Friday Night Fights "Castrejon vs. Lemjerdine" results, the first full rules Muay Thai event in New York

Full rules Muay Thai has come to New York. Friday Night Fights became the first promotion to host a full rules event in New York last night and the fights did not disappoint. In the night’s main event Las Vegas native Anthony Castrejon made quick work of Mohammed Lemjerdine. A head kick 47 seconds into the first round ended the bout. It was an impressive knockout for Castrejon, and a surprise to many. Lemjerdine is a highly touted fighter from Connecticut, but Castrejon used some nice foot work and timing to land the fight ending kick.

In the night’s co-main event Villi Bello and Turan Hasanov met in a re-match of their 2011 barn burner. In the first encounter Hasanov took home a judge’s decision, but this time around it wouldn’t go the distance. In the fourth round Bello scored a (T)KO victory due to leg kicks over Hasanov to event things up between them at one a piece.

In the first full rules Muay Thai fight in New York Elijah Clarke scored a KO victory over Gil Pinheiro, and it couldn’t have come in a more appropriate way. In the fourth round Clarke landed some elbows and a knee to end the bout and get the win in his pro debut.

Results:
Anthony Castrejon def. Mohammed Lemjerdine via KO (Head Kick) in Rd. 1
Ville Bello def. Turan Hasanov via (T)KO (Leg Kicks) in Rd. 4
Elijah Clarke def. Gil Pinheiro via KO in Rd. 4

Full rules Muay Thai comes to New York for the first time at this weekend's Friday Night Fights event

Friday Night Fights April 5th event at The Broad Street Ballroom in New York is set to feature two of America's rising talents in its main event. Anthony Castrejon of Las Vegas and Mohammed Lemjerdine of Connecticut will fight in what can easily be looked at as west vs. east match up. In the co-main event a re-match between Turan Hasanov and Villi Bello is sure to get fans on their feet, especially if it anything reminiscent to their first encounter in late 2011. What should really get fans in attendance excited is that the Friday Night Fights event on April 5th will feature full rules Muay Thai for the first time in the state of New York.

Full rules Muay Thai was set to come to New York in early 2012, but for one reason or another it was postponed. Now it seems the time is right and for fans that have been clamoring for the use of elbows in the state of New York, your wish is about to come true.

"Full Rules has a great deal of support from the fighters, traditionalists and the purists which are a very important segment of our supporters. Friday Night Fights has been at the forefront of the sport since 1997 and we're glad to be able add this dimension of the sport to New York fans" Said FNF President, Justin Blair. “This is a big step for Muay Thai in New York as no one will be able to complain about its authenticity any longer.”

One thing is for certain, no one will be able to say they don’t fight real Muay Thai in New York again.

Lerchen replaces Case against Berrios at Friday Night Fights season opener, full rules postponed

Travis Lerchen has replaced Ben Case at the Friday Night Fights Muay Thai (FNFMT) 2012 season opener. Case was originally slated to fight Alex Berrios at FNFMT’s event on January 20th in New York; however Lerchen will now be facing Berrios.

Lerchen recently defeated Daniel Finz at FNFMT’s “Fall Brawl” by split decision in a tight knit fight. He has spent a good amount of time competing in MMA as of late, but it seems he is looking to remain active in Muay Thai.

Berrios is looking to bounce back from his defeat to Joseph Valtellini in September. Known as a technician, Berrios will be making his third appearance in the Friday Night Fights ring in the last six months.

The Rise of Muaythai in the East

by John Wolcott

Practitioners of Muaythai have been asking the powers that be for the implementation of full-rules into the New York fight game for years, and for years our cries have fell on deaf ears. It seemed as if those governing the sport did not have the same desire to grow Muaythai as the purists who yearned for a better rendition. They continuously denied promoters the rights to put together full-rules events, and for some time it felt as if there were a conspiracy against the advocates of traditional Muaythai. Fighters and gyms on the east coast where forced to dumb down their ring techniques to suit the standards of New York’s Muaythai directors. Because of this, it was the fighters who had received all the scrutiny from their western counterparts. And not once had their been an intervention from the people in the highest positions to make a change; at least not until now.

Full Rules Muay Thai in New York, Alex Berrios vs. Ben Case headline Friday Night Fights Muay Thai January 20th, 2012

Muay Thai in the state of New York has been under fire from fans and fighters alike for not having full rules Muay Thai. Well, the longest running Muay Thai promotion in New York is about to change that. Friday Night Fights Muay Thai will feature the first full rules Muay Thai event in the state of New York on January 20th, 2012, with the evening’s main event featuring a bout between Florida's Alex Berrios and New Jersey's Ben Case.

While the state of New Jersey implemented full rules Muay Thai in July of this year, it seemed that this would be the closest full rules Muay Thai would come to the big Apple, the East Coast’s Muay Thai epicenter. We caught up with the President of Friday Night Fights Muay Thai, Justin Blair to discuss the recent development of full rules in New York and his organization being the first to do it: