Mardsua talks about winning "The Challenger Muaythai"

The reality TV show “The Challenger Muaythai” featured some of the best fighters in the world, but when it was all over only man remained. Mardsua defeated the UK’s Jordan Watson in the finals of the “The Challenger Muaythai” to become the seasons champion. Mardsua took some time to talk to Muay Thai Authority about his time on the show, his fight with Jordan Watson and what his plans for the future are.

MTA: Mardsua, you recently won “The Challenger Muaythai”, how would you rate your experience on the show?

Mardsua: Challenger Muaythai was a dream come true for me. I was part of the Contender Asia coaching team as sparring partner for the boys and I was on my way up. After Contender Asia, I fought some of the boys and beat some of them, including the runner up John Wayne Parr, I won the 2009 King's Cup in Thailand… and so I earned my spot to be one of the 16 challengers. There was no way I would only go back as a trainer I wanted to fight this time.

Antoine Pinto talks upcoming I-1 World Muay Thai Extreme 2011 event

Antoine Pinto a.k.a. Antuan Siangboxing will be fighting as part of the one night, four man tournament at the I-1 Extreme 2011 event. Coming off a good run on “The Challenger Muaythai” reality TV show, the young fighter has been very active as he continues to take on some of the best fighters around the world. Antoine took some time to answer a few questions for Muay Thai Authority about the upcoming tournament, who he would like to fight in the future and more.

MTA: The Challenger Muaythai just finished airing; it seemed people enjoyed you on the show. How was the experience?

Antoine: I think the viewers of TV have loves and enjoyed my Thai boxing style. It was a new experience to live with other fighters but I don't like to prepare and fight without my trainer, coaches and family.

The Challenger Muaythai blog - Mostafa Abdollahi part 2

by Mostafa Abdollahi

After my first fight and my victory by KO against Jay Woodham from the UK, I had a bad injury and my rib was cracked from his knee. I was in pain, even that night I couldn't sleep. After one day rest and recovery, I started very light training again. In the 3rd quarter final match when Jordan Watson faced off against Cedric Muller, Marco Pique and I were the only to fighters remaining to fight in the quarter final.

The blue team trainers and I focused all that week on training to beat Marco's fight style. We tried more to fight Thai style and attack with hard kicks because I knew Marco being based in Nederland’s has a Dutch style which is more K-1 with punch and kick combinations. I was planning to be opposite from his techniques. Also I knew that Marco had a very bad injury in his previous fight against Frankie.

THE FIGHT
From the start I tried to control the game and use my leg kicks and make him hurt. I knew if I wanted to achieve my goal and go to the semi-finals, I needed to win this fight. I really tried to catch the judge’s eyes with my kicks and knees. Marco was in pain and I could tell, but he was trying so hard to win this match. In between my corner men always made me relax during the fight. I used more hands and left

Sport can make a difference

by Stephan Fox

Over the past century, sport has played an integral role in bringing together cultures and creeds from across the globe. Thriving on the spirit of fair play and ethical behaviour, its power to communicate between all humanity has been instrumental in fostering an environment of inter-cultural dialogue.
Based on a foundation of respect, honour, fair play, ex-cellence and friendship, muaythai is a martial art steeped in ancient traditions with a long proud history. The aims of the modern sport strive to embody the ide-als of the Olympic spirit and international unity.

The World Muaythai Council and the International Federation of Muaythai Amateur, a member of SportAccord and recognised by the Olympic Committee of Asia, are the world governing bodies for the sport of muaythai. They are also a member of Peace and Sport and strong supporters of Generations for Peace. As international organisa-tions, the WMC and IFMA promote and institute programs aiding athletes—regardless of nationality, race or religion—to participate in competitions of all respects. No athlete can choose where they are born or what passport they carry—however they must universally have the right to participate in any event or program they have previously qualified for.

The Challenger Muaythai blog - Antoine Pinto part 2

by Antoine Pinto

For the quarter-finals the last eight boxers were divided into two teams of four, I was chosen first to face Faizal. In matters of pure boxing it was not a difficult fight for me because Faizal is not as technical of a fighter as I am and he does not have my experience, but Faizal is physically very strong and in addition to that he is the national hero in Malaysia and during the fight he would have a whole nation was behind him.

Faizal is a loyal friend and a boxer ... it was hard to face someone who has been on my team. I'd rather have him on my team and have to face him later in the competition than having to fight him first in the quarter-finals.

THE FIGHT
In round 1 Faizal put pressure and lead with elbows, but they weren't very hard. In round 2 he used the same technique, but I managed to make him lose his balance in the clinch. In rounds 3 and 4 I knew he

The Challenger Muaythai Grand Finale set for November 19th in Malaysia

The Challenger Muaythai is currently airing on AXN Asia. The show started off with 16 world class Muaythai fighters and the field has now been narrowed down to eight fighters. These eight are Vuyisile Colossa, Cedric Muller, Antoine Pinto, Tum Mardsua, Faizal Bin Ramil, Jordan Watson, Marco Pique and Mostafa Abdollahi. Once the field is narrowed down to two fighters they will meet at the The Challenger Muaythai's grand finale.

The live grand finale is currently scheduled for November 19th at Stadium Negara in Kula Lumpur, Malaysia. The event will not only feature the two fighters vying for the crown of The Challenger Muaythai champion, but other competitors from the season are expected to be on the fight card as well.

