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!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, September 17, 2010
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
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!
Friday, September 3, 2010
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.
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.
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.
Monday, August 23, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
A hat-trick of victories for Legacy Gym at Martial Combat 7 and 8
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!
Nice one, Brunty!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
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!
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!
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