Lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev steps into the cage in Las Vegas this weekend hoping to be the latest fighter to begin a journey to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) glory from a production line of mixed martial arts (MMA) champions in Phuket, Thailand.
Tiger Muay Thai gym was, before the COVID-19 pandemic, attracting fighters from all over the globe, lured by world-class training, an idyllic tropical beach lifestyle and a growing reputation.
The gym has produced a string of fighters progressing into the UFC, the biggest MMA promotion — several becoming world champions.
Photo: Hip Panakom Santayanon / AFP
“Before lockdown, we were seeing many fighters from Tiger Muay Thai sign with the UFC. It was like a wave,” said Fiziev, who is from Kyrgyzstan and has an MMA record of eight wins with just one defeat. “The lockdown has kept people away, but our fighters are winning and the wave will come again.”
MMA was one of the first sports to restart after the pandemic shutdown, with UFC staging events in bio-secure bubbles since May and Asia’s One Championship welcoming back limited crowds in Singapore since the end of October.
“The fighters we have coming through help to breed success. Seeing them train inspires everyone,” said George Hickman, MMA coach at Tiger Muay Thai.
One of the most explosive UFC talents, middleweight champ Israel Adesanya of New Zealand, has also tapped into the gym, as has Australian featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
Thailand’s first UFC star, strawweight Loma Lookboonmee, has caused an explosion of interest in MMA in her home country, encouraging fighters to make the move from traditional forms of combat such as kickboxing or Muay Thai.
“We have a group of young Thai guys who are dabbling,” Hickman said. “It’s coming along and Loma is a big reason why.”
Fiziev, 27, who fights Brazilian Renato Carneiro (14-3) on the UFC 256 undercard, also coaches kickboxing at Tiger Muay Thai.
“Some Fridays we have about 100 people sparring and everyone is strong, with different talents,” he said. “The Muay Thai fighters can mix it with the best.”
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