Updated North America P4P Rankings 11/20/2012

Since our last update in March to the P4P rankings, there has been a lot of shake up. Simon Marcus takes the number 1 spot, while new entrants Eddie Walker, Shane Campbell and Gregory Choplin join the ranks. Michael Mananquil returns to the list after a successful comeback following a year long layoff. Falling out of the rankings is Joseph Valtellini following a loss to Choplin, Chaz Mulkey after going 1-2 in his last three, Josh Palmer after three consecutive losses, and Kevin Ross after being inactive for one year (Ross will become eligible for the rankings again following his next fight).
 

1. Simon Marcus (28-0)
It has been a huge year for Marcus as he has established his dominating presence in the North American Muay Thai scene. Marcus has not competed since his second victory over Joe Schilling at Lion Fight Muay Thai VI. In the re-match, the “Bad Bwoy” hit the canvas in the first round but rallied back to win a majority decision. A bout with Artem Levin in June was scrapped, but now is scheduled to take place December 21st in Russia after the previously announced November date was postponed. Before Marcus can focus on Levin he will have to get past Sadibou Sy at MTIA: In Honor of the King on December 1st in Los Angeles. It should prove to be a good test for Marcus after several months off.
 

2. Ky Hollenbeck (15-2-1)
Hollenbeck has clearly established himself as the top name from the United States. Most recently he lost to Giorgio Petrosyan in the Glory Final 8 when he suffered a knee injury in the second round. Aside form a knockdown in round one, Hollenbeck was going toe-to-toe with Petrosyan. His unique style has served him well in his career, earning (T)KO victories over Michael Corley and Cyrus Washington earlier in the year. When he will be back in action is unknown yet, but expect nothing but big fights for Hollenbeck from now on.

3. Gregory Choplin (54-9)
With Choplin permanently residing in the U.S. now, he becomes eligible for the rankings. Choplin is currently riding a four-fight winning streak with his latest win coming via decision over Joseph Valtellini at Lion Fight Muay Thai 7. Choplin is a serious threat to anyone in the 160-165lb weight range. His next fight is currently unknown.

 

 

 

4. Matt Embree (22-4)
Embree has had a solid 2012 campaign, establishing himself as one of the best in his weight class in North America. The Siam no. 1 fighter has gone 3-1 in 2012 with his only loss coming by decision to Lerdsila Chumpairtour. He most recently defeated Nate Smandych by unanimous decision at Journey Fight Series VIII. He is expected to face Greg Wooton at MTIA: In Honor of the King on December 1st in Los Angeles.

 

5. Romie Adanza (13-4)
The exciting Adanza has been in a rough patch as of late, after losses in Muay Thai and K-1. A controversial decision loss in his rematch with Thanit Whattanaya was the first, while a second in K-1, originally set to face Andy Howson for a rematch, Adanza's opponent was changed to a re-match with Shuichi Wentz when Howson was forced to withdraw due to injury. Wentz ended Adanza’s night 23 seconds into the fight when he connected with a perfectly time head kick. Adanza’s next bout is currently unknown, but a re-match with Andy Howson is something fans have been looking forward to.

6. Eddie Walker (9-1-1) (@EddieShowtime)
Walker punched his way into the rankings with a short right hand. Despite having been knocked down twice and being clearly behind on the score cards, he was able to rally and knock out Joe Schilling at Lion Fight Muay Thai 7. Knocking out one of the top names in America now opens up some possibilities for the fighter out of Georgia. Whether a re-match with Schilling or a crack at someone like Simon Marcus, fans are curious to see if Walker can power his way to the top. Was it a lucky punch as his detractors seem to think or does he really have dynamite in those fists as his supporters are stating? Regardless of what happens next, all eyes are going to be on Eddie Walker. 

7. Joe Schilling (13-4)
It has been a rough year in the ring for Schilling. After his dominating win over Kaoklai to end 2011, Schilling has gone 1-3, with two losses to Simon Marcus. He then defeated Karapet Karapetchyan by decision at Battle of the Belts in Thailand, while most recently taking a KO loss to Eddie Walker. What’s next for Schilling is not known, but a potential re-match with Walker in the future is something that might be a possibility.

