No new entrants into the rankings, but there is some shake up. Ky Hollenbeck lost the first bout of his career, however, he still holds firm at number one. With Kevin Ross second consecutive loss he drops down a few spots in the rankings and with their recent wins Romie Adanza and Joe Schilling jump up a spot.
1. Ky Hollenbeck (13-1-1)
Nieky Holzken finally solved the puzzle that was Ky Hollenbeck. On November 6th Hollenbeck lost the first fight of his Muay Thai career when he dropped a unanimous decision to Holland's Nieky Holzken at the MPL's "Blood & Steel" event in the Netherlands. Despite the loss Hollenbeck has continuously beat the top opposition that was placed in front of him. Before his loss to Holzken he defeated Jordan Watson at the MPL's "Strength & Honour" event in Padova, Italy. 2011 has been a landmark year for American Muay Thai and Hollenbeck has not only shown that American's can hang with the best in the world, he has shown that they can win against the best in the world. His 2011 campaign includes wins over Vuyisile Colossa, Gregory Choplin, Simon Chu and Jordan Watson. Despite the loss Hollenbeck is clearly still the #1 ranked North American fighter with the caliber of opponents he has faced and the wins he holds over them.
3. Joe Schilling (12-1)
1. Ky Hollenbeck (13-1-1) Nieky Holzken finally solved the puzzle that was Ky Hollenbeck. On November 6th Hollenbeck lost the first fight of his Muay Thai career when he dropped a unanimous decision to Holland's Nieky Holzken at the MPL's "Blood & Steel" event in the Netherlands. Despite the loss Hollenbeck has continuously beat the top opposition that was placed in front of him. Before his loss to Holzken he defeated Jordan Watson at the MPL's "Strength & Honour" event in Padova, Italy. 2011 has been a landmark year for American Muay Thai and Hollenbeck has not only shown that American's can hang with the best in the world, he has shown that they can win against the best in the world. His 2011 campaign includes wins over Vuyisile Colossa, Gregory Choplin, Simon Chu and Jordan Watson. Despite the loss Hollenbeck is clearly still the #1 ranked North American fighter with the caliber of opponents he has faced and the wins he holds over them.
2. Romie Adanza (12-2)
Adanza collected his third consecutive win with a spectacular knockout of Luangsuanlek Sasiprapa at M-One's "Team Thailand vs. Team America". Adanza's boxing is as good as it gets in Muay Thai and anyone willing to stand in front of him and trade is playing with fire. Now back at his normal weight class of 115lbs it is hard to imagine someone here in North America beating Adanza, his real tests are expected to take place when he fights more seasoned international opponents. Although his next move is unknown, Adanza has expressed interest in moving up in weight for a fight against Andy Howson; the pair fought in early 2010 with Adanza winning a close split decision.
Schilling ran rough shot through Kaoklai during their October encounter at M-One's "Team Thailand vs. Team America". From the start of the fight to the end it was all Schilling, he scored three knockdowns in the first round and from the start of the fight it was clear Kaoklai was outmatched. His next move is currently unknown, but a possible match-up for him back down at his preferred fighting weight of 168lbs against current WBC Muay Thai world champion Steve Wakeling would be interesting.
4. Simon Marcus (22-0)
Marcus had a stellar performance against Artem Vakhitov at the MPL's inaugural event in Long Beach, CA. Marcus is expected to end up meeting in the finals with Artem Levin, but he still has some tough fights left in his bracket. The young Canadian, however, is poised to continue to rise up the ranks as he has proven to have the tools to compete with the elite.
5. Kevin Ross (17-8)
Ross has continuously shown he isn't afraid to step into the ring with the best in the world and after his fight against Saenchai he stepped into the ring with current Lumpinee champion Sakkedao. The fight didn't go exactly the way Ross would have liked as a cut stopped the fight after the third round, giving the win to Sakkedao. After winning the 2010 Muay Thai Authority fighter of the year award, 2011 has been some what of a rough year for Ross. You can't ignore the facts that is fighting world class competition, but he is now 1-3 on the year with his only win coming back in May against Mark DeLuca. The next move for Ross is unknown, but he did express interest in returning to Thailand if he can't find a fight in December. Despite moving down in the rankings, Ross is still one of the best in North America.
6. Matt Embree (19-3)
Embree claimed the Journey Fight Series tournament crown with a victory over Josh Palmer. Despite currently being undersized for the 140lb weight class, Embree makes up for it with technique and skill. He has stated that a permanent move to the 140lb weight class is likely in the cards for him. He plans on eventually returning to Thailand and having an extended stay, before that a potential fight in China might happen, although nothing has been confirmed.
7. Joseph Valtellini (5-0)
The young Canadian fighter has already started to make a name for himself. His latest victim was formerly #9 ranked fighter Alex Berrios. Valtellini took the fight to Berrios on September 23rd under the Friday Night Fights banner and battered Berrios for two rounds. Punishing Berrios with leg kicks, which caused Berrios not be able to answer the bell after the second round. It was a dominating performance for the young Canadian who is looking to continue to build his name among the best in North America.
8. Chaz Mulkey (7-4)
Mulkey has put together a solid 2011 campaign after a 2010 campaign that didn't end on a high note. Currently riding a four fight win streak, he last competed against Remy Bonnel at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 3". He had a tightly contested fight with Bonnel in which he took home a split decision victory to win the WBC Muay Thai international middleweight title. Up next for MulkeyWBC Muay Thai international title against Simon Chu at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" on November 19th in Las Vegas, NV.
Rankings qualification - Fighters born in North America are eligible. North America will include fighters from the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Rankings are based on P4P. Fighters are not to be inactive for any period longer than 6 months or they will be dropped from the rankings unless a fight is schedule within a month from the date they become ineligible.
9. Jesse Miles (13-3)
Miles was one of 16 fighters selected to compete on The Challenger Muaythai. He was eliminated in the opening round of the tournament by Mohd Faizal Bin Ramli. Despite the loss Miles still remains one of the best regarded Muay Thai fighters in North America. His next fight was set to take place in November as part of the Canada vs. China event, but since the announcement Miles has withdrawn from the bout for unknown reasons. 
10. Josh Palmer (38-16)
Palmer fell short of capturing the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament. Things seemed to be going his way early on in his fight with Matt Embree, but as the fight wore one the bout began to favor Embree. Despite coming up short, Palmer is still one of the best North American fighters in the 140-147lb weight class. There are some interesting match-ups for him in North America alone. Fights against the likes of Kevin Ross, Jose Palacios and Michael Mananquil would all be very interesting fights.Rankings qualification - Fighters born in North America are eligible. North America will include fighters from the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Rankings are based on P4P. Fighters are not to be inactive for any period longer than 6 months or they will be dropped from the rankings unless a fight is schedule within a month from the date they become ineligible.
No comments:
Post a Comment