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So I followed our Simon Marcus all the way to Unified MMA #63 , and I’m glad I did! What a night it was. I should start by saying that the professional fighting scene is a completely different ball game. I saw quite a few familiar faces among the spectators, but they also looked very different when they were drunk.  The scene was also very mysterious. The commissioners said they weren’t allowed to talk to the media! I told them I’m only a blogger for fun and in the business o

I’m a few weeks late posting this blog. My apologies to the community, but I’m sure you all understand how we can have off weeks sometimes. Better late than never! Get comfortable, as this is going to be a longer read! Held on National Indigenous Peoples Day, this was a fight night like no other. Organized by Ajarn Khan Phady and Phady’s Muay Thai, fighters had been invited from Laos and Mexico to fight Canadian fighters, with A-Class fights covering more than half of the fig

I first heard about the Canadian Muay Thai Open (CMTO) at the Muay Thai Ontario (MTO) Championships in 2024. I wasn’t fighting at the MTO Championships. I attended as a volunteer, pretending to be a very important blogger ( read previous blog) ! During the Gym Owners’ meeting (yes, I attended that too), there was a lot of talk about CMTO and how it was the biggest Canadian Muay Thai tournament, so athletes didn’t have to travel all the way to Iowa for TBA. I happened to be si

I’ve been dragging my feet, and my heart was really not in writing this blog, as Ontario lost the National 75 kg title. So I wrote it with a heavy heart, while wiping my tears… with Champion Wipes. If you’re expecting a funny read… Don’t!   It was the night we had all been waiting for, for some time. One of the best fight cards I’ve seen. The organizer, Kru Rommel from M-Town (Milton Muay Thai), had been working day and night to put this event together. During the fighters’ m

It was nice to be back at the holy church in the name of NAKA! The event started slowly, with many empty seats for the first couple of hours. But by intermission, the church was packed and no one was praying! Ajahn Amnat welcomed the guests I think…and said something to the fighters… Am I the only one who’s always so distracted by Ajahn Amnat’s theatrics that I forget to actually listen? Several MTO officials were still in Antalya for IFMA, so Kru Daryl had to step up and wea

The vibe and energy at this event reminded everyone of the true spirit of the Muay Thai community. The organizers, Kru Maria and Kru Alin, truly humbled everyone with their generosity. With so many first-timers, along with their families, friends, and teammates showing up in support, this event became more a celebration of courage and heart before it was another fight night. Quite a few fighters, their Krus, and Muay Thai Ontario officials are in Turkey on an approved absence

So, I finally made it to one of the community sparring events Kru Ramuel holds at 10th Planet Etobicoke Martial Arts during long weekends, coincidentally, always when I can’t find a sitter. This time I did, and it was a fantastic session! I truly felt the community vibe, as all the gentlemen I sparred with held perfectly still for me to execute my combos. Thank you! The ladies from Triumph Martial Arts, however… ate me for breakfast, with three eggs added on top! I’m licking

Hello Kickboxing! I had been to one other WAKO event before (Coach vs Student blog) , but at that time, I was focused on just one particular fight. In preparing for this event, I had mixed feelings. It almost felt like I was cheating on Muay Thai. I kept thinking, maybe I can get the two to understand I like them both… I have to say, I was very impressed by the organizers, Kru Gerald Ching (known as King G) and Kru Eric Rocha. The event was very well organized and they had fo

There’s something homey about Black Tiger Gym. I don’t know if it’s the sight of supper cooking on the stove as you come through the door, or that Kru Mom greets you holding a mop and a bucket. It was my second time at Black Tiger, and I had mixed feelings returning. My first experience was when our Lexi got in the ring for the first time ( previous blog : link ). There were nine fights on the card that evening, featuring mostly youth and surprisingly, none were from Black Ti

It was my second time at Budo Canada, as we had been there just a month ago for the Provincial Tournament. April Duels was organized by the legendary Simon Marcus at Budo Canada. At this event, all the VIP tables had sold out, which wasn’t good news for me, as I usually sneak into one of those seats for my blogging purposes. I interviewed Bardh Kadriu from Sette Muay Thai. Well, I tried to interview Bardh! I asked Bardh how he felt, and he responded, “Not a single thing on my

What an exciting weekend! It was actually my first time at a MT Tournament, but I’m glad I registered as a Class B/-45 kg Blogger! After this blog, I think I can negotiate moving to Class A. The first day, when I looked at the schedules, I was a little disappointed that there were no Class A fights, but I have to admit, those Class C fighters really stepped up. I had a chance to have a quick chat with Samantha Skinner (Class A, TKMT). Sam mentioned that Class A fighters are h

Dave Reeves, the owner of Rise Combat, was matched to fight his student, Johnathan Monk! Dave turned 50 in December of 2024 and has been training and teaching taekwondo and kickboxing for 30 years. Dave had to drop over 20 lbs for this fight! Early last year (2024), Dave was actually battling cancer! Having defeated cancer, he continued coaching his students, including Johnathan, and never stopped training himself. When I spoke with Dave, he said, “Johnathan has been trying t

The very first event of 2025, and it was definitely a full house, with more than 30 people turned away at the door. The event was organized by Kru Mat (Etobicoke Martial Arts), who now owes Kru Harold $50 for delaying the first bell by 20 minutes. Kru Harold messaged me last week wanting to bet that the event would start on time, trying to cover both outcomes. I’m glad I didn’t take that bet, though I was tempted. I’m on to you, Kru Harold. The event included four class A fig

I’m a little late blogging about the Muay Thai Ontario Youth Camp in 2024 for a couple of reasons. At the time, I was very new to the community, and I couldn’t really write about the people I barely knew. I also hadn’t been appointed as the Kingdom Blogger back then. But better late than never, so here it goes (get comfortable in your seats as this a longer read):   I had started group training at the Kingdom only about a month or so when Kru Arash told the Kingdom about the

Warning! This blog may not be suitable for all readers! Reader discretion is advised. On December 15, 2024, the Muay Thai community was invited by Ajahn Suchart to celebrate Thai National Day at Etobicoke Martial Arts. Elite Martial Arts, Siam No.1 Muay Thai, and the Kingdom eagerly showed up to the celebration. We were dressed and ready to train, but it felt more like we were just hanging out with Ajahn while he shared some of his wisdom. For some reason, I had trouble focus

We had all been looking forward to the NAKA Fight Night. NAKA fight series is particularly important to Coach Hamed and he had told the Kingdom that he expects full participation. I think it’s because there is very good souvlaki just down the street from the location, and Coach Hamed really likes his Greek fries. Oscar Renderes and Andy Laicha were fighting for the Kingdom at NAKA Fight Night III. Oscar’s fight was #6  on the card, against Dylan Keimel from Legacy Muay Thai,

Unlike our other fight events, we all started the day very comfortably! Of course our Ako was going to win and Yusuf had been training very hard consistently so we all had a lot of confidence in him.  Unfortunately, Yusuf’s opponent, Arsh Pathan from The One Muay Thai was stuck behind an accident on 401 for close to 7 hours. I think next time Arsh should just walk from wherever he is. We actually offered to pack it up and bring the fight to the Highway of Heros where Arsh was