 

8. Jesse Miles (14-3)
Miles hasn’t competed since exciting knockout victory over Wattana Sit Jor at the Jawbreaker 3 event in Canada. The win followed his run on the TV reality show :"The Challenger Muaythai." Currently Miles next fight is still to be determined, although in the last year he has taken some high profile fights and fans shouldn’t be surprised if that happens once again.

 

 

9. Shane Campbell (46-10) (@ShaolinStyleMMA)
Campbell returned to Muay Thai after nearly a three year hiatus to focus on MMA. He was a last minute replacement for the Journey Fight Series 160lb tournament. In the opening round he scored a knockout of Nate Chambers, then defeated Troy Sheridan in the tournament semi-finals by decision to advance to the finale against Sean McKinnon in 2013. Campbell’s aggressive style and powerful punching is something his opponents need to take note of. Currently there is no word if he will take a Muay Thai or Kickboxing bout before he meets McKinnon in March.

10. Michael Mananquil (22-4)
Mananquil returned to action in 2012 after a year-long layoff. His first fight back was against arguably the best fighter from Mexico, Luis Bio. Despite moving up to 154lbs, Mananquil was able to score a (T)KO in the third round via a cut. He then faced Scotty Leffler at the K-1: Los Angeles event where he won a decision over Leffler in a very exciting fight. Mananquil showed he can fight a technical fight or let the leather sling, if needed. With Mananquil seeming like he might be permanently making the move from 147lbs to 154lbs. A re-match with Shane Campbell might be an interesting possibility. Campbell handed Mananquil the first loss of his career. His next fight is yet unknown but there are many possibilities for him.

Rankings qualification - Muay Thai and Kickboxing bouts are all taken into consideration for the rankings. These rankings are not only based on Muay Thai Fights as many fighters compete in both full rules Muay Thai and Kickboxing bouts. Fighters are not to be inactive for any period longer than 12 months or they will be dropped from the rankings unless a fight is schedule within a month from the date they become ineligible. Fighter's that compete in two weight classes will be assigned a weight class that they compete in regularly or hold a major title in. Fighters that permanently reside in North America are eligible for the rankings.

*If you are currently ranked in a weight class and would like to switch weight classes please notify Rankings@MuayThaiAuthority.com. Switching weight classes does not guarantee you will be ranked in the new weight class.

Updated North American Super Welterweight Rankings 10/18/2012

Baxter Humby drops out of the rankings due to inactivity. Chike Lindsay moves up to number one after his win over Malaipet in June and Luis Bio’s loss to Michael Mananquil, Bio drops to number two. Shane Oblonsky passes Bryce Krause and gets into the three spot after Krause’s loss to Justin Greskiewicz. Rounding out the rankings is new addition Joe Sampieri.

1. Chike Lindsay (16-4)
Lindsay most recently defeated Malaipet Sasiprapa at Bangkok Fight Night in Atlanta, GA this past June. The pair had met in August 2011 a fight with Lindsay had also won. Lindsay was then forced to withdraw from a bout in September due to injury and currently his next fight is unknown.

North American Light Heavyweight Rankings 1/9/2012

In addition to pound for pound rankings, Muay Thai Authority will now begin to rank fighters by weight class. The top five fighters in each weight class will be ranked in order from one to five. For a weight class to receive rankings there has to be at least five fighters that qualify to be ranked. If a weight class has two outstanding fighters, but there are not three other pro fighters that merit being in the rankings then there will be no rankings for that weight class. Below are the Light Heavyweight North American rankings, the fourth individual weight class to be ranked by Muay Thai Authority. The remainder of the weight classes will be released in the upcoming weeks.
 

