Muay Thai Guy Podcast

When you fight top tier competition in stadiums like Lumpinee, Rajadamnern and MAX Muay Thai, you're bound to become an absolute savage... and that's exactly what Ognjen Topic has done.http://traffic.libsyn.com/muaythaiguy/MTG105.mp3<enclosure url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/muaythaiguy/MTG105.mp3" length="40492651" type="audio/mpeg" />

It’s very rare when someone is willing to take a leap of faith and pursue their Muay Thai dreams full on, but Angela Chang took that leap and ended up living, training and fighting out of Sitsongpeenong Gym in Thailand.Angela is one of the new writers for Muay Thai Guy and has been putting out quality articles about the training in Thailand. Not only that, but she’s been able to get interviews with top fighters like Sittichai and Dechsakda from Sitsongpeenong which have been awesome.Click Here or on the podcast player at the top of the page to listen to MTG 106: Angela Changhttp://traffic.libsyn.com/muaythaiguy/MTG106_AngelaChang.mp3<enclosure url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/muaythaiguy/MTG106_AngelaChang.mp3" length="34311698" type="audio/mpeg" />

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 104Ever since I first started in Muay Thai, Brett Hlavacek's name was one that I recognized early on. He was one of the top dogs who trained under the great Kru Phil Nurse from The Wat, so I knew whenever I watched him I would be in for a treat. With his powerful roundhouses, calm composure and deadly counter skills, it was always fun to watch him fight.Now Brett holds the WBC belt and has been racking up wins both locally in NYC as well as abroad. On top of that he will also be hosting the new Nak Muay Nation training camp in July and is looking to fight at one of Thailand's top promotions like MAX Muay Thai or Super Muay Thai. We talk about his upcoming trip plus much more including:How his start in Taekwondo eventually led to his love for Muay Thai.Why he decided to start competing at the early age of 12.How the Muay Thai scene was much different when he was growing up in the sport.His decision to move to NYC to train full-time under Phil Nurse at Th

The Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 103Totally dedicating your life to Muay Thai can be a difficult thing to do, especially with it being so difficult to make a living. But the lack of extrinsic reward doesn't deter fighters like Nak Muay Nation sponsored fighter, D.J. Miller from creating a lifestyle that allows him immerse himself in the sport.The first day D.J. stepped foot in a Muay Thai gym, he knew that Muay Thai was going to be a big part of his life. Since then he's had over 30 amateur fights, 12 championship belts and is off to a solid start in his professional career. I had a chance to talk with D.J. about his career including things like:How the movie "The Protector" peaked his curiosity about Muay Thai.Why even as a high school wrestler and experienced grappler, he chooses to stay away from MMA and focus solely on Muay Thai.How his location makes it hard for him to get fights as both an amateur and a pro.Why he chose to fight in so m

The Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 102Tiffany Van Soest is making HUGE waves in the combat sports world. Besides being a top level Muay Thai champion, she is hoping to also become a champion in GLORY kickboxing and Invicta MMA. We talk about all of that plus MUCH more in this weeks podcast, including:Why the two words "who cares" helps her simplify things and lessen the pressure before fights.What her preparation (mentally and physically) was like prior to her GLORY debut.How she adjusted her game to fit the kickboxing style (hint: she didn't do much).How she handles all the hype of all the media attention while being the first female fighter on GLORY.Her decision to move to Bali and why it's been a great change of pace.What a day in the life is like living and training in Bali.What her favorite dinosaur is and why (it's a herbivore).How long she's been training MMA and why she decided to make the moveWhat changes she plans on making in her striking when fighting MMA.Her plans and goals for the near fut

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 101 Photo Credit: Ben Pontier for EnfusionAt one point or another, a majority of fighters have a lull in their career due to school, work and other life priorities. Ashley Nichols was at this point and had taken a year off from competing until she had the opportunity to fight Tiffany Van Soest for the Lion Fight title in early 2016.With that fight, her passion for fighting Muay Thai was revived. With a new sense of purpose, she decided to take the leap to move to Thailand to train at Kaewsamrit gym and pursue her Muay Thai career full on. We discuss how she came to this decision plus more including:How she initially got involved in boxing and other combat sports at the age of 15.What it was like finding fights in Canada early on in her amateur career.Why her and her team made it a point to compete at multiple tournaments to gain experience.How her fight with Tiffany Van Soest was a huge factor in reviving her passion for fighting.How she came to the decision to t

