10 Facts with Rami Ibrahim

Rami Ibrahim is one of the top fighters from the east coast. He has been fighting professionally since 1992 and owns Sitan Gym Philadelphia.

Known for his never quit attitude in the ring and his excellent boxing, Rami has gained fans for continuing to press forward until the end of his fights. He has also established himself as one of the best coaches in North America when it comes to young up and coming talent. Fighting out of his gym he has several up and coming fighters including the likes of Ahmad Ibrahim, Cesar Ramirez, Daniel Diaz and Elias Mendez, all age 17 or under.

We recently saw Rami post ten facts about himself on social media and thought it would be great to get a series going where fighters list ten facts about themselves to allow fans to get to know them a little better. The best way to get this series going is with Rami Ibrahim. Below are ten facts provided by Rami Ibrahim so that you can not only get to know the fighter, but the man.

1. I was born in Kuwait, but the fact that I was born in Kuwait isn't worthy enough to get a Kuwaiti citizenship because my origin is from Palestine, so they give people like me (from Palestinian origin) a Jordanian citizenship, a country I wasn't even born in or been too.

2. I am the youngest of 6 children, all of which are boys.

3. Jobs I've had, before my pro fight career kicked off; pier captain on international boats coming from overseas, chef, pizza delivery driver, and school teacher.

4. My first fight nickname "The Arabian Nightmare", was given to me because a trainer forced his fighter (who's also his son) to take a kickboxing fight against me, so his son ran away from home from fear of fighting me. When people in my gym found out they started making fun of me saying "what do you think you are the Arabian nightmare?" So since they started calling me that as a joke, it stuck with me.

5. My favorite things to do is play pool, go to the movies and eat.

6. My favorite fashion design is Express and Diesel.

7. My favorite color is green because it was also the favorite color for Prophet Mohammed (may peace and blessings be upon him).

8. I was accused and arrested for raping a girl. No it wasn't me and I was wrongly accused.

9. A teacher who didn't like me in high school saw me peeling an orange with a kitchen knife (the size of my palm) during my senior year and got me kicked out of the entire Philadelphia school district through the "zero tolerance rule" that with my luck was installed that year.

10. At the age of 4 I was kidnapped.

Rami Ibrahim talks win over Thanit Watthanaya at the Warriors Cup XVIII

A week and a half ago Rami Ibrahim scored a big win over Thanit Watthanaya at the Warriors Cup XVIII to win the WBC Muay Thai International Challenge belt. Rami took some time to talk to Muay Thai Authority about his big win and his gym in Philadelphia. Rami also highlights some of his young prospects that have been taking the amateur Muay Thai circuit by storm as well as discusses some potential re-matches he would like to take place.

MTA: Big win this past weekend over Thanit Watthanaya, how did you feel after that performance?

Rami: Yes, it was a big win, not only because it was against the respected Thai, Thanit Watthanaya, but more so because this was a victory for all my Palestinian people around the world with me being the first fighter to win a championship title from the most respected combative title in the world, the WBC. I felt ecstatic about that and my performance was on point. It was definitely a historical moment!

MTA: Did that fight play out as planned with your coaches as far as strategy?

Rami: I did not have my coach to train me but I had 2 of my students/fighters who stepped up to the plate and helped me carry out my own plan to win this fight. Roosevelt Velez, held pads for me, sparred with me, and clinched with me. I told him what I wanted him to do, and how “Boom” fights. He watched his fights on line as well and imitated him picture perfect for me. The plan was to take away his main weapons, the right hand and the right body kick, by going from boxing, to elbows to clinching, from fighting Thai style to western boxing style. That plan worked perfectly and we locked his game. My other student, David Nguyen, took it upon his own self, and offered to get me physically prepared, giving me the strength and conditioning camp I’ve been deprived of as a fighter. I trained 3 weeks for this fight, 3 times a day, focusing on just a few things and the strategy worked out just as I wanted.

MTA: Is your boxing something you always see as being a key to victory for you?

