MTA: Chris after a long successful career why have you decided to retire?

Chris: I love this sport and I will continue on all levels. Since 2008, when I met my wife-to-be at the time, I have experienced good timing for a lot of recent happenings in my life. This is just another example of good timing. I never wanted to be forced into retiring, whether it was injury or that I was fighting way past my prime. I always wanted to retire with my ego and physical in the correct attitude.

MTA: Looking back on your career what would you consider your greatest accomplishment?

Chris: I am an optimist. My greatest accomplishment happened in my last fight and loss. Nobody gave me a chance in the fight against Yarborough. Me being the smaller guy, coming from NYC where we are “amateurs at best”, and never having fought full rules MT in NY. The odds were against me. I never let an ounce of that taint me. I stayed focused on the goal with my trainer, family and students in full belief and left my mark. I know it was recorded as a loss but I know in my heart I won the crowd.

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Chris “The Polish Punisher” Kwiatkowski will be taking on Joe Tipping Marchand on September 16th at Friday Night Fights. Kwiatkowski was kind enough to answer a few questions for Muay Thai Authority as he prepares for his fight.

MTA: You are fighting Joe Tipping Marchand at Friday Night Fights September 16th event. How has training for the fight been going?

Chris: Training has been going very well. I’ve been working with a nutritionist for this fight & have been getting a lot more out of my training sessions. So my training is a lot more intense than it has ever been, which has made me a lot stronger.

MTA: How much do you know about Joe and his fighting style?

Chris: I haven’t seen much on Joe as far as video. I know that he is aggressive & has a lot of experience. He’s had over 65 amateur fights, is 4-2 as a pro & has represented Canada in the world championships 5 times. So he’s had a lot of fights & a lot of big fights on top of that. I expect him to be extremely tough & technical.

MTA: Your last fight against Robert Blake you really dictated the pace and used some solid boxing to score points, when fighting do you go in looking for the KO or do you just work your game plan if it happens, then it happens?

Chris: When I fought Blake I was looking for the KO & that’s why I did not get it. My last two fights, I was looking for the KO. My 3 wins prior, I was not looking for the KO & got it. I know I hit hard & when I’m relaxed I’m dangerous. I will be very relaxed going into this fight. I learned a lot from my last two bouts.

MTA: Where do you feel you will have advantages over Joe in your fight?

Chris: I think I may be a little bigger than Joe. I believe he is coming up in weight from what he used to fight at. I think my hands will be a bit better, and from what I understand, he hasn’t been all that active as of late, so my timing may be a bit better. I expect an extremely hard fight in any regards & have been preparing for one.

MTA: You’re a fan favorite in New York, why do you think the fans like you so much and does that add any pressure when you fight?

Chris: I think the fans like me because I am more of a slugger than a technician & in the past I’ve finished a lot of fights via KO rather than decision. I bring excitement in all my bouts, win, lose or draw. Don’t look away because you may miss something big. I’ve had some big knockouts throughout my years. I don’t think it adds any pressure on me when I fight. I am usually pretty calm & focused going into a fight. I’ve fought a lot in NYC, so I’m pretty used to it.

MTA: What is your prediction for your fight with Joe?

Chris: In general I’m a rather aggressive fighter. My conditioning is through the roof for this fight, so I will have confidence in my aggression. From what I hear, Joe’s generally an aggressive fighter. This is a perfect match-up for fireworks. I expect a good ole fashioned war & I expect to have my hand raised at the end.

MTA: Is there anyone in particular that you would like to fight after your upcoming fight?

Chris: I’m not one to call out fighters. As I get more experienced, I want to continue to challenge myself as a fighter. I want to continually improve my skills, by fighting better competition with the end game of getting some title shots. I want to take fights that will move me towards a championship belt. I pretty much leave it up to my trainer & my promoter to make all the cards fall into place.

MTA: As far as Muay Thai goes what are your future plans?

Chris: I plan on going to Thailand in the late fall & early winter and pick up a few fights out there. I want to continue to stay active when I get back to the US & get better as a fighter. Since I have been working with a nutritionist, I found that I’ve become a lot leaner, so I may move down a weight division. I’d like to get some title shots in there as well. Having a WBC belt has always been a dream.

The post Chris Kwiatkowski talks about his upcoming fight with Joe Tipping Marchand appeared first on muaythaiauthority.com.

Recently Friday Night Fights announced for everyone to “expect the unexpected” on September 9th, 2011. A press conference has been scheduled for September 9th a the XVI Lounge at 251 West 48th Street on the 16th floor in New York City. The press conference is expected to begin at 7pm ET/4pm PT.