Muay Thai Guy Podcast – Episode 100 Photo taken by Marz An or furymagazine.comVictor Saravia has quite the story to tell.At a young age Victor was involved with gangs in Los Angeles and could've easily gone down the wrong path. Fortunately, after getting in trouble with the law and almost being sent off to juvy, he was able to change the direction of his life and become one of the most talked about prospects in Muay Thai today.I had the chance to chat with this beast of a fighter and learn more about how he's been able to overcome adversity and avoid bad  thanks to his family, friends and teammates at Muay Thai America gym in California. We chat about his career, training methods and much more including:How he grew up in a bad neighborhood and used to fight his friends for money.Why he decided to get out of the bad situations he was in and change his life for the better.How football played a huge role in teaching him respect, discipline and work ethicWhat a typical day of training is like for h

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 99One of the most passionate, outspoken people I've come across online has got to be Marcus Oakley.Going by the pen name Charlie Hustle, he has written a number of posts for Muay Thai Guy and has started a number of conversations about the sport that are crucial to it's growth and exposure. From his "Top 10 Most Influential Fighters" to the "Curious Case of the Phantom Casual Fan Offensive in Muay Thai", Marcus always has a unique perspective to share and that's why I had to get him on the podcast!We talk a variety of topics including:How he got his start in Muay Thai after watching Blood Sport and seeing Tong Po.How he initially wanted to train for himself but gradually fell in love with coaching.Why he decided to open up his own space and the challenges he's faced doing so.The differences between fancy, high-tech gyms to the old school, bare bone gyms.His thoughts on the fight scene in the midwest and how it's hard to find quality gyms to train at.Why

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 98As a fighter and competitive athlete, the power of the mind can NOT be overlooked.We all know the saying "Fighting is 90% mental and 10% physical", but how often do we take the time to actually train our minds? If the mental side is such a crucial aspect to your success as a fighter, why aren't you having mental training sessions where you optimize your thought process, memory, focus and emotion?Fighters are becoming aware of how important it is to train the mind, and that's where guys like Joshua Manuel come into play. Joshua is a fight hypnotist who specializes in helping fighters train their unconscious mind to eliminate doubt/anxiety and replace it with confidence/focus. In our interview we cover a whole range of topics including:What initially drew him into wanting to learn more about hypnosis.What type of benefits are expected after being hypnotized.How he deals with skeptics and people who are hesitant to believe in this type of work.Why he likes to work with competiti

Muay Thai Guy Podcast – Episode 97 Chris Bradford performing the ceremonial Wai Kru. Photo by W.L. PhotographyChris Bradford is a Muay Thai veteran who has been in the ring dozens of times against tough, game opponents. But he says that strapping on 4oz MMA gloves and stepping into a steel cage is quite a different feeling than fighting with the traditional 8oz boxing gloves in a ring... and I tend to believe him.In this episode of the Muay Thai Guy podcast, Chris and I discuss his career, his retirement and what his goals are now that he's decided to step into the ring. We cover a wide variety of topics including:How he got his start in martial arts in Kyokushin Karate and then eventually graduated to Muay Thai.What is was like stepping into the cage for the first time with MMA gloves and how the feeling differs from a regular fight.How he changed his game plan to fit the Caged Muay Thai style and why that was important to his success.The feeling of losing a world title fight and how

