140lb Muay Thai tournament Archives - muaythaiauthority.com

Holding Pads – Kru Ruben Rowell, Jr.

Muay Thai Authority — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:28:00 +0000

Walking into Extreme Power Gym in Oceanside, California, one of the first things you’ll hear are the padwork sounds of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows – students and fighters of 8th Khan Kru Ruben Rowell, Jr. drilling themselves on the art of Muay Thai. The gym’s owner, coach, teacher, and trainer, Kru Ruben is the Chief Instructor and pad holder for both his beginning students and professional fighters. In the following slideshow, Kru Ruben offers a window into some of the realities of pad-holding – the absorbing of a professional fighter’s strikes and the wear and tear this has on the body.

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Josh Palmer talks about advancing to the Journey Fight Series tournament finals

Muay Thai Authority — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 04:19:00 +0000

Josh Palmer advanced to the finals of the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament with his win over Justin Greskiewicz. Muay Thai Authority was able to catch up with him and talk about the fight with Greskiewicz as well as his future plans. Palmer will now face Matt Embree in the tournament finals this upcoming October.

MTA: Congratulations on advancing to the finals of the Journey Fight Series tournament. Going into the fight with Justin Greskiewicz did you see it going the way it did?

Josh: I didn’t realize he was as heavy as that. some people were saying before this tournament that I was too big, but I dieted down to 145 lbs and only cut a little in water, Justin told me he was 163 lbs on the night of the fight, I was about 150 lbs.

MTA: You ended him with a knee to the body, when you connected with that did you know the fight was over?

Josh: I could feel the difference in weight, it seemed at first he was comfortable and I was trying to figure him out the 1st round or two. Around the 3rd round I decided along with my coach that I was giving him too much space and playing his game so I applied more pressure and came forward, it was very quickly evident that this was not what he wanted, when I landed the first decent punch and a hard elbow his composure seemed to come apart very quickly. My corner was screaming to test his body, I hit Justin with a couple of body punches and another elbow and he really slowed down and was moving a lot to avoid the clinch. It was then I looked for the long knee to finish the fight. When I landed that knee and he went down I believed I had the right momentum to finish him, after a few seconds of the 8 count judging by his posture I did not think he wanted to continue.

MTA: You are now set to face Matt Embree in the finals of the tournament how do you feel about that match-up, and can you give us a prediction?

Josh: I don’t like to predict fights- there are no sure things in fight sports so you work hard, if you are good enough you will win.

MTA: The finals are not until October do you have any fights planned in between that time?

Josh: I may have a fight before the final in October, I have a few offers but it depends on the quality of competition and money if I will fight.

MTA: Anyone you are specifically interested in fighting?

Josh: I believe Kevin Ross is a strong opponent, but I believe I am one of the strongest fighters between 140 and 147 lbs in North America so that would be a fight I think people would be happy to see. But as they say Nathan, all in good time.

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Matt Embree talks win over Coke Chunhawat to advance to Journey Fight Series tourney finals

Muay Thai Authority — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:38:00 +0000

Matt Embree earned his ticket to the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament finals by defeating Coke Chunhawat this past weekend. Muay Thai Authority was able to catch up with Embree and get his thoughts on the fight, as well as his opponent for the tournament finals Josh Palmer.

MTA: Congratulations on advancing to the finals of the Journey Fight Series tournament. Going into your fight with Coke did you prepare any differently from the first time you fought him?

Matt: Thank you. For the most part it’s always the same preparation, and it didn’t change for this fight.

MTA: How much motivation was it knowing that you had lost to him before and you could even the score with a win?

Matt: Very motivating. I thought about it all the time, and I pushed as hard as I could in training. In my mind I had to win.

MTA: You won a split decision, same exact way he got his win over you. What do you think was the difference maker for you this time in the fight?

Matt: This fight I fought a lot smarter, tried picking my shots, and setting up things, and used more defense instead of last time where I just pressed.

MTA: When the fight ended were you worried that it was too close for comfort and it might go his way on the judges cards or were you pretty confident that you had won?

Matt: I felt I won for sure, when they said split decision I was surprised.

MTA: You are now set to face Josh Palmer in the finals of the tournament, how do you feel about that match-up?

Matt: I think it will be a hard fight, Josh is a really good fighter with lots of experience

MTA: Can you give us a prediction as to the outcome of the fight with Josh Palmer?

Matt: You can expect a war, and the better man will win.

MTA: The finals are not until October do you have any fights planned in between that time?

Matt: There are a few fights that have been in talks but nothing confirmed yet. I’m hoping to get a few in before then.

MTA: Anyone you are specifically interested in fighting?

Matt: No, I just wanna fight with the best guys I can, so whoever they give me I’ll fight.

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Watch the opening round fights of the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament

Muay Thai Authority — Wed, 18 May 2011 23:14:00 +0000

If you would like to watch the fights from the opening round of the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament make sure to check out muaythaitko.com. The site features the fights on the on-demand section and from evaluating the site it seems you will be able to also catch the June 11th semi-finals live.