Friday Night Fights has kept everyone in the dark as to what the unexpected is, but those interested in finding out can attend the press conference as it will be open to the public. In addition to what Friday Night Fights promises to be “big news”, those in attendance will also get to preview the 2nd and 3rd episodes of the Friday Night Fights Muay Thai semi-finals and final matches from the 154 lb tournament.

Fighters from Friday Night Fights back-to-back September events are also expected to be in attendance.

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Friday Night Fights second of back-to-back events will feature the rubber match between Justin Greskiewicz and Turan Hasanov. The event is scheduled to take place September 23rd in New York.

The fighters have split a pair of fights with Greskiewicz winning the first bout and Hasanov the second. Greskiewicz recently fought world ranked Liam Harrison in New Jersey and will be looking to end a two fight losing streak. Hasanov recently fought to a draw against Eddie Martinez, a fight in which he was adamant that he was robbed of a win. Both fighters will be looking to get back on the winning track and win the trilogy between the two.

Keep checking back here at Muay Thai Authority for all the latest Muay Thai news.

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Jarrell Miller of New York and Brian Collette of Virginia are set to face off as the co-main event at Take-On Productions “September Showdown” taking place on September 9th.

Both Miller and Collette will be making their professional Muay Thai debuts. Collette is a WKA champion and is undefeated in his amateur career. Miller, like Collette is also undefeated as an amateur and in addition holds a professional boxing record of 4-0. Miller holds victory over UFC veteran Pat Barry in the World Combat League.

The night’s main event will feature a WKA title bout between Rami Ibrahim and Philippe Allaire Landerville.

Keep checking back here at Muay Thai Authority for all the latest new regarding Take-On Productions “September Showdown” as well as all your other Muay Thai news.

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New York — The Night’s event began with the eight fighters in the tournament randomly drawing their numbers to see who they would face in the quarter finals of the tournament. One would fight two, three would fight four and so on. The drawing was held in front of the audience at the beginning of the event to show there was nothing predetermined about match-ups for the tournament.

The night’s first tournament bout featured Shawn Fagan of Kingston, NY against Diarmaid McGregor of Boston, MA. Fagan was a last minute replacement for Hiro Perrera of Washington D.C. who did not make weight for the tournament. From the start of the fight Fagan pressed the action as he looked to work the body and legs of McGregor. Despite Fagan’s aggression McGregor seemed comfortable counter fighting as he looked to work the head and body of Fagan with some strong punches. The fight was close from start to finish as both fighters connected with solid strikes. Fagan’s aggression seemed like it should have paid dividends as the fight reached the judges scorecard, but they saw things differently as the fight was awarded to Diarmaid McGregor via split decision.

The night’s second tournament bout featured two undefeated fighters in Troy Sheridan of Toronto, Canada and Phillip LeGrand of Brooklyn, NY. Both fighter’s met in the center of the ring early on and exchanged, but it became apparent that Sheridan was the aggressor. After two tightly contested rounds things really picked up in the third round, it looked like rock em’ sock em’ robots in the ring as LeGrand and Sheridan began to unload on each other. A huge left hook by Sheridan planted LeGrand on the canvas, but he was able to beat the referee’s count. Smelling blood like a shark in water, Sheridan presses the action looking to finish the fight and forces LeGrand against the ropes where he unleashes a flurry of strikes. Despite LeGrand not hitting the canvas, the referee could have easily stopped the fight , but instead gave LeGrand another count. The action resumes and a tough Sheridan again moves in to finish the fight, as he has LeGrand on wobbly legs before the bell rings and ends the fight. A very resilient Phillip LeGrand made it to the judge’s scorecards where Sheridan is awarded a unanimous decision.

The night’s third tournament bout featured Josh Fitzsimmons of Hamilton, Canada against Adam Edgerton of Louisville, KY. Both fighters came out swinging. Fitzsimmons found a place for his uppercut early as he connected with it on several occasions. However, it was a big left hand that put Edgerton on the canvas. The bout ended at 1:51 of the first round.

The final fight of the tournament quarterfinals featured Richard Huang of Queens, NY against Chris McMillan of Calgary, Canada. Huang came out aggressive while McMillan looked to close the distance and work from the clinch. McMillan had a significant height advantage and it showed when they clinched as he clearly was able to use his height to gain better positioning. McMillan looked to be pacing himself and picking his shots while Huang was throwing punches in bunches. McMillan began to press the action in the second and he picked up the pace a barrage of knees to the body of Huang forced the referee to step in and give Huang a standing eight count. Huang seemed fatigued and was not able to continue and McMillan was declared the winner at 1:51 of the second round.

