1. Ky Hollenbeck (13-1-1)
Nieky Holzken finally solved the puzzle that was Ky Hollenbeck. On November 6th Hollenbeck lost the first fight of his Muay Thai career when he dropped a unanimous decision to Holland’s Nieky Holzken at the MPL’s “Blood & Steel” event in the Netherlands. Despite the loss Hollenbeck has continuously beat the top opposition that was placed in front of him. Before his loss to Holzken he defeated Jordan Watson at the MPL’s “Strength & Honour” event in Padova, Italy. 2011 has been a landmark year for American Muay Thai and Hollenbeck has not only shown that American’s can hang with the best in the world, he has shown that they can win against the best in the world. His 2011 campaign includes wins over Vuyisile Colossa, Gregory Choplin, Simon Chu and Jordan Watson. Despite the loss Hollenbeck is clearly still the #1 ranked North American fighter with the caliber of opponents he has faced and the wins he holds over them.
Adanza collected his third consecutive win with a spectacular knockout of Luangsuanlek Sasiprapa at M-One’s “Team Thailand vs. Team America”. Adanza’s boxing is as good as it gets in Muay Thai and anyone willing to stand in front of him and trade is playing with fire. Now back at his normal weight class of 115lbs it is hard to imagine someone here in North America beating Adanza, his real tests are expected to take place when he fights more seasoned international opponents. Although his next move is unknown, Adanza has expressed interest in moving up in weight for a fight against Andy Howson; the pair fought in early 2010 with Adanza winning a close split decision.
3. Joe Schilling (12-1)
Ross has continuously shown he isn’t afraid to step into the ring with the best in the world and after his fight against Saenchai he stepped into the ring with current Lumpinee champion Sakkedao. The fight didn’t go exactly the way Ross would have liked as a cut stopped the fight after the third round, giving the win to Sakkedao. After winning the 2010 Muay Thai Authority fighter of the year award, 2011 has been some what of a rough year for Ross. You can’t ignore the facts that is fighting world class competition, but he is now 1-3 on the year with his only win coming back in May against Mark DeLuca. The next move for Ross is unknown, but he did express interest in returning to Thailand if he can’t find a fight in December. Despite moving down in the rankings, Ross is still one of the best in North America.
Embree claimed the Journey Fight Series tournament crown with a victory over Josh Palmer. Despite currently being undersized for the 140lb weight class, Embree makes up for it with technique and skill. He has stated that a permanent move to the 140lb weight class is likely in the cards for him. He plans on eventually returning to Thailand and having an extended stay, before that a potential fight in China might happen, although nothing has been confirmed.
The young Canadian fighter has already started to make a name for himself. His latest victim was formerly #9 ranked fighter Alex Berrios. Valtellini took the fight to Berrios on September 23rd under the Friday Night Fights banner and battered Berrios for two rounds. Punishing Berrios with leg kicks, which caused Berrios not be able to answer the bell after the second round. It was a dominating performance for the young Canadian who is looking to continue to build his name among the best in North America.
Miles was one of 16 fighters selected to compete on The Challenger Muaythai. He was eliminated in the opening round of the tournament by Mohd Faizal Bin Ramli. Despite the loss Miles still remains one of the best regarded Muay Thai fighters in North America. His next fight was set to take place in November as part of the Canada vs. China event, but since the announcement Miles has withdrawn from the bout for unknown reasons.
Palmer fell short of capturing the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament. Things seemed to be going his way early on in his fight with Matt Embree, but as the fight wore one the bout began to favor Embree. Despite coming up short, Palmer is still one of the best North American fighters in the 140-147lb weight class. There are some interesting match-ups for him in North America alone. Fights against the likes of Kevin Ross, Jose Palacios and Michael Mananquil would all be very interesting fights.
Rankings qualification – Fighters born in North America are eligible. North America will include fighters from the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Rankings are based on P4P. Fighters are not to be inactive for any period longer than 6 months or they will be dropped from the rankings unless a fight is schedule within a month from the date they become ineligible.