Tiger_Muay_Thai_&_MMA

Tiger Muay Thai

Tiger Muay Thai

Mixed martial arts training facility in Phuket, Thailand

Tiger Muay Thai is a Thai mixed martial arts and muay thai training facility located in Phuket, Thailand. It has several prominent competitors such as UFC champions Petr Yan, Alexander Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko.

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History

William McNamara – an American teaching English in Darasamuth Catholic School – had previously owned a gym in Phuket consisting of only one ring to serve his muay thai training purposes.[7][8] The gym gained popularity, so with the help of investors, he founded Tiger Muay Thai in remarkably larger premises in 2003.[7][8] Subsequently, mixed martial arts program was added to the repertoire by McNamara.[9]

Since 2013, the gym has been arranging annual Fight Team tryouts where the best applicants receive scholarships to mixed martial arts and muay thai programs.[10] Among the tryout winners are Kai Kara-France, Dan Hooker, Dave Leduc, Loma Lookboonmee and Casey O'Neill.[11]

In 2015, the gym was sold to Thai businessmen and one of them – Viwat Sakulrat – became the managing director of the gym.[7][9] It has continued to grow and is one of the world's most prominent muay thai gyms.[9]

In July 2021, MMA coaches George and Frank Hickman announced they were leaving the team after an amicable split.[12] In April 2022, they opened their own gym called Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA which trained UFC champions such as Alexander Volkanovski, Jiří Procházka and Zhang Weili.[13]

Gyms

While the original Tiger Muay Thai in Chalong, Phuket remains the headquarters, they opened a new facility to San Sai District, Chiang Mai in 2013.[14]

In 2019, they opened Tiger Muay Thai Beachside in Chalong.[15]

In 2023, Tiger Muay Thai is set to open a new location in Bali, Indonesia.[16]

Notable fighters

UFC Featherweight Champion

References

  1. [1]
    "Kru Phet - Tiger Muay Thai Trainer". Tiger Muay Thai. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Team TMT Fighter Alex Volkanovski gets his shot in the UFC". Tiger Muay Thai. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  3. [3]
    "Penthouse Magazine runs article on Tiger Muay Thai's Cyrus Washington". Tiger Muay Thai. 12 October 2010.
  4. [4]
    "Congrats to the Figh Team Tryout 2016 winners & welcome to Tiger Muay Thai". Tiger Muay Thai. 9 April 2016.
  5. [5]
    "Huge Update on UFC Star Khamzat Chimaev's Training and 2023 Campaign". 25 January 2023.
  6. [6]
    "TMT Fighter Meksen Anissa just signed with ONE Championship!". 25 August 2020.
  7. [7]
    "Tiger Muay Thai Review". muaythaicitizen.com. September 18, 2020.
  8. [8]
    "The History & Evolution of Tiger Muay Thai". Tiger Muay Thai.
  9. [9]
    Frances Watthanaya (April 26, 2020). "Tiger Muay Thai's Rise From Humble Gym To Global Juggernaut". ONE Championship.
  10. [10]
    "Calling All Fighters! Apply for 2014 Fight Team Tryouts now!". Tiger Muay Thai. February 4, 2014.
  11. [11]
    "Congrats to the Fight Team Tryout 2016 winners & welcome to Tiger Muay Thai". Tiger Muaythai. 9 April 2016.
  12. [12]
    "George and Frank Hickman leave Tiger Muay Thai". asianmma.com. July 3, 2021.
  13. [13]
    "'Training in paradise': Bangtao MMA gym changing the game in Phuket". South China Morning Post. 2022-04-30. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  14. [14]
    Wannakorn Moolkam (October 18, 2012). "Tiger Muay Thai – massive Muay Thai gym to open in Chiang Mai". chiangmaicitylife.com.
  15. [15]
    "Tiger Muay Thai Beachside, our beautiful 2nd Gym located next to Chalong Beach, is opening on the 1st of February 2019!". Tiger Muay Thai. January 9, 2019.
  16. [16]
    "Tiger Muay Thai to open new gym in Bali". Asian MMA. 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
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