Ben Yelle will tell you he recently faced those issues head on, and in a sport where fights are hard to come by, most fighters have to play by the promoters rules or they don't fight. Ben fought on the November 13th WCK Muay Thai fight card in Las Vegas, NV. When he was on his way to Las Vegas from Michigan he was ready to fight a five round full rules Muay Thai bout against Kang En. When he arrived in Las Vegas, and was working to make weight things changed.
The fight was scheduled at 142lbs, it was to be five three minute rounds. According to Ben, on the Friday before the fight when he was cutting weight he was approached by Kang En's coaches and was questioned about his size and weight. Shortly before Ben weighed in is when things started to change. Ben states that before the weigh-ins promoter Dennis Warner approached him, and wanted to change the bout to three rounds, and remove clinching and elbows. When the offer was brought up to Ben, he refused, he signed on to fight full rules Muay Thai. The weigh-ins continued and Ben made his contracted weight of 142lbs give or take one pound. He thought the issue was behind him, but it seemed things were just starting.
"About 1pm on Saturday he (Dennis Warner) called and said it's either their way or no fight, I had no choice if I wanted to fight" said Ben. "He only offered me half my purse if I didn't take the fight which I took the fight cause I really needed the money".
In case you don't know Muay Thai fighters don't get paid much, they hold regular jobs because Muay Thai doesn't pay the bills here in the United States. With money being as issue Ben reluctantly agreed to the change in the fight. Ben went on to lose a decision to Kang En, but what you don't know yet is the reasoning behind the rules being changed.
Rewind things back to when Ben was being questioned by Kang En's coaches about his size. A coach has all the right to question the opposing fighter about his size, but as long as the fighter makes the contracted weight there should not be an issue. Ben states that Kang En's coaches were sizing him up, and that they were surprised by his size and this prompted them to run to promoter Dennis Warner and request the rules change. The situation gets more interesting, because Ben states that when Dennis approached him to change the fight, the reason given was that Kang En's coaches were worried because he had suffered a bad knock out loss on October 9th to Detbanjong Fairtex at the Hero Legends event.
"Soon after that Dennis was talking to me about this bullshit deal and he was very quick to mention about how he's partners with those Chinese and how he promotes over there" said Ben.
If safety was the reason behind the rules change, why would they let Kang En fight in the first place? Severe damage could happen without elbows. Knees, kicks, and punches can all cause significant damage. The best way to protect a fighter is not allow him to fight. Ben feels that the rules were changed to favor Kang En. Clinching and elbows were a big part of Ben's game plan, and he hoped to use his size in the clinch to bully Kang En around, and the three rounds instead of five he believed were put in place because Ben is normally a slow starter, and picks things up the longer the fight goes.
In case you missed anything here is a quick run down. Ben shows up for the fight, Ben is approached about his size while making weight, before weighing in he is approached by the promoter and asked about changing the rules because of safety concerns for the other fighter, Ben declines the rule changes but on the day off the fight he is told by the promoter he either takes the fight with the new rules or there will be no fight and he will get only half of his purse. To make things worse Ben's contract which was sent to Muay Thai Authority by Ben states that the promoter will pay licensing fees for the fighter and trainer. Ben stated his trainer had to pay his own licensing fee, and that he was docked a licensing fee from his fight purse. Upon receiving the payroll for the event Muay Thai Authority was able to verify that Ben was deducted a licensing fee.
When Dennis Warner was contacted about the rules changes there was no denial about them on his behalf. However, he made sure to note that Kang En's coaches were not part of WuLinFeng, whom Dennis was co-promoting the event with for viewing in China.
"I was told upon arrival to Las Vegas that Kang En's manager would not let him fight unless it was only three rounds and K-1 rules for safety reasons" said Dennis. "I will never force any competitor to fight especially if there is a concern over his safety. If Ben chose not to fight, he would of received half of his purse and would of been booked on the next show".
Both Ben and Dennis seem to be telling the same story, but with a few things not matching up. Ben states that he was he was not informed about the rule change until Kang En's coaches had sized him up, and that the Dennis wanted him to fight the K-1 rules because he is partners with the Chinese promoters. Dennis states that he was informed as soon as he arrived in Las Vegas and then informed Ben, and that Kang En's coaches are not part of the promotional group he works with, and he stated if Ben did not take the fight he would only get half his purse, but would be on the next WCK fight card.
Who is to blame for the events that took place? Ben? Dennis? Or how about Kang En and his coaches? They flew out on the WCK's dime, and then pretty much hijacked them and told them they had to change the rules or their show was going to have one less fight on it. It wouldn't have been that hard to pick up a phone before getting on a flight and letting the promoter know that Kang En wouldn't be able to compete due to safety concerns because of the recent knockout. Kang En went on to compete so he was obviously medically cleared to fight by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Was he really recovering slowly?
This is one of those situations where there are so many factors that come into play, all you can pretty much do is ask questions and speculate. If Ben would have won the fight would he have a gripe? Did Dennis Warner really not know about the concerns by Kang En's coaches? For Kang En to fight in the United Sates he had to secure a P-Visa, being that it takes a while to secure a P-Visa a late replacement for the fight would have been unlikely, thus the event would have been a fight short. Did Kang En's coaches pull one on the WCK by showing up and informing Dennis about them not wanting Kang En to fight full rules, and forcing him to change the bout or lose a fight on the card last second? Did Kang En's coaches measure up Ben and then feel their fighter would have a disadvantage fighting full rules against a larger Ben?
It is unlikely we will have everyone agree on simple answer. This is a he said she said situation only more like he said he said because they said (Kang En's coaches). If anything this should serve as an example for Muay Thai fighters. This sport is not in the spotlight like MMA so issues with contracts and promotions will hardly be noticed. Fighters make sure you know your contracts, per the WCK contract in this case if the fight did not go on signed the promoter have to place the fighter on the first subsequent event that is equivalent. Of course when money is an issue you can't wait for a subsequent event, especially if not fighting means half your purse. If you can avoid putting your record on the line in a situation where you don't feel comfortable do so at all cost.
It is better to dance with the devil that you know than to sing with the one you don't. Now we aren't calling anyone the devil, were just saying its better to make sure you know what your going into than agreeing to something your not sure about.
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