Scheduled for the semi-finals is a re-match between Coke Chunhawat, and Matt Embree. Coke and Embree fout last September to a split decision that went in favor of Coke. The other semi-finals match up is a bout between Josh Palmer, and Justin Greskiewicz. The winners will then face each other in the October tournament finals.

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Pictures: Journey Fight Series Opening Round

Muay Thai Authority — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:42:00 +0000

Last Saturday the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament kicked off. It was one of the most anticipated events this far in 2011 due to the talent filled eight man tournament. Steve Arena was on hand to photograph the action.

All photos courtesy of Steve Arena. For more of his great photography visit kiwiblack.com.

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Matt Embree talks about win over Rami Ibrahim and the semi-finals of the Journey Fight Series tournament

Muay Thai Authority — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:22:00 +0000

Matt Embree defeated Rami Ibrahim this past weekend in the opening round of the Journey Fight Series 140lb eight man tournament. He answered a few questions for Muay Thai Authority regarding his fight, and the fact that he now gets a chance to avenge his Semptember 2010 loss to Coke Chunhawat in the next round of the tournament.

MTA: The First round of the tournament is over and you walked away with a unanimous decision over Rami Ibrahim. The fight won fight of the night. When it was over were you worried at all that the decision wouldn’t go your way?

Matt: I wasn’t too worried about the decision, I felt I did enough to win and my corner told me that I had won, so I wasn’t stressing it.

MTA: With the win over Rami you are now set to get a re-match with Coke Chunhawat in the second round of the tournament. How excited are you about the chance to avenge the split decision loss to him from last year?

Matt: It feels good. I like Coke, he’s a real good guy, and a great fighter, but in this sport u gotta fight the best, so its nothing personal against him, I just want to be the best, so I gotta do what I gotta do to get there.

MTA: Having lost such a close fight to Coke, do you feel you need to change anything for your second match up with him?

Matt: Yea for sure I do, there’s a lot I still have to work on. I always look back and evaluate my fights and look at what I have to improve on. I made mistakes in that fight that I will work on and just keep stepping up my game overall.

MTA: On the other side of the bracket you have Josh Palmer vs Justin Greskiewicz, any of them you would rather face if you make it to the finals?

Matt: No, it doesn’t matter who I fight, I just want to fight the best man in the end.

MTA: Before the tournaments second round do you have any fights lined up?

Matt: I don’t have anything lined up, I’m hoping to get at least 1 in b4 the next round.

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Journey Fight Series opening round results

Muay Thai Authority — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 10:09:00 +0000

The Journey Fight Series 140lb 8-man tournament kicked off tonight at The Century Casino in Calgary, Canada. The event provided a night of exciting Muay Thai action.

The four advancing fighters to second round of the tournament Josh Palmer, Coke Chunhawat, Justin Greskiewicz, and Matt Embree.

Josh Palmer bested Pittsburgh’s Mark DeLuca, while Justin Greskiewicz got the nod over Nate Smandych. Matt Embree and Rami Ibrahim went the distance and Embree got the decision from the judges, and Coke Chunhawat stopped Parwez Ghulam in the third round.

In the nights main event Ben Case defeated Sean McKinnon.

The second round of the tournament will take place June 11th, and will feature Justin Greskiewicz vs. Josh Palmer, and a re-match between Coke Chunhawat and Matt Embree. Coke defeated Embree via split decision back in September of 2010.

Keep checking back at MuayThaiAuthority.com for more info.

Full Results:

Noah Ali vs Bryn Marsh – Ali by TKO 0:57 of Rd 2 – KO of the Night
Nick Belgrave vs Tony Manoharan – Manoharan by Unanimous Decision
Dwain Soon vs Chris McMillan – McMillan by Unanimous Decision
Darren Robson vs ‘Boom’ Thanit Watthanaya – Boom by Unanimous Decision
Mark Deluca vs Josh Palmer – Palmer by Unanimous Decision
Nate Smandych vs Justin Greskiewicz – Greskiewicz by Unanimous Decision
Parwez Ghulman vs Coke Chunhawat – Coke by TKO 1:17 of Rd 3
Matt Embree vs Rami Ibrahim – Embree by Unanimous Decision – Won fight of the night
Sean McKinnon vs Ben Case – Case by Split Decision

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Journey Fight Series tournament match-ups

Muay Thai Authority — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 07:03:00 +0000

A random draw was held today for the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament. The match-ups for the opening round of the tournament all ended up with a Canadian fighter versus a Unite States based fighter.

The fights will take place tomorrow March 5th at the Century Casino in Calgary, Canada. The semi-finals are expected to take place in June, and the Finals in October.

First round matches are as follow:

Coke Chunhawat vs. Parwez Ghulam
Rami Ibrahim vs. Matt Embree
Mark DeLuca vs. Josh Palmer
Justin Greskiewicz vs. Nate Smandych

All the fights should prove to be exciting bouts, as this is one of the most stacked tournaments North America has seen.