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 95In this episode of The Muay Thai Guy Podcast, I chat with UK's current #1 ranked Bantamweight (53.5 Kg/117 lbs.), Daniel McGowan. At only 19 years of age, Daniel has accomplished quite a bit for such a young farang in the sport. Besides being the youngest foreign fighter to win at legendary Rajadamnern Stadium, Daniel is also the first foreign fighter to ever get fully sponsored by Petchyindee Academy in Bangkok.We discuss his evolution in the sport and a variety of other topics including:How he initially got into the sport after starting off in other martial arts like Taekwondo.What it was like growing up fighting when all of his schoolmates were focused on other sports.When his first trip to Thailand was and how often he travels and trains there.How he got sponsored by Petchyindee Academy in Bangkok.What a typical day of training is like in Thailand compared to back in the UK.What it was like balancing training full-time with other priorities like school

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 95Professional fighter and podcaster Jay Matias has had his fair share of ups and downs in his career and life. Since his torn bicep injury that had him sidelined for quite some time, Jay has been taking time to recover not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well.In our chat, we cover a whole variety of topics including:How he overcame serious depression by using the medicinal drug Ayahuasca.Why he's decided to make his Muay Thai comeback now.What it's been like dealing with the variety of challenges that has come his way.The importance of love and how it translates directly into Muay Thai.What his eating habits have been like and why he decided to go vegan.How he got into podcasting and what kind of doors it's opened.Why being yourself is the best way to be happy.Why fighting is a love/hate type of thing.And much, much more.Click Here or on the podcast player at the top of the page to listen to MTG 095: Jay MatiasSupport Jay for his comeback f

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 94Rayen Simson is one of the best kick boxers ever claiming 7 world titles in 3 different organizations and was ranked number 2 at the Lumpinee Stadium - which is a very difficult task for any farang (foreigner) fighter.In our interview, Rayen shines some light on his career and chats about a number of topics including:How he used to sneak out at night just to go to train at the local kickboxing gym.Where his unique and explosive style of fighting came from.How Andy Ristie originally trained at Simson Gym and uses a similar style as Rayen but a little more reckless.Why he decided to make the voyage to Thailand to fight against the best.How he changed his fighting style while fighting in Thailand to suit the judging.What his daily routine was like in Thailand and how it's different than training in a Dutch gym.What his training camps look like and what type of strength and conditioning he does.How his gym is known as a tough gym due to the intensity

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 93Making the move from professional fighter to coach was a natural part of Chris Clodfelter's progression as a Nak Muay. After fighting both Muay Thai and MMA (and making an appearance on The Ultimate Fighter) Chris has settled into his role as a coach and gym owner at Eight Points Muay Thai in North Carolina.The passion and enthusiasm that Chris has for the sport is hard to match, so having a chat with him on the podcast about his career was a ton of fun since we covered a whole range of topics including:What his journey was like as a martial artist and how he eventually found Muay Thai.Why he believes Muay Thai is such a powerful tool for helping people change their lives for the better.His fight career and how he transitioned from fighter to coach rather seamlessly.Why he opened up his gym Eight Points Muay Thai and how it's evolved since the beginning.What he looks for in fighters and how he knows when someone is ready to step into the ring.The keys to making his gym a posi

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 92Not many people would take a fight against Yodsanklai Fairtex without any hesitation... but Marco Tentori is not like other people.With his background in Kung Fu, Marco has a number of unique advantages that most other fighters don't have. After training Kung Fu for years and having trouble finding full-contact fights, Marco transitioned to Muay Thai which eventually led him to fighting the pound-for-pound most dangerous fighter in the world, Yod. We discuss how this fight ended up being made plus...How he initially got into Kung Fu by watching Bruce Lee movies.How the mindset he's developed thanks to Lung Fu has helped him keep an open mind and "be like water".What the transition from Kung Fu to Muay Thai was like and why he decided to take that route.Why he believes Kung Fu has given him an advantage against a majority of his opponents.What his career has been like up to his Yodsanklai fight.How the fight between Yodsanklai came to fruition.How he was able to go i

