Kraus, Colossa, Bio, Zhipeng set for WuLinFeng 8-man one night tournament on New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve China will play host to a WuLinFeng 8-man one night tournament. The WuLinFeng 8-man tournament will feature Luis Bio vs. Zhou Zhipeng, Dong Wenfei vs. Gustavo Mendez, Albert Kraus vs. Zheng Zhaoyu, and Want Weihao vs. Vuyisile Colossa in the quarterfinals. It should prove to be an interesting tournament and the winner of the tournament will definitely have bested a solid field of competition when it's over.

Also fighting on the card will be Kaoklai Kaennorsing vs. Fong Bian. You can see the full fight card below.

Fight Card:
8-man One Night Tournament
Luis Bio (Mexico) vs Zhou Zhipeng (China)
Dong Wenfei (China) vs Gustavo Mendez (Brazil)
Albert Kraus (Netherlands) vs. Zheng Zhaoyu (China)
Wang Weihao (China) vs.Vuyisile Colossa (South Africa)

Super Fights
Kaoklai Kaennorsing vs. Fong Bia
Jomhad Kiatadisak vs. Yi Long
You Dingjie vs. Johnson
Dong Jianjun vs. Akbar Karimi
Xiang Borong vs. Nopphorn.Phosa
Xu Yi vs. Muslim Salikhov

Results and Recap: Super 4 Tournament; Saiyok edges Watson in Finals

A four man tournament took place in Thailand yesterday featuring Saiyok Pumphanmuang, Jordan Watson, Ilya Grad and Vuyisile Colossa. The opening round matched up Saiyok vs. Colossa and Watson vs. Grad. Saiyok and Watson were both victorious as they each beat their opponents by decision. In the finals of the tournament Saiyok and Watson put on an entertaining fight for the fans. Saiyok is known for his aggressive style and Watson was more than willing to oblige as the pair exchanged kicks, punches, knees and elbows for five rounds. At one point Saiyok caught Watson with an elbow that seemed to knock out some of his teeth. In the end Saiyok did enough to take home a decision victory it what was a close and very exciting fight.

Also victorious on the card were Lerdsila Chumpairtour and Leo Monteiro. Lerdsila defeated Sofiane Derdega from France via decision and Monteiro scored a second round (T)KO due to knees over Jack Sitpoopantoo.

Saiyok, Watson, Grad and Colossa set for four man tournament in Thailand on April 3rd

As previously reported by Total Muay Thai, the Bangkok Convention Center will play host to a four man tournament on April 3rd. Scheduled to be part of the tournament will be U.K. standout Jordan Watson, Thailand’s Saiyok Pumphanmuang, Israeli fighter Ilya Grad and South African fighter Vuyisile Colossa.

Of the four fighters in the tournament, three (Watson, Grad and Colossa) were part of the reality TV show The Challenger Muaythai. Saiyok has to be considered the favorite going in to the tournament, but Watson, Colossa and Grad should all be formidable opponents.

The event is part of the "Sport is your Gang" campaign, which will launch on April 3rd. The purpose behind “Sport is your Gang” is to create a project where at risk youths will be encouraged to take up Muay Thai and encouraged to continue their education so that they can focus their efforts on positive self-development.

Results and Recap: I-1 World Muay Thai Grand Extreme 2011

I-1 World Muay Thai Grand Extreme took place in Hong Kong. The event didn’t go off without some drama in the days leading up to it. Brothers, Antoine and Victor Pinto were set to compete at the event, but a last second disagreement between them and the promoter had them removed from the event. Antoine was set to take place in the 4-man tournament, but was replaced by M-100 Sitpolek. Victor was set to take part in a super fight against Lo Kit Fung, but was replaced y Choong Yen Meng.