1. Joe Schilling (12-1)
Schilling has caught the North American Muay Thai scene by storm with his aggressive and brutal fighting style. He goes into fights to finish his opponents and his fighting style makes him a fan favorite. His biggest win to date came against Kaoklai Kaennorsing in October, when he KO’d the Thai fighter in the opening round. Schilling how now signed a multi-fight deal with Lion Fight Promotions and his next bout will be February 25th against Canada’s Simon Marcus. All eyes’ are on Schilling now so his fight against Marcus is expected to be huge as two of the best in North America take on one another.

North American Welterweight Rankings 12/26/2011

In addition to pound for pound rankings, Muay Thai Authority will now begin to rank fighters by weight class. The top five fighters in each weight class will be ranked in order from one to five. For a weight class to receive rankings there has to be at least five fighters that qualify to be ranked. If a weight class has two outstanding fighters, but there are not three other pro fighters that merit being in the rankings then there will be no rankings for that weight class. Below are the welterweight North American rankings, the third individual weight class to be ranked by Muay Thai Authority. The remainder of the weight classes will be released in the upcoming days.

1. Michael Mananquil (21-4)
Mananquil has competed only one in 2011, back in February at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert". The decision win keeps him at the top of the rankings, but without it looking as if he will be scheduled for a fight before the end of October he will likely be falling off the rankings. Mananquil is a technical fighter that overwhelms his opponents with the volume of strikes he throws. Hopefully 2012 is a more active year for Mananquil.

North American Super Lightweight Rankings 12/24/2011

In addition to pound for pound rankings, Muay Thai Authority will now begin to rank fighters by weight class. The top five fighters in each weight class will be ranked in order from one to five. For a weight class to receive rankings there has to be at least five fighters that qualify to be ranked. If a weight class has two outstanding fighters, but there are not three other pro fighters that merit being in the rankings then there will be no rankings for that weight class. Below are the super lightweight North American rankings, the second individual weight class to be ranked by Muay Thai Authority. The remainder of the weight classes will be released in the upcoming days.

1. 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 he 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, although he might be in action as early as January. Whatever his next move it should be interesting to see if he can get back on the winning track against top tier competition.

North American Middleweight Rankings 12/22/2011

In addition to pound for pound rankings, Muay Thai Authority will now begin to rank fighters by weight class. The top five fighters in each weight class will be ranked in order from one to five. For a weight class to receive rankings there has to be at least five fighters that qualify to be ranked. If a weight class has two outstanding fighters, but there are not three other pro fighters that merit being in the rankings then there will be no rankings for that weight class. Below are the middleweight North American rankings, the rankings for the other eligible weight classes will be released in the following days.

1. Ky Hollenbeck (13-1-1) 

Hollenbeck recently tasted defeat for the first time in his career when he dropped a unanimous decision to Nieky Holzken in November of 2011. Despite the recent set back, Hollenbeck has established himself as a presence in the international Muay Thai scene. Victories in 2011 over Jordan Watson, Gregory Choplin, and Vuyisile Colossa have helped solidify his reputation. His next bout is scheduled for February 25th in Australia against Muay Thai legend, John Wayne Parr.

Updated North American Men's Rankings 11/10/2011

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.

Updated North American Men's Rankings 9/30/2011

A few changes to the rankings this time around. With his recent loss to Joseph Valtellini and Chaz Mulkey's win over Remy Bonnel, Alex Berrios drops out of the top 10 and Mulkey enters the rankings, while Valtellini moves up. Simon Marcus also moves up a bit with his impressive showing at the MPL.

1. Ky Hollenbeck (12-0-1)
Hollenbeck faced what was probably his toughest test to date in Simon Chu. He encountered a few problems early on in the fight before being able to take control of the fight midway and wear Chu down. He suffered some bad looking cuts en route to a unanimous decision victory, which made him look human as opposed to the unstoppable wrecking machine he had previously seemed to be. Hollenbeck's road doesn't get any easier now, as part of the MPL his first match up, which is scheduled for October 8th will be against the UK's Jordan Watson. Hollenbeck might have a frantic style in the ring, but his output can't be questioned. He has beaten anyone put in front of him and another tough test lies in Jordan Watson and if he can pull out a win against Watson he will once again prove he deserves the #1 ranking.