Right so Im in the midst of a last minute packing for my 3 weeks in Europe!! So am in a real state of panic!! If I had packed earlier...I would have been naked all week in Singapore!! It's hard to pack for Europe coz you never know what the weather is like!?!? One day it could be bloody cold...and the next day sunny...or it could be bloody both in one day!!! I always end up feeling like I've left out stuff or I've over packed!!....Bahhhhhhhh hate packing!!....
On a chirpier note!! The lovely people over at Nikon have decided that they are gonna sponsor me and my my blog a camera to take along with me for my Asian Invasion of Europe. Making sure that I have lotsa cool photographs of all my memorable moments so that I can update all you lovely people who check my blog!! So hopefully I will get some good pictures in and I can find time to update my blog as often as I can whilst Im over there!! Check out the super coolNikon Coolpix S520!!! Cant wait to get this baby firing!!!
Anyways I will try as much to keep this blog as Muay Thai related as possible so I'll try and check out some of the gyms in Europe while Im around there and update my blog as often as I can. Might actually catch good old David Pacquette whilst Im there.
Ok off to check my luggage for the last time before I hop on a taxi and then well not really a (private) jet plane....Im not THAT famous yet!!!
right its been a busy busy week for me.....Work,meetings,interviews,interviews and MORE interviews!! Crazy!! Becareful what you wish for...I used to say I never get the recognition for what I've done for Muay Thai in Singapore a few years ago......and NOW!! Interviews after interviews!!..Sheesh!! Now am just waiting for my other wish to come true,which is to have a few million dollars miraculously fall on to my lap and I'm sorted!! =)
Right as you've read the title. I'm gonna be doing my Asian Invasion tour of Europe next week!! Im going off to London,Stockholm and Amsterdam!! I think it's a well deserved holiday?... I am in serious need of a break.....Have been working and training so hard the last few months and am feeling rather burnt out.... I need to get hungry to train and fight again,so figured a trip to Europe would be just nice!! Especially since it's been 7 years since I visited Europe!! Everytime that I've wanted to go over to visit my family I've had fights and just too much work to deal with so this time I spoke to promoters and there isn't a fight lined up for me til end of June or early July so I thought I'd better make the most of my time off now.
Off to London for a week first,to attend a wedding and catching up with some good friends