In the opening round of the 4-man tournament Vuyisile Colossa punched his ticket to the final by scoring a (T)KO victory in the 2nd round of his bout with Pavlos Kaponis. Ilya Grad defeated M-100 Sitpolek to secure his spot in the finals. Colossa and Grad, both alumni of the reality TV show “The Challenger Muaythai” went the distance in the tournament finals with Vuyisile Colossa scoring the win by unanimous decision.

I-1 World Muay Thai Grand Extreme set for December 19th in Hong Kong

I-1 World Muay Thai Grand Extreme will take place on December 19th at the Star Hall in Hong Kong, China. The night's main attraction will be the “4-Man Elimination Tournament”, which will feature three fighters from the reality TV Show “The Challenger Muaythai”. Vuyisile “The Cheetah” Colossa, Antoine “Kid Shark” Pinto and Ilya "Achilles" Grad are all familiar with one another because of "The Challenger Muaythai" and will now have a chance to face off as they all try and claim the tournament crown. The fourth fighter that will be part of the tournament will be China’s Zhang Lei.

The event will also feature some super fights in addition to the tournament. Fighters that will be fighting in super fights include Teelak Fairtex, formerly a ranked No. 1 at Lumpinee Stadium, as well as Valdet Gashi from Germany and Victor Pinto a.k.a. Leo Siangboxing."The Challenger Muaythai" competitor, Jason Woodham will also be in action that night as part of the evenings super fights.

The Challenger Muaythai blog - Vuyisile Colossa

by Vuyisile Colossa

I learned about The Challenger in February of this year. I was immediately excited, because I felt this was what I needed in my career. We arrived at the house and I had no idea who the other competitors would be, but as soon as I met everyone I recognized a few faces and it was easy to settle in.

I ended up being the first fight of the show because I had the best weapon of the week. I wasn't looking to fight first if anything I wanted to see  what everyone else had to offer and I really didn't know what to expect from the show. You never want to risk being the first one going home and no one wanted to leave early. I wanted to stay as long as possible so that I could see how the show progressed.

THE FIGHT
I picked Michael Corley as my opponent, honestly it was a challenge because I had never seen him fight before. The decision was a bit thought, but a wise one. I had my eye on different fighters, but it was hard to decide as everyone was just settling in with their training, but Michael was number one.

The Challenger Muaythai blog - Michael Corley

by Michael Corley

After spending close to two years in Thailand working and competing I returned home to Houston, Texas late April 2011. I was happy to get back to Texas and enjoy some time off relaxing and eating some American food! So after about 2-3 weeks being in the States I got the call to be on The Challenger Muaythai Reality Show. I had made an alright name for myself competing in Thailand in The Challenger Qualifier 8-Man in Pattaya and competing in events like the Toyota Cup, and was really excited to get out and test myself against some top international fighters.

I think I was kind of a wild card getting on the show, so I was on a flight 3 days after I got the call and headed to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. When all the fighters arrived at the house I noticed some world champion competitors for the show Jordan Watson, Marco Pique, Madsua, Franki Giorgi, Colossa etc… then I also noticed 2 competitors that I had fought before in Thailand Jason Woodham and Faizal Ramli. Lastly I saw my friend Cyrus Washington and him, me, Rhyse Saliba, and Jesse Miles all roomed together. We all got along and were pretty chilled and a relaxed room.

Thailand blog - Day 2

 by Nathan Aripez
The second day in Thailand was bit slower paced. With Thai Fight 2011 taking place that afternoon and in addition it being a Sunday we did not visit any gyms. We spent the morning getting some Thai massages and afterwards we took a visit to the Grand Palace, it was something very interesting to see. It is not easy to explain, but it is magnificent to say the least. The architecture and the culture is great.

In the evening we headed to Thai Fight, when we arrived we picked up our passes and then found our spots. Scott immediately began to work on taking pictures. The stadium seated 4,500 people and I was wondering if they would be filled to capacity. I walked around the back talking to some of the fighters as well as other fighters that were there to support. Saiyok was there and he was a cool guy, I went back out to the arena for a few and then realized that the ring area was getting full so I went back to try and find Scott to tell him to get his spot, I couldn't spot him anywhere.

