first, totally dominating his opponent and flooring him another couple of times before the referee finally stepped in to put an end to the fight.

Hampus has another fight scheduled to take place in two weeks in China. He is already back training and can't wait to get back in the ring.

Ubon Zoo

Last Sunday, a few of us got on our motorbikes and took a trip to the zoo. The Ubon Zoo is actually located in Trakan, 60km north of Ubon, and is home to a number of different species of animals, including tens of tigers and other big cats. These being their main and most impressive attraction, many people also refer to the Ubon Zoo as the "tiger zoo".

these look bigger than I remembered...

Controversial refereeing in China and upcoming fights

Zebaztian and Marcus are back from China after having lost their mma fights due to controversial referee stoppages.

Zebaztian was doing well in the second round of his fight, having obtained a dominant ground position. He was clearly controlling his opponent from the top, when the referee unexpectedly stopped the contest on the alleged grounds of Zebaztian being "too tired to continue".

Marcus didn't have much better luck. He got knocked down by one of his opponent's punches, got up straight away, and was ready to continue fighting, but the referee also decided to stop his fight prematurely.

Both fighters are back at the gym and, although a little disappointed by the bad refereeing in China, they are now focused on training for their next challenges. Marcus is scheduled to fight on the 1st of August, in Taiwan, and Zebaztian is hoping to get a muay thai fight locally before heading back to Sweden in 3 weeks.

Hampus from Sweden is also fighting again this weekend. He faces off against Thai fighter Suan Phet from Phibun Mangsahan, who has had 22 professional fights and usually fights at 67kg. Hampus's fight will take place on Sunday evening, and we wish him the best of luck. I will update the blog with results as soon as I can.

Zebaztian and Marcus to fight in China

There is no stopping him! One week after his first muay thai fight, Zebaztian will now make his international mma debut in China. Both he and Marcus, from America, are in Bangkok at the moment, making their way to Shanghai. They are fighting at the Fighters Unite event on Saturday the 17th of July.

Both fighters were offered their fights only yesterday, and had no hesitation in stepping up to represent Legacy at the event. Results, photos and news will be forthcoming as soon as they become available.

Good luck, guys!

In other mma news, Ole Laursen is currently ringside at the latest Martial Combat event in Singapore, where Ray Elbe from Tiger Muay Thai is headlining the event.

Video of Zebaztian's fight

As promised, here is the video. Enjoy!

Zebaztian KOs opponent in first round with devastating punching power!

What a start! Zebaztian, from Sweden, had his first muay thai fight in the village of Na Yia last night, after training at Legacy Gym for only four weeks. He took on the fight with less than a week's notice, and faced off against a Thai opponent from Warin Chamrap.

From the start, Zebaztian showed he meant business, with a savage low kick to his opponent's thigh that made the crowd cringe. He kept the pressure on, using his superior power to dominate his opponent throughout the fight. Zebaztian eventually went forward with a relentless boxing combination and ended the exchange with a beautiful uppercut that knocked his opponent out cold.

Well done, Zebaztian - we are all thrilled with your victory!

I will post the video of Zebaztian's fight here soon, watch this space.

Ajarn Lai taping Zebaztian's hands.

Thai oil and a massage to get those muscles warmed up.

Strike a pose, you've got a crowd!

Fight Updates

In MMA:
Malik Arash Mawlayi's fight against Tiger Muay Thai's Cyrus Washington is now available. Click on the links below to watch Malik win his belt.





And here is a video of Egon's fight against Eduard Folayang on the same card.



In Muay Thai:
Last Friday, Phillip from Sweden had his third fight in Thailand, in the outskirts of Ubon. His original opponent pulled out of the fight in the last minute, and he ended up fighting a more experienced Thai. Phillip fought a good fight for five rounds, but, in the end, lost to a close decision.

In another countryside event the following afternoon, Hampus, also from Sweden, fought a well know local fighter, Pa Yu Yai. Unfortunately, he got caught by a punch/elbow combination and lost in the second round.

I will post videos of both fights and pictures of Phillip's fight here soon.

Barbecue at the beach!

Today, the Legacy crew headed down to the local "beach", Hat Khu Dua, for a feast of barbecued pork and a taste of some local Isaan food. The "beach" is actually a 1km strip of sand along the banks of the Mun river.

There are dozens of floating bamboo restaurants selling everything from somtam to deep fried grasshoppers, live jumping shrimps and whole spit-roasted piglets.

A lot of the boys enjoyed a dip in the river after they had their fill. The water is warm and, from what we've been led to believe, reasonably safe.

While some of the others were quite happy having a little Sunday afternoon snooze.

We all finished the day with a bit of UFC action on the big screen, set up in the Legacy Gym cage.

Malik Arash Mawlayi wins ESPN Martial Combat belt in Singapore

photo: espnstar.com

The "Natural Born Killer" Malik Arash Mawlayi defeated the American striker Cyrus Washington last night, to become the new ESPN Martial Combat world champion at 72kg. Malik did not let the 7cm height advantage of his opponent factor into the fight, as he capitalised on a mistake by Cyrus, took his back, and forced him to tap out in the first round due to a rear naked choke.

Egon Racz unfortunately lost his fight against the highly rated Filipino fighter Eduard Folayang. The fight was stopped due to a guillotine choke.

Congratulations to both fighters from all of Legacy Gym!

Keep an eye on the blog for more pictures and videos of the fights, I will post them as soon as they become available. For detailed coverage of the event, check the articles below:

• Malik Grounds Cyrus for MMA Title
• Thrilling End to Martial Combat 4
• Singapore's Brian "Polar Bear" Choi clinches rousing victory at Resorts World Sentosa

Frankie gets stopped by vicious elbow in his first muay thai fight

Frankie from San Francisco, who has been training at Legacy Gym for only a couple of weeks, had his first muay thai fight last night. Having taken the fight with 2 days notice, Frankie was matched up against a much more experienced Thai opponent but, unfortunately, got caught by a nasty elbow in the first round, which ended the fight.

Frankie left Ubon today to make his way back home, with a few stitches as a nice keepsake. Everyone at Legacy was impressed with his guts and courage and wish him the best in his future fight career.

Good luck, Frankie. Travel safe.

video of the fight