"Rumble on the River" - The first free Muay Thai event east of the Rockies

On Thursday August 4th Friday Night Fights will be throwing the first free Muay Thai event east of the Rocky Mountains. The "Rumble on the River" will feature some top amateur talent for fans to sit back and enjoy some Muay Thai action. The event, which takes place on Manhattan’s Pier 84 overlooking the Hudson River, has usually featured boxing, will for the first time feature Muay Thai Boxing. Now is a better time than ever to introduce combat sports fans that are not familiar with Muay Thai to the sport.

Friday Night Fights brings back the one night tournament for July 22nd event

On Friday July 22nd - Friday Night Fights, returns to the 8 man tournament format with the appropriately named: 8-to-1 Tournament. This will mark the 3rd time that the Friday Night Fights has utilized the tournament format since starting it in 2008.

This July’s tournament, like the original one will be held at 154lbs. In 2009 Friday Night Fights held the tournament at 140lbs and chose not to run the tournament in 2010.

Berrios vs. Balsamico re-scheduled for July 22nd Friday Night Fights event

Originally scheduled for June 10th, the much anticipated bout between young gun Alex Berrios and seasoned veteran Rigel Balsamico has been moved from June 10th to July 22nd.

The July installment of Friday Night Fights will now play host to Berrios vs. Balsamico along with several other high quality bouts. Reasons for the delay of the bout were not available, but at least the bout is happening. It would have been unfortunate for a bout between two talented fighter such as Berrios and Balsamico to be canceled entirely. Kudos to Friday Night Fights for making sure the fight is still happening. There is no word on if the bout will be billed as the main event as of yet but keep checking back at MuayThaiAuthority.com for more information.

Phillipe Nover – A Muay Thai detour

On June 10^th, 2011 Phillipe Nover will return to combat sports action. Most remember Nover from his UFC days. The runner up on the eight installment of The Ultimate Fighter has not competed in any type of combat sport since his February 2010 loss to Robert Emerson at UFC 109. His return will not be to the MMA world, but will instead be to the Muay Thai world under the Friday Night Fights banner in New York.

The Brooklyn native was cut from the UFC after his loss to Emerson, and reality came calling. In any combat sport there is nothing but sacrifice until you reach the pinnacle. Nover made it to the big leagues, but making it and surviving in the big leagues are two different things.

Friday Night Fights June 10th fight card update

Friday Night Fights June 10th event is scheduled to take place at The Hall @ St. Pauls, and will feature some very talented fighters including two former UFC veterans, Phillipe Nover and Brodie Farber.

Nover is best known for his three fight stint in the UFC as well as appearing in the eight installment of the The Ultimate Fighter. Nover was the runner up when he appeared on the Ultimate Fighter. The New York native will be making his return to combat sports after some time off, and as he put it "fighting Muay Thai in New York is a great way to jump back into the mix". Nover's opponent will be Anthony Ford, while the opponent for Farber is yet to be named.

Chris Romulo - A Muay Thai Lifer

Chris Romulo has been training Muay Thai for fifteen years. Being from New York, government policies have kept him from being able to utilize all of the weapons he has been training the fifteen years he has been a Muay Thai practitioner. On May 14th all of that will change as he will fight in the first full rules Muay Thai fight of his career. Romulo will face current WBC Muay Thai Light Heavyweight champion Shawn Yarborough in a fight scheduled for 168lbs.

Much debate has been made about New York Muay Thai, and if it should really be called Muay Thai due to the fact that no elbows are allowed. Talks turned into East vs. West soon enough, and coming from New York to face a fighter in Yarborough who is based in Las Vegas the talks continue to escalate. Despite being seen by many as the New York representative, the pressure that might come with that does nothing for Romulo.

Muaythai Preservation Project gym partnership program

Starting in April of 2011, the Muaythai Preservation Project will be partnering up with select gyms throughout America to give underprivileged kids the chance to train in Muaythai at no cost. The MPP will be working with gyms and their local communities assisting to locate kids that have an interest in studying Muaythai but may not have the means to do so.

Through the program, select kids will participate in an essay contest with the winner receiving a six month membership to one of the Muaythai Preservation Project’s partner gyms. The MPP will cover the cost of membership to that gym, relieving parents of the financial stress that comes along with putting a child through training. The child’s progress will be tracked through communications between parents, trainers, and the MPP. Sponsored children are expected to not only progress in Muaythai, but also in school and in their communities. If the child is progressing then it may be possible to lengthen the term of the sponsorship.

Balsamico vs. Etzler, and Greskiewicz vs. Blake headline Friday Night Fights NYC on Nov. 5th

Friday Night Fights NYC returns November 5th at the Hall @ St.Pauls. In the night's main event Rigel Balsamico will take on William "BeBe" Etzler. The fight marks Balsamico's return after a three year layoff.

In the night's co-main event Justin Greskiewicz will be taking on Robert Blake. Blake is making a move down from 165lbs, as Greskiewicz looks to take the sour taste of a bad decision that robbed him of an IKKC championship belt in early October against Byoung-Ku Park.

Other bouts on the card feature Andy Zerger vs. Turan Hasanov, as well as Jesse Handler vs. Jimmy Besselmen, and Srijian Munier vs. Tom Ni.

Keep checking back here at MuayThaiAuthority.com as more fights are updated.