Pictures: Thai Fight 2011

Scott Hirano was ringside for Thai Fight 2011 as the opening round of the tournament kicked off in Thailand. Buakaw Por. Pramuk was fighting in Thailand for the first time in eight years and the event drew a large crowd of Buakaw supporters. Kem Sitsongpeenong was also part of the tournament representing Thailand and both fighters put on dominating performances.

Results and recap: Thai Fight 2011

Bangkok, Thailand -- The Thai Fight 2011 tournament kicked off on Sunday, September 25th. The 154lb (70kg) and the 147lb (67kg) tournaments featured some world class fighters in the opening round such as Buakaw Por. Pramuk, Kem Sitsongpeenong, Vuyisile Colossa and Fabio Pinca.

Fighting in Thailand for the first time in eight years, Buakaw was the night's main attraction. He took on Cameroon's Abdallah Mabel. From the start of the fight it Buakaw controlled the fight and landed his strikes with power. Mabel mocked Buakaw a bit midway through the fight, but it had no effect on him as he continued to press the action and deliver punishment. In the third round Buakaw knocked Mabel down with a counter right, and after Mabel was able to answer the referee's count Buakaw went on an aggressive attack looking to finish. The third and final round ended with Buakaw still attacking, he took home a very dominant decision victory.

Thai Fight 2011 fight card

The Thai Fight 2011 147lb (67kg) and 154lb (70kg) tournaments are set to start this weekend on September 25th in Bangkok, Thailand. Some big names are set to compete in both tournaments including last years Thai Fight champion Fabio Pinca and Muay Thai super star Buakaw Por. Pramuk.

Pinca will try to repeat as the tournament champion, but looking to prevent that from happening will be Kem Sitsongpeenong as well as six other fighters. It is safe to say that Kem vs. Pinca is expected to be the tournament finals. The pair previously met in 2009 at an event that took place in France and Kem took home a unanimous decision over Pinca.

Buakaw and Pinca set compete in Thai Fight tournaments scheduled to start in September

The Thai Fight tournament will be back on September 25th in Bangkok, Thailand. The event will feature two tournaments with some big names. In 147 lb (welterweight) tournament, last years champion Fabio Pinca will be competing as well as Isuzu Cup winner Kem Sitsongpeenong. Muay Thai superstar Buakaw and heavy hitter Vuyisile Colossa will take part in the 154 lb (super welterweight) tournament.

Three North American fighters on The Challenger Muay Thai TV series

The Challenger is set to premier on AXN in Asia this September while air dates and networks are currently being worked on for the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. An off shoot of The Contender Asia, The Challenger is set to feature 16 world class Muay Thai fighters competing for the $100,000 grand prize.

In the mix for the $100,000 grand prize are three North American fighters. Cyrus "Black Dynamite" Washington is from Detroit, Michigan and has been living in Thailand and training for the last couple of years. The dynamic Washington is known for his explosive style and his highlight reel knockouts.

Ky Hollenbeck defeats Vuyisile Colossa

American Ky Hollenbeck faced the toughest test of his career when he stepped into the ring to take on Vuyisile Colossa for the WCK middleweight world title. Colossa is a highly ranked veteran fighter who has faced world class competition his entire career such as Yodsanklai Fairtex, Dmitry Valent, and Armen Petrosyan.

Entering the fight Hollenbeck was the under dog but as he told Muay Thai Authority "come fight night I'm gonna be the best Ky Hollenbeck I've ever been in the ring." When it was all said and done Ky Hollenbeck walked away with a decision victory over Vuyisile Colossa. The fight was bigger than most might think. A win over such a highly ranked opponent doesn't just help Ky Hollenbeck's career it helps the entire American Muay Thai scene, because Americans beating highly ranked international fighters brings us a little more respect in the world Muay Thai scene.