Tickets are now on sale at www.ticketpro.com.my, for those that can't make it the finale is expected to air on television.

*As of this posting Antoine Pinto has advanced to the tournament semi-finals by defeating Faizal Bin Ramil.

The Challenger Muaythai blog - Vuyisile Colossa

by Vuyisile Colossa

I learned about The Challenger in February of this year. I was immediately excited, because I felt this was what I needed in my career. We arrived at the house and I had no idea who the other competitors would be, but as soon as I met everyone I recognized a few faces and it was easy to settle in.

I ended up being the first fight of the show because I had the best weapon of the week. I wasn't looking to fight first if anything I wanted to see  what everyone else had to offer and I really didn't know what to expect from the show. You never want to risk being the first one going home and no one wanted to leave early. I wanted to stay as long as possible so that I could see how the show progressed.

THE FIGHT
I picked Michael Corley as my opponent, honestly it was a challenge because I had never seen him fight before. The decision was a bit thought, but a wise one. I had my eye on different fighters, but it was hard to decide as everyone was just settling in with their training, but Michael was number one.

The Challenger Muaythai blog - Mostafa Abdollahi

by Mostafa Abdollahi

I was the Iranian Muaythai team captain for several years and earned a few medals in different international Muaythai competitions. I was one of the last fighters to be chosen to enter the Challenger Muaythai from the WMC and I only found out for definite 2 days before I had to fly to KL! The WMC (World Muaythai Council) chose me because I'm a Muslim fighter from the middle east and they were interested in my background and fight style.

When I got to the villa I recognized some famous and experienced fighters and also I knew some of the fighters already. I thought it's gonna be a tough challenge for me, but this didn't freak me out because I'm always looking for challenges and new experiences. I can say the Challenger Muaythai has been fantastic and a great opportunity for me to live & train with champions.

The Challenger Muaythai blog - Jay Woodham

by Jay Woodham
I train at the Lamiamuaythai Camp Koh Samui with Tum Mardsua, he had already been chosen to take part in the show. They were looking for another fighter, I got asked to do a video interview like a screen test so I did that. They knew I was a decent fighter from videos and recommendations and that was that really, a few weeks later I got the call and the producers said I was in the show. I was just so happy to be a part of Muaythai history to be in the very first season of The Challenger Muaythai and really excited to show the world what I could do, as I left the UK almost two years ago as a high level fighter and I feel I have improved. It was great to finally get to show case that.

The Challenger Muaythai blog - Ilya Grad

by Ilya Grad

Israel's citizens are not allowed to enter Malaysia; I knew it as a fact! So when I was called for The Challenger, naturally I got a bit doubtful, but I was assured that some influential people in Malaysia had my back and would do everything in their powers to get me in. Although some friends and loved ones were concerned and even urged me not to go, the thought I might just be the first to ever raise the Israeli flag in Malaysia was an idea I couldn't resist. Not to mention the fact I would meet the best Muaythai fighters in the world to share my experience with.

Tickets were booked and I left Thailand praying for a smooth pass through Malaysian border, but once upon arrival I was stopped and told I had to spend the night at the terminal. After a long wait of 25 hours the Malaysian Muaythai Federation, with the support of the Malaysian sports minister finally made it happen and got the necessary papers to let me in the country. Just like that I crossed the border with a special pass, a very special pass indeed for my Israeli passport wasn't even stamped!

The Challenger Muaythai blog - Cedric Muller

by Cedric Muller

I qualified in 2009 through a French selection tournament to represent France in the "Contender Asia: Season 2". The show was delayed quite a bit and finally it was re-named "The Challenger Muaythai", some of the fighters changed from CA2 for multiple reasons. When I arrived in the villa, I saw that all the fighters were not the same as I had initially foreseen, except Jordan Watson, Marco Pique, Jesse Miles and Faizal RamlI. I was a surprised to see some famous fighters like Mardsua, Colossa, Giorgi, Antoine and others that were now part of the show.

The days before the start of the show the ambiance was good with everyone, funny and deconstruct, everyone was friendly. The day we arrived at the villa, we knew now the competition had started and we could fight each other at anytime. The training was like usual for a fighter, hard and intensive, but I tried to not give it my all keeping some of my resources for the fight. I bunked with Colossa, Pique, Giorgi and Merza, it was a good feeling because we were the oldest and had the same preoccupation.

Antoine Pinto talks about his time on "The Challenger" and more

Antoine Pinto, also known as Antuan Siangboxing is a French Muay Thai fighter. He moved to Thailand when he was nine years of age and at only the age of 20 is one of the sports bright young fighters. Antoine took some time to talk to Muay Thai Authority about his time on the upcoming reality TV series "The Challenger" as well as his the cancellation of his fight with Thanongdet.

MTA: You were recently on The Challenger Muay Thai, we know you probably cant give any results away, but overall how was the experience on the show?

Antoine: The Challenger Muaythai was a fantastic cultural and human experience for me. Living one month closed in a villa with very famous fighters coming from different nations. Living together 24h/24 when each guy wants to win the trophy wasn't easy. Maybe, because I was one of the younger boxers. Difficult to live, work, train and fight without my family, coach and trainer but a real good experience for me.