Muay Thai Guy Podcast – Episode 91Pedro has beat 2 top prospects and lasted 4 rounds against top ranked Rungrat Sasiprapa.Pedro Gonzalez has quite a unique story.Starting by training at the YMCA, hitting the heavy bag and watching Youtube videos, Pedro jumped right into fighting MMA where he’s now 11-5 with multiple titles. Now he’s transitioned to Muay Thai and has beaten top prospects who had an extensive amateur career… Meanwhile he had 0 amateur fights.Pedro talks about fighting in 3 sports while balancing life and more!How he began training by watching Youtube videos.What his initial goals were with MMA and how they eventually grew into what they are now.Why he decides to take fights in MMA, Muay Thai AND Boxing.How he’s able to find time to train even with a family and full-time job.What he does differently in his training camps when preparing for different styles of fighting.What areas he’s progressed in with his fighting and how he plans to continually improve.Plans for his career and what h

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 90A TON of new things have been going on at Muay Thai Guy recently and I've got even more to share with you.If you haven't heard yet, Paul Banasiak (from Muaythaiathlete.com) and I have created a new Muay Thai podcast to feed your addiction even more. The idea for this podcast is to cover more of the ins-and-outs of the Muay Thai scene and talk about training tips, technique advice, upcoming fight cards, strength and conditioning etc.In this first episode of The Muay Thai Guys Podcast, Paul and I discuss the logistics of traveling, training and fighting in Thailand. We share our stories of training camp, fighting, the food and all the logistics that go into planning a trip to the mecca of Muay Thai. We also discuss how traveling to Thailand was a life-changing experience and how important it has been to their careers so far.Click Here or on the podcast player at the top of the page to listen to MTG 090: The Muay Thai Guys PodcastCheck us

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 89I usually get inspired by every single interview I do for the podcast, but talking with Chris Romulo of CROM Physical Culture took my inspiration to a whole other level.Chris has always been a popular figure in the NY Muay Thai Scene. He was a successful amateur and pro Muay Thai fighter who held the WKA Super Middleweight Title before retiring and opening up his own gym.Since then Chris has given back to the community and sport (he's been a huge help with The Muay Thai Project and Liam Tarrant) that he loves so much and continues to do so even when faced with extreme difficulties... like when Hurricane Sandy destroyed his gym and left him homeless for months on end.We discuss how he was able to overcome such adversity and much more:How he found Muay Thai after taking a beating in a street fight.What made him decide to begin coaching/owning his own gym after his fight career.Why heart is so important not only in Muay Thai, but in life.His story a

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 88At 22 years old, Mathias Gallo Cassarino has accomplished quite a lot for a "farang" in Thailand. But even as a MAX Muay Thai tournament champ and veteran of 60+ fights, Mathias is still striving for more and hopes to one day hold a belt at Lumpinee.Besides fighting, Mathias also is owner of MuayFarang.com and just recently opened up a gym with his father called 7 Muay Thai Gym. We discuss everything that's going on in his life/career including:How at first he avoided Muay Thai but then eventually fell in love with the art.What he's learned from 8+ years of living, training and studying in Thailand.Some tips and advice for people/fighters who are looking to come to Thailand to train.How he changes up his fighting style against foreigners compared to Thai's.What is was like fighting in the MAX Muay Thai tournament and winning.The sacrifices he's had to make in order to be where he is at only 22 years old.What a normal day of training consists at his gym.How him and h

Muay Thai Guy Podcast - Episode 87Eric Rivera has been involved in the Muay Thai scene in one way or another since before I ever even knew what Muay Thai was.With his new podcast and website, The Striking Corner (formerly known as Muay Thai is Life), Eric does an amazing job interviewing some of the biggest names and influential people in the sport today. This time around, I get a chance to interview Eric for a change to talk about how he got involved in Muay Thai plus a whole range of topics including:How after training in numerous other martial arts, Muay Thai stood out above all the rest.What the Muay Thai and kickboxing scene was like in the US when he first started in the sport.How he ended up on the Anthony Bourdain travel show where he went to Thailand to learn Muay Thai.The whole idea behind the Muay Thai is Life brand and website and how he's transitioned to The Striking Corner.What his goals and plans are for The Striking Corner.His thoughts on why Muay Thai/Kickboxing hasn'