Chris Kwiatkowski and Robert Blake met in the night’s first pro match. Both fighters came out working their kicks and were picking their shots. Kwiatkowski landed a hard right early on and Blake encouraged it. Kwiatkowski dictated the pace as he was pressing the action, but both fighters were methodical in their attacks. In round four the action picked up as both Kwiatkowski and Blake were throwing some heavy punches, but Kwiatkowski was more effective with his boxing. Kwiatkowski was able to solidify his performance pressing the action in the fifth round and once again using his boxing to gain the upper hand. In the end Kwiatkowski took home a unanimous decision on the judges scorecards.

Troy Sheridan and Diarmaid McGregor met in the tournaments first semi-final fight. Sheridan took the center of the ring and looked to take control early. Sheridan cornered McGregor and unleashed a flurry of strikes that forced McGregor to take a knee. McGregor came out after the count and looked to press the action, but a left hook from Sheridan connected and put McGregor on the canvas. McGregor was not able to get back to his feet as Sheridan punched his ticket to the tournament finals via KO at 1:49 of the first round.

Josh Fitzsimmons and Chris McMillan were looking to fill the other finals slot and from the start Fitzsimmons was looking to make it a quick fight. Fitzsimmons was throwing with bad intentions early as McMillan seemed to be flustered by his aggressiveness, but McMillan hung in tough and fought back and connected with a head kick as the round ended that sent Fitzsimmons to the mat. Fitzsimmons made it out of the round and once again came out aggressive in the second round. McMillan seemed to be in trouble again as Fitzsimmons connected with elbows to the body. Fitzsimmons punches continued to find their mark until the referee gave McMillan a count. McMillan’s nose was bloodied as the fight continued, while Fitzsimmons continued to press the action looking for the finish. McMillan made it out of the second round and in the third round came out showing new signs of life as he connected with several solid shots that seemed to have Fitzsimmons in trouble. Despite McMillan connecting with some solid shots Fitzsimmons continued to push forward until the end of the fight. In what was a very exciting fight Josh Fitzsimmons took home a unanimous decision from the judges.

The tournament finals featured two Canadian fighters as Troy Sheridan from Toronto and Josh Fitzsimmons from Hamilton were looking to take home the tournament crown. Both had one decision and one KO victory on the night coming in the tournament finals. Sheridan was undefeated coming into the tournament and as looking to be the first undefeated fighter to enter the Friday Night Fights tournament to leave without a blemish on his record. In the tournament’s history twice have undefeated fighters entered the tournament and neither was able to make it out of the tournament with their perfect record intact.

Unlike his previous two fights, Fitzsimmons didn’t look to press the action early. Sheridan initiated the clinch early and went to work with knees. Sheridan connected with solid shots to the body after a break from the clinch. Despite initiating the clinch again Fitzsimmons was able to land some powerful strikes that wobbled Sheridan before the referee stepped in and gave him an eight count. Despite receiving the count Sheridan continued to press the action. In the second round both fighters came out aggressive, but it seemed as if Sheridan was getting the better of Fitzsimmons as he seemed to have him hurt on a few occasions. Fitzsimmons was able to hang tough and make it out of the round. At the start of the third round both fighters came out looking to finish the fight. A short right hook from Fitzsimmons connected flush and Sheridan went crashing to the canvas face first. He was not able to answer the referees count as Fitzsimmons capped of the night’s tournament in stunning fashion.

In the night’s main event Florida’s Alex Berrios and Philadelphia’s Rigel Balsamico came out calm and collected as they both looked to pick their shots. Berrios began to connect with solid strikes midway through the first round and Balsamico was clearly in trouble as Berrios began to pick his shots and connect. A right at the end of the round knocked out Balsamico’s mouthpiece and sent him to the canvas, but Balsamico made it out of the round after clearly being in trouble. Berrios came out picking his shots at the start of the second round and connected with a head kick and some solid punches. Balsamico showed life after connecting with a big right, but Berrios responded with some solid strikes of his own. Berrios was connecting with his calculated attacks at will while Balsamico was clearly hesitant in the fight. Berrios began the third round looking to finish the fight and he clearly had Balsamico in trouble as he connected with some nice combination and at one point a nice fling knee. Balsamico was simply in survival mode when, from the cinch, Berrios unleashed a barrage of knees to the head and body. Balsamico turned away as the referee stopped and started the count. When the referee asked Balsamico if he could continue, Balsamico shook his head and replied, “I’m done”. The end came at 2:05 of the third round as Alex Berrios took home a very impressive (T)KO victory.

