10 Facts with Ken Tran

Ken Tran is one of North America's most entertaining fighters. Always a showman in the ring and a fun guy outside of it, we catch up with Ken to do some fact finding.

Ken is based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where he owns his own gym Titan MMA. Known for his finishing prowess, over 70% of his victories have come by stoppage. He holds a professional record of 14-4-1 and has competed all over the world including Thailand, China, America, and Canada.

One of Ken's biggest wins came against Li Wei of China. Wei was undefeated at the time with a 16-0 record, Ken took the fight on notice of only one week and defeated Wei by decision.

Now on to what will most likely be one of the most entertaining 10 Facts segments we run. FYI all facts were provided by Ken, so none of this is made up no matter how funny it sounds.

1. I am afraid of the wind, heights and spiders.

2. I secretly like the Backstreet Boys (the music, not the guys) and can't help but sing a long when one of their songs come on. 

3. I am a big time animal lover, in fact I generally like animals more then people. 

4. I was kicked out of my parents house at the age of 17 and have lived on my own ever since (we have a great relationship now). 

5. I had the biggest crush on Ariel from the Little Mermaid when I was young.

6. Teachers wanted me to skip grades as a kid and I was a multiple time honor roll student, yet I was a class clown and trouble maker so maybe they just didn't want me in their class. 

7. I wish I could sing and have seen every season of American Idol, The Voice and X-Factor. 

8. People are surprised when they sit down and have a conversation with me because I am directly judged on my personality in the ring. When I fight I have been told I come off as an arrogant and cocky guy. I act like that to put on a show for the crowd and make the fight entertaining. I almost always become friends with guys I fight and have a lot of respect for anyone that steps in the ring.

9. I used to get bullied up until grade 6. 

10. I was always interested in martial arts but wanted to be a fighter after watching Bloodsport. I walked into an MMA gym when I was 19 to begin that journey.

Troy Sheridan advances to second round of Journey Fight Series tournament after Calgary Athletic Commission ruling

On June 9th the fight between Troy Sheridan and Ken Tran ended in a technical draw. The bout which took place in Calgary, Alberta as part of the opening round of the Journey Fight Series 160lb tournament ended prematurely when Ken Tran was unable to continue in the bout due to what was at the time ruled to be an illegal elbow to the back of the head.

Sheridan filed a complaint with the Calgary Athletic Commission (CAC) and after reviewing footage from the fight the CAC has ruled in favor of Sheridan. It was ruled that the elbow that Sheridan landed on Tran was legal and that it hit the side of the head rather than the back of the head. The fight has been over turned from a technical draw to a (T)KO victory for Sheridan and he will advance to the second round of the Journey Fight Series Tourney to take on Shane Campbell on November 3rd.

Results and Recap: Journey Fight Series VI

Journey Fight Series VI took place this past weekend in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The event featured the opening round of the 160lb North American tournament, however, only two fighters have officially made it to the semi-finals of the tournament. On fight day the tournament bout between Sean McKinnon and Daniel Kim was scratched from the fight card after it was realized Kim’s blood work was expired. The bout will likely be rescheduled on a different fight card before the second round of the tournament begins in September.

In the night’s opening tournament bout Preston Baptiste took home a split decision victory over Marcus Fisher. Baptiste started the fight as the aggressor, but Marcus picked up his attack as the fight progressed. Baptiste started connecting with solid shots midway through the fight at one point sending Fisher to the mat with a teep to the chest, but no count was initiated by the referee. It was a seesaw technical battle until the end with Baptiste advancing in the tournament.

Nate Smandych vs. Sheldon Gaines to headline Journey Fight Series VI on June 9th

The Journey Fight Series 160lb tournament is set to begin on June 9th in Calgary, Canada at Journey Fight Series VI. Set for the main event that night is about between Nate Smandych and Sheldon Gaines. Smandych will be looking to follow up his one sided decision victory over Luis David Cruz Hernandez with an impressive showing, while Gaines will be looking to bounce back from his close decision loss to Scotty Leffler.
 

Also taking place at Journey Fight Series VI will be the opening round of the 160lb tournament. Seven of the fighters that have verbally agreed to participate in the tournament have officially signed their contracts. They are Troy Sheridan, Ken Tran, Sean McKinnon, Nate Chambers, Marcus Fisher, Preston Baptiste and Pascal Jean-Michael. Daniel Kim is the only fighter that has not signed his contract to compete in the tournament.

Nate Chambers and Troy Sheridan fill final two slots in Journey Fight Series 160lb eight man tournament

The final two slots for the Journey Fight Series 160lb eight man tournament have been filled. Nate Chambers and Troy Sheridan have both verbally agreed to fill the two remaining spots in the tournament. When the first round of invitations were sent out in mid March six of the eight fighters originally contacted verbally agreed to participate in the tournament.

The tournament field now includes four American fighters and four Canadian fighters. The four Americans are Nate Chambers, Marcus Fisher, Daniel Kim and Pascal Jean-Michel. The four Canadians slated for the tournament are Tory Sheridan, Ken Tran, Sean McKinnon and Preston Baptiste.

Six fighters verbally agree to compete in the Journey Fight Series 160lb 8-man tournament

Eight invitations were sent out to fighters for the Journey Fight Series 160lb tournament. Of the eight fighters that received an invitation for the June 9th event in Calgary, six have verbally agreed. The six fighters are Sean McKinnon, Ken Tran, Preston Baptiste, Daniel Kim, Marcus Fisher and Pascal Jean-Michael.