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Josh Palmer talks upcoming Journey Fight Series tournament

Muay Thai Authority — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 20:42:00 +0000

Josh Palmer was kind enough to answer some questions for Muay Thai Authority regarding the upcoming Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament.

MTA: The tournament has a talented field of fighters, it is a also a random draw so you have no idea who you are fighting in the opening round until the day of the weigh-ins. Does not knowing who exactly you will be fighting affect your preparation at all for the tournament?

Josh: Not knowing makes it easier as there isn’t much point in preparing for just one fight, we shall see when we get there and adjust according to who we get paired with.

MTA: As far as the other competitors in the tournament is there anyone you would particularly like to face in the opening round of the tournament?

Josh: I don’t have a preference really, I don’t see much point in hoping that way and will fight whoever ends up standing in front of me(in the ring !)

MTA: Your one of the more experienced fighters as far as pro competition, do you feel it gives you an advantage coming into the tourney?

Josh: My experience will help me for sure , I feel I am comfortable in the ring and want to be there.

MTA: Out of the 8 man field who would you consider the favorite to win the tournament?

Josh: Out of the 8 who do I think will win? If I didn’t say me I wouldn’t have any business being here.

MTA: There are four U.S. representatives, and four Canadian representatives, would you rather face one of your fellow countrymen or fight one of the American fighters first, and do you feel the crowd will be an advantage for the Canadian fighters?

Josh: I think it will be a good show and don’t mind who I face, if anyone has the crowd behind them it will be the guys from Alberta though. Yes , if it is a Canadian v U.S. then I think the crowd will be behind the Canadian and this can help-crowd reaction can affect the judges decision for the round.

MTA: Canada has some very talented fighters, how is the state of the sport in Canada, and how would you compare it to the United States?

Josh: I left to fight in Thailand for 3 years and it seems like Muay Thai competition and exposure has increased while I have been away, it was one of the reasons I left as I felt I wouldn’t get enough experience if I stayed in North America.There are many more promotions in the U.S but generally I think fighters are not paid enough and it is very difficult to get by and call yourself a professional fighter (in Muay Thai).

MTA: It seems now everyone is eventually jumping ship to MMA, is MMA in your future?

Josh: If you want to fight regularly and make better money then you have to fight MMA, it is very difficult to make a living fighting Muay Thai and it is only going to work out for a few in MMA as it is. I am currently preparing for an MMA debut .

MTA: Can you give a prediction as to the result of your first round fight, even though you have no clue who you are facing yet?

Josh: Any prediction would be foolish, but I am confident and eager to get things going.

MTA: If you could meet anyone in the finals who would you pick to meet you there?

Josh: I would have thought Kevin Ross was strong to be in the finals, but he seems to be out now, so it will be interesting.

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Nate Smandych talks upcoming Journey Fight Series tournament

Muay Thai Authority — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:41:00 +0000

Nate Smandych took some time to answer a few questions for Muay Thai Authority regarding Saturday’s Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament. The tournament should be very exciting as it has one of the most stacked brackets we have seen here in North America.

MTA: The tournament has a talented flied of fighters, it is a also a random draw so you have no idea who you are fighting in the opening round until the day of the weigh-ins. Does not knowing who exactly you will be fighting affect your preparation at all for the tournament?

Nate: It doesn’t bother me not knowing who I’m going to fight. My training is intense and vigorous regardless. I train for me not for a specific opponent.

MTA: As far as the other competitors in the tournament is there anyone you would particularly like to face in the opening round of the tournament?

Nate: There is nobody i would like to face in particular in the first round. Everyone in the tournament is highly talented. Whom ever it may be I’m prepared.

MTA: You have the least pro experience out of all the participants, does it worry you or cause any concern that most of the tournament participants have more than double the amount of pro fights you have had?

Nate: It doesn’t bother me having the least amount of experience. I have been fighting guys with more fights than me my whole career. I’m always up for the challenge.

MTA: Out of the 8 man field who would you consider the favorite to win the tournament?

Nate: The favorite to win the tournament depends on who you ask. My favorite to win the tournament……..Is Me

MTA: There are four U.S. representatives, and four Canadian representatives, would you rather face one of your fellow countrymen or would fight one of the American fighters first?

Nate: It makes no difference to me fighting a fellow Canadian or an American. Once your standing in the ring its just you versus them.

MTA: Canada has some very talented fighters, how is the state of the sport in Canada?

Nate: Muay Thai in Canada is on a rise. Its nowhere near the popularity of MMA. We just need to get more publicity for the sport. Once people see Muay Thai Live there hooked!!!

MTA: It seems now everyone is eventually jumping shit to MMA, is MMA in your future?

Nate: I wont jump ship to MMA. I enjoy the non stop, stand up action that is Muay Thai.

MTA: Can you give a prediction as to the result of your first round fight, even though you have no clue who you are facing yet?

Nate: I’m predicting a great tilt my first round. The home town fans are gonna love it!

Let me just say a big thank you to muaythaiauthority.com for covering our event. The fans in Calgary are going to be treated to some of the best talent North America Has to offer!!!

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