Rami: My boxing is definitely an aspect of me that always gives me the edge with every fighter I’ve fought, however, it’s not the only thing that I have to be the key for my victories in my career, because I’m well rounded. As a young child I’ve learned that one must not only know different styles of fighting, but also be able to execute those different styles against different fighters. That’s why I don’t care about the fact many of my videos throughout my fighting career are online, because I treat everyone different anyway.

MTA: What's next for you after the win?

Rami: Now that this fight is over, I can tell everyone about my next fight, which was already scheduled a few months ago. It’s going to be October 12 in Panama. It will be the main event and I will be fighting against Thailand’s very own Oron Deachkalon Sumalee. I just never spoke about it because I had to fight “Boom” so he was my main focus. I will take a few days off to enjoy my WBC victory over, but I will have to get right back to fight mode because Oron has over 300 fights and he’s a Lumpinee, WBC, and WMC champion.

MTA: You have been in this game for quite some time, are you planning on hanging the gloves up anytime soon?

Rami: Yes, I have been in this game for a minute now, 21 years and counting. My original plan was to retire by the age of 35, however, things are changing now. Before you could have never got me to say that word “retire”, but now 2 things are changing that. One, I’m fortunate enough to have done really well as a trainer that my students/fighters are getting really good on a national and international level. With great power comes great responsibility, so now I must give them more time and more attention to because I want them to have all the things that I never had as a fighter. The second reason, which is the main reason I’m pushing to an early retirement is my mom. She had to put up with me fighting for 21 years. She’s had enough of me putting my life on the line every time I step into the ring and keeps telling me that I’ve won enough fights and I’ve won enough belts, and that it’s time to give her this one thing before she goes away (God forbid, May God keep her healthy and alive in my presence, ameen). So now I’m finally coming to the rationalization that it’s ok to retire. After all, the only fighters who have as many fights as me in this sport are Thai’s. So I think I’ve done enough.

MTA: If you could pick any opponent next who would it be?

Rami: If I could pick my next opponent, I would pick Matt Embree. We had a great fight the first time and I’m pretty sure people would like to see that again. Coke Chunhawat is also another fight I’d like. If I can’t get those matches, I’m open to fight any opponent in the world at my weight. I’m not picking and choosing my opponents.

MTA: Your gym in Philly is doing pretty well, what do you attribute your success to?

Rami: All praise due to God! I am fortunate for my good experience in life as well as the bad. My gym, my students, and my fighters are doing well because of those experiences, especially the bad ones. As a young child I remember my fighting career being very hard because I was on my own. You can ask those coaches who have been in the game as long as me and they’ll tell you I went to fights as a young child on my own. Sometimes with no corner men at all and sometimes I would take some kids from school to corner me. I had a hard knock life, was treated badly as a fighter, and even until now I have it hard. I don’t get much time to train with my trainer Aziz because he’s 2 states away and is busy with his 2 schools and I am always in Philly busy with my school because I don’t want to be selfish and leave my students alone for a few weeks to prepare for my fights. So I learned how to do things on my own as a fighter. I try not bring it up so people don’t say I’m making up excuses but those who know me, know how hard I had it as a fighter, and still do. All that helped me in developing the best fighters in the world. It taught me what they needed, what they didn’t need and helped me build not only champions but even warriors. I remember when I opened my gym, 2 of my champions, Timothy “Lion Heart” Amorim and Osvaldo “June” Dominguez, I was coaching them and getting them fights when I didn’t even have enough money to buy a heavy bag for them to hit in my gym. You tell me what fighter you know, stepped into the ring and had fights without hitting a heavy bag? So I just used my knowledge and gave them all the pad work and one on one work I can. They’re both now well respected Muay Thai fighters with Timothy Amorim being a 4x champion (including a WKA World title).

MTA: You have some of the most talented youngsters in the Muay Thai circuit, care to put people on notice about any of them specifically?

Rami: Some of the best fighters I’ve created are these young talented fighters you see me post about to the world, 6 of which are national and world champions already, ranging from the ages of 8 to 17 years old. They are Ethan “Crazy Beast” Melendez (8 yrs old IKF World Champ), “Lil” Stevie Foster (10 yrs old and ranked #1 in the world in boxing), Cesar “Mr. Nice Guy” Ramirez (15 yrs old WKA North American Champ and representing Team USA at this year’s WKA World Championships in Italy), Elias “E-Killer” Melendez (13 yrs old WKA North American Champ and representing Team USA at this year’s WKA World Championships in Italy and a TBA and IKF World champ as well), and last but not least my nephew Ahmad Ibrahim who’s 17 yrs old and been in Muay Thai for only 3 years and already is a 9x Muay Thai champion (3 of which are World titles). Yes, I am blessed and God is great to me!