Results:
AJ Pearson def. Nick Parenty via KO at 0:58 of Rd. 1

1st Round of 8-man Tournament:
Diarmaid McGregor def. Shawn Fagan via Split Decision
Troy Sheridan def. Phillip Legrand via Unanimous Decision
Josh Fitzsimmons def. Adam Edgerton via KO (Punch) at 1:51 of Rd. 1
Chris McMillon def. Richard Huang via (T)KO (Knees) at 1:51 of Rd. 2

Danny Rangel def. Chris Martinez via Split Decision
Jacques Preira def. Sentwali Woolrich via KO (Head Kick) at 0:53 of Rd. 1
Chris Kwiatkowski def. Robert Blake via Unanimous Decision

Semi-Finals of 8-Man Tournament:
Troy Sheridan def. Diarmaid McGregor via KO (Punches) at 1:49 of Rd. 1
Josh Fitzsimmons def. Chris McMillan via Unanimous Decision

Ruby Calabrese def. Daniella Budlimic via Unanimous Decision
Chris Mauceri def. Derrick George via Split Decision

8-Man Tournament Finals:
Josh Fitzsimmons def. Troy Sheridan via KO (Punch) at 0:19 of Rd. 3

Main Event:
Alex Berrios def. Rigel Balsamico via (T)KO (Knees) at 2:05 of Rd. 3

The post Results: Friday Night Fights 8-to-1 event recap appeared first on muaythaiauthority.com.

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If you walk into Sitan Gym in Queens, NY odds are you will find Omar Ahmed training, or coaching. The Queens, NY native is on a mission to become the best Muay Thai practitioner he can be. Like anyone looking to strive for greatness you need discipline and dedication, and Omar has let Muay Thai engulf his life.

“Muay Thai is basically my life in a lot of ways because I am a pro fighter and I do teaching and coaching as well when I’m not in the ring as my job.” said Omar. “Muay Thai brings me peace, happiness, and lots of fun…and I get paid to do it so its a blessing.”

Omar first began his training at the age of twelve, and since then has flourished under the tutelage of Aziz Nabih. Sitan Gym has been his home since he began training at the age of twelve. It is hard training, and as Omar put it “straight business”. The grueling training sessions, the suffering that goes on when preparing to compete is all done with one purpose. Building a champion.

“We take this sport very serious and I work really hard with him (Aziz).” said Omar. ” It’s straight business when it comes to training (he makes me suffer from hard work but it paid off).”

The time for Omar to venture out is approaching, Sitan is his home, but with the level of Muay Thai in the United States not in exactly the best condition, he wants to test his skills world wide. Although no stranger to travelling and fighting abroad this upcoming move would seem to be more permanent. Omar has visited and fought in Thailand before. When in Thailand he trained at 13 coins along side the legendary fighter Saenchai. While there he also competed at world renowned Lumpini Stadium. The experience is something Omar states was one of the best he has had in his Muay Thai career, but at the same time it was also one of the hardest. Omar embraced the opportunity that came to him though and was able to put on one of his best performances.

“I was asked if I would want to fight in Lumpini against a Thai on TV there and I was very honored to have that opportunity. Having Saenchai tell me I’m a good fighter and getting lots of attention from the Thais gave me a lot of confidence for it. It was the best experience of my life.” said Omar. “What was going through my mind was that this is a opportunity that most foreign fighters don’t get and I just got it offered to me so I took it with out thinking twice and had one of my best performances there. I got a lot of respect from the Thais after that fight and I was very relaxed and my mind was very clear and focused.”

Looking to fight the best Omar plans on travelling abroad once again, either to Holland or Thailand. This time based on the fight opportunities he receives he will be relocating for short periods of time. His goal is simple for his career, and that is to fight the best and climb up the ladder as far as he can while he can. Omar plans on having about three more fights in the United States before setting off to fight abroad. He isn’t looking to call any names out.

“I really don’t want to fight anyone in a sense that I don’t like them or nothing… I just want entertaining bouts to be part of and I always have put on great shows all over the world.” said Omar.

Omar’s agenda is simple. Fight the best talent he can, put on entertaining bouts, and be the best fighter he can be. What more can you ask for from a fighter?

The post Omar Ahmed: Ready to expand abroad appeared first on muaythaiauthority.com.

As you can see, the fighters from New York, are ready to step up to any challenge. It seems things are moving to make some West Coast vs. East Coast match-ups happen, and any of the above fighters would be a good representative for New York, or the East Coast.

Photo Courtesy of Lance Burns. www.PhotoBurns.com

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Here are some responses from fighters that are not based in New York, or from there regarding Chaz Mulkey’s comments about New York Muay Thai. As previously reported on Muay Thai Authority, Stand Up Promotions is looking to host a West Coast vs. East Coast event in June. The three fighters below would all love a crack at some West Coast fighters, but not because they represent the East Coast, its because they just love to fight.

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