Ky Hollenbeck talks upcoming WCK Muay Thai title fight with Vuyisile Colossa

Muay Thai Authority had the chance to catch up with Ky Hollenbeck about his upcoming bout with Vuyisile Colossa for the WCK Muay Thai world title on April 23rd.

MTA: You have an upcoming fight with Vuyisile Colossa in China for WCK Muay Thai. What are your thought on Vuyisile?

Ky: Ya I'm going to be fighting Vuyisile Colossa on this show in China. He's fought a ton of good guys and only lost to a handful of them, and all of his losses are to high level guys. Yodsaenklai Fairtex, Armen Petrosyan, Dmitry Valent, Naruepol Fairtex to name a few. He's a very skilled fighter with great hands and a ton of heart. I am stoked to be fighting him.

Vuyisile Colossa talks upcoming April 23rd WCK Muay Thai bout with Ky Hollenbeck

Vuyisile "The Cheetah" Colossa will be fighting Ky Hollenebck April 23rd for at the WCK Muay Thai event in China. Vuyisile is a world class fighter who has been in the ring with some of the best Muay Thai fighters in the world. Vuyisile if from the Republic of South Africa and currently resides in Hong Kong, China.

MTA: You have an upcoming fight with Ky Hollenebck in China. How has your training for the fight been going?  

Vuyisile: Yes I have a fight with Ky, training has been going really well first fight of the year and its a world title fight, all I can say I am happy with my training. 

Ky Hollenbeck vs Vuyisile Colossa likely for April

Rumors circulating about a bout between Ky Hollenbeck and Yohan Lidon for the WBC Muay Thai middleweight title, were shut down by the WBC Muay Thai. Hollenbeck will not be fighting Yohan Lidon for a the WBC Muay Thai middleweight title.

Sources close to the situation have informed Muay Thai Authority that Hollenbeck is actually expected to fight Vuyisile Colossa from South Africa in late April for the WCK Muay Thai  middleweight world title.

Colossa is a seasoned fighter that has fought the likes of Yodsanklai Fairtex (4x), Armen Petrosyan, Dmitry Valent, and Naruepol Fairtex. In his four fights with Yodsanklai he was able to defeat him once.

Kings Cup 8 man tournament draw, Pique, Oberg, and Askerov out

The draw to set the match-ups for the Kings Cup 8 man tournament has taken place. In some interesting changes Marco Pique (Holland), Dzhabar Askerov (Russia) will not fight because they are present at the Rumble of the Kings, and Marcus Oberg (Sweeden) withdrew from the tournament for unknown reasons.

Stepping in to take their slots in the tournament will be Xu Yan (China), Alexandre Vogel (Germany), and Soleimani (Iran). Although they might not carry the name power of Pique and Dzhabar they made sure quality replacements were selected, and the tournament still shapes out to be a talent filled event. Yodsanklai and Cosmo Alexandre are the favorites to reach the tournament finals.

Kings Cup 8 man tournament set for Dec. 5th with Yodsanklai, Pique, Askerov, Miles, and more

The King's Cup is set to take place on Nov. 5th at Sanamluang in Bangkok, Thailand in honor of the King's 83rd birthday. The format for the event will be an eight man tournament with representatives from eight different countries. The list of competitors is listed below, a discrepancy to note on the fight poster is that Jesse Miles from Canada is listed as Marcus Oberg and from Sweeden and vice versa.

This is a pretty stacked field of competitors and it will definitely not be an easy task for any of these fighters to come out on top in this tournament.Of course the most notable fighter is Yodsanklai, he is coming off a split decision loss to John Wayne Parr.

Fighters in Tournament:
Yodsanklai Fairtex (Thailand)
Marco Pique (Holland)
Cosmo Alexandre (Brazil)
Dzhabar Askerov (Russia)
Jesse Miles (Canada)
Marcus Oberg (Sweeden)
Jordan Watson (England)
Vuyisile Colossa (South Africa)