The 160lb tournament is the second eight man tournament that will be hosted by Journey Fight Series. Last year they held a 140lb tournament which featured the likes of Coke Chunhawat, Matt Embree and Josh Palmer.

We will keep you up to date here at Muay Thai Authority as the fighters officially sign to participate in the tournament. You can also like our official facebook page or follow us on twitter @MuayThaiAuth to keep up with all the news.

Predictions: Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4"

With Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" is taking place this weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, it's time for predictions. This is one of the more difficult fight cards as far as predictions go as of late. The fights are all very evenly matched and picking a winner wasn't an easy task. As always don't go bet the house as the sports book, these are fights and anything can happen.

The night will feature three WBC Muay Thai title bouts including the main event between Chaz Mulkey and Simon Chu. The fight will be Mulkey's first title defense of his WBC Muay Thai international middleweight title. The other two title bouts will feature Malaipet vs. Jose Palacios for the WBC Muay Thai national welterweight title and Coke Chunhawat vs. Rami Ibrahim for the WBC Muay Thai lightweight national title.

WBC International Middleweight Championship
Chaz Mulkey (7-4) vs. Simon Chu (29-7)

The Matchup: Mulkey will be looking to successfully defend his WBC Muay Thai international title for the first time when he takes on the UK's Simon Chu. His win over Remy Bonnel to claim the title was as close as a fight could get so he will likely be trying to make his first defense a more decisive one.

Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" weigh-ins set for November 18th, open to the public

Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" takes place this weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The night's main event will feature Chaz Mulkey and Simon Chu for the WBC Muay Thai international middleweight title. In addition the return to Muay Thai of Kit Cope as he takes on Jose Palacios for the WBC Muay Thai national welterweight title. Coke Chunhawat will also battle Rami Ibrahim for the WBC Muay Thai national lightweight title.

The weigh-ins for the event will start at 5pm on Friday November 18th at the Sports Lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Below is the official press release by Lion Fight Promotions regarding the weigh-ins for "Battle in the Desert 4".

Updated Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" fight card; Palacios, Cope, Richardson, Maxwell, Leung and Otterbein confirmed

Lion Fight Promotions has confirmed three more matches for their upcoming November 19th event "Battle in the Desert 4", which will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Three WBC Muay Thai title fights are expected to be on the line, the two previously confirmed title fights were Chaz Mulky vs. Simon Chu for the WBC Muay Thai international middleweight title and Coke Chunhawat vs. Rami Ibrahim for the WBC Muay Thai lightweight national title. The third title bout will feature Jose Palacios vs. Kit Cope for the vacant WBC Muay Thai national welterweight title.

Ken Tran talks about his upcoming fight against Chidi Njokuani at "Battle in the Desert 4"

Ken "The Hitman" Tran will be making his second appearance for Lion Fight Promotions on November 19th when he takes on Chidi Njokuani. Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" will be taking place in Las Vegas and it is a perfect fit for Tran, not only does he come to fight, but he is quite the showman in the ring. Tran took some time to talk to Muay Thai Authority about the upcoming fight.

MTA: You have an upcoming fight against Chidi Njokuani, how familiar are you with him as a fighter?

Ken: The name Njokuani comes to mind right away once I heard I was fighting Chidi. I'm a big fan of the UFC and have watched his brother fight a few times and man he has awesome Muay Thai for mma. I have done some research on Chidi online. He is the real deal with a world class ranking and I once again have my hands full for this fight.

Three bouts official for Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4"

Lion Fight Promotions has confirmed with Muay Thai Authority that three bouts are now official for their November 19th event in Las Vegas. The three fights are Chaz Mulkey vs. Simon Chu, Coke Chunhawat vs. Rami Ibrahim and Chidi Njokuani vs. Ken Tran. Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" will take place at the promotions new home in Las Vegas, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Mulkey is coming off a close split decision victory over Remy Bonnel at "Battle in the Desert 3". With the win he claimed the WBC Muay Thai international middleweight title and will now look to defend it against the UK's heavy hitting Simon Chu. Coming off a fight for the WBC Muay Thai world middleweight title, Chu fell short in his fight against Ky Hollenbeck at "Battle in the Desert 3", dropping a decision. This fight should be a technical affair with both fighters having all the necessary tools to end things early.

Video: Chaz Mulkey talks win over Ken Tran

Battle in the Desert 2 predictions

This coming weekend Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 2" will take place at Buffalo Bills Casino in Primm, NV. The card is filled from top to bottom with quality Muay Thai fights featuring some of the United States biggest names, as well as some highly regarded international talent.

Kevin Ross vs. Mark DeLuca for WBC Muay Thai Super Lightweight International Title

Ross is the hands down favorite to win this bout. He has more experience against higher level competition and as he showed against Sittisak his last fight he can stay in a fight even when things are not going his way. None the less this is a fight and DeLuca has the ability to KO Ross, although it seems highly unlikely. DeLuca is known as a slow starter and despite being able to rally late he can not afford to start slow. In the end this fight is going to be Ross' fight to win or lose. Expect to see him pull out all the stops in route to an early stoppage.

Pictures: Chaz Mulkey training for Ken Tran

Scott Hirano was on hand at Throwdown Training Center to snap some shots of Chaz Mulkey as he prepares for his May 14th fight with Ken Tran at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 2".

Video: Chaz Mulkey talks upcoming fight with Ken Tran for Lion Fight Promotions