MTA: Thanks for your time Rami. Any words for your supporters?

Rami: Thank you as always for taking your time to interview me, and thank you for writing on this sport to help it grow, and thank you to my #1 supporter, GOD!

Rami Ibrahim vs. Ogjnen Topic slated for The Warriors Cup XV in Rahway, NJ

Weapons 9 Promotions: The Warriors Cup XV will take place September 29^th at the Rahway Recreation Center in Rahway, NJ. The event will feature a fight card with pro and amateur full rules Muay Thai bouts. Promoter Chris Tran continues his efforts to push Muay Thai in the Garden State, last year The Warriors Cup XII was the first full rules Muay Thai event in New Jersey.

Chris Tran has confirmed a bout for The Warriors Cup XV, Sitan Gym’s Rami Ibrahim will be taking on North Jersey Muay Thai stand out Ognjen Topic. The pair was originally scheduled to meet in Virginia under the CSC banner, but Ibrahim withdrew from the bout due to injury.

Currently no other bouts have been officially confirmed but continue to check back for the latest updates.

Rami Ibrahim vs. Ognjen Topic set for CSC 33 June 2nd in Virginia

Muay Thai is Life reported yesterday (4/20) that Rami Ibrahim and Ognjen Topic are set to fight on June 2nd, 2012 at the CSC 33 "Battleware Fighting Championships" event in Richmond, Virginia. On the line at the event will be the first ever WKA USA Full Thai Rules Pro Title.

Ibrahim is a seasoned veteran that has mixed it up in the ring with some of North America’s best fighters. Known for his excellent boxing skills, he will be looking to get back on the winning track after dropping a majority decision back in November of 2011 to Coke Chunhawat at Lion Fight Promotions “Battle in the Desert 4”.

Omar Ahmed talks about his upcoming fight at Lumpinee Stadium

New York’s Omar Ahmed is currently training in Thailand. He has an upcoming fight at Lumpinee Stadium this Saturday night against Ramon Kaewsamrit and was kind enough to take some time from his training to talk to Muay Thai Authority about the upcoming fight and his future plans. Omar will be moving up a weight class for the upcoming fight, after spending his entire career in the super lightweight division his next fight is in the welterweight division. 

MTA: You are fighting Ramon Kaewsamrit on Saturday night at Lumpinee Stadium. How has your training in Thailand been going?

Omar: My training has been going really well I been training hard for this fight everyday.

Video: Rami Ibrahim talks loss to Coke Chunhawat at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4"

The People's Champ: Rami Ibrahim

Come November 19th Las Vegas will be graced with the presence of Rami Ibrahim. The Philadelphia based fighter will be fighting against Coke Chunhawat at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" for the WBC Muay Thai lightweight national title. Ibrahim will be coming in looking to pass the difficult challenge that is the Coke taste test; however, a challenge is something that Rami Ibrahim doesn't step away from.

Ibrahim's path to Muay Thai began in 1992 when he started training in Karate. The problem was that there is no full contact in point Karate tournaments, which meant he was continuously getting disqualified. In 1994 his coach suggested he try Muay Thai instead, since it was a full contact sport and in the same year he would have his first fight. It wasn't his dream to be a professional Muay Thai fighter, but after his first fight at the age of 12 he felt a feeling he had never felt before. It was with this that his journey began. By the time Ibrahim was 18 he was representing America as the WKA U.S. champion and to him being a young Palestinian American, holding that title was a huge achievement.

Jay Matias talks about his upcoming fight with Jake Mainini

Jay Matias is ready to make is professional debut on October 22nd when he takes on Jake Mainini at Take-On Productions "Battle at Bally's" in Atlantic City, NJ. The Sitan Gym fighter plans to make an impression in his debut and recently took some time out of his preparation to answer a few questions about the fight with Muay Thai Authority.

MTA: You are fighting Jake Mainini at Battle at Bally's in Atlantic City. How familiar are you with Jake as a fighter?

Coke Chunhawat vs. Rami Ibrahim rumored for Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4"

A rumored bout between Coke Chunhawat and Rami Ibrahim is expected to take place at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4". Lion Fight Promotions has not officially announced the fight, but sources close to the situation have confirmed with Muay Thai Authority that the bout will take place at "Battle in the Desert 4" on November 19th at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

Chunhawat is coming off a loss to Tetsuya Yamato at Stand Up Promotions "M1 Grand Muay Thai Championship". Chunhawat and Yamato were in an exciting bout before the fight was stopped due to a cut Chunhawat obtained from a Yamato elbow. Chunhawat is currently the WBC Muay Thai Lightweight National Champion, although there is no word on if his title will be on the line.

Jay Matias set to make pro debut at December Take-On Productions event

Muay Thai Authority has been informed that WKA 132 lb North American champion Jay Matias is scheduled to make his professional debut at the December Take-On Productions Muay Thai event.

Matias recently claimed the WKA title when he defeated Brandon Mickens via (T)KO at Take-On Productions "Battle at the Beacon Theater". No opponent has been named for Matias pro debut yet, but make sure to keep checking back at Muay Thai Authority for all of the latest information regarding Take-On Productions December event and Matias move to the pro ranks.

Video: Rami Ibrahim talks win over Mark DeLuca at The Warriors Cup XII

Omar Ahmed talks upcoming fight at Battle at the Beacon Theater

Muay Thai Authority caught up with Omar Ahmed to chat about his upcoming fight at Take-On Productions "Battle at the Beacon Theater". Omar was originally scheduled to fight Jake Mainini on the July 8th event but will now face an unknown opponent instead.

MTA: You have an upcoming fight with Jake Mainini how has your training for the fight been going?

Omar: My training is going good. I train hard for every fight.

MTA: You were originally scheduled to fight Jake Mainini but he recently had to withdraw from the fight. Does a change in opponent a few weeks before hand affect your training at all?

Omar Ahmed: Ready to expand abroad

If you walk into Sitan Gym in Queens, NY odds are you will find Omar Ahmed training, or coaching. The Queens, NY native is on a mission to become the best Muay Thai practitioner he can be. Like anyone looking to strive for greatness you need discipline and dedication, and Omar has let Muay Thai engulf his life.

"Muay Thai is basically my life in a lot of ways because I am a pro fighter and I do teaching and coaching as well when I'm not in the ring as my job." said Omar. "Muay Thai brings me peace, happiness, and lots of fun...and I get paid to do it so its a blessing."

Rami Ibrahim talks upcoming Journey Fight Series tournament

Muay Thai Authority was able to talk to Journey Fight Series participant Rami Ibrahim and have Rami share his thoughts on the upcoming tournament.

MTA: The tournament has a talented field of fighters, it is a also a random draw so you have no idea who you are fighting in the opening round until the day of the weigh-ins. Does not knowing who exactly you will be fighting affect your preparation at all for the tournament?

Rami: First off, I'd like to thank you for this interview... No, me not knowing who exactly I will fight will not affect my preparation for the tournament. Prior to training with Sitan Gym under Aziz Nabih, I always wanted to study my opponent. However, when I started training with Aziz at the age of 18, he never told me about my opponent and trained me for everything. He said, "why train for one thing, and then, be surprised if it's not what you expected and not have an answer for it?"

Rami Ibrahim added to Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament

With six of the seven slots taken in the Journey Fight Series 140lb tournament, Rami Ibrahim has claimed one of the last two spots.

Ibrahim brings a pro record of 11-6-2. Fighting out of Sitan Gym in Philadelphia, PA Ibrahim looks to best a filed which already includes some very talented fighters. Ibrahim is coming off a draw in Thailand, the which was his first of the year went the distance and to the surprise of some was declared a draw by the judges.

The other six fighters confirmed for the tournament are Justin Greskiewicz, Mark DeLuca, Matt Embree, Josh Palmer, Nate Smandych, and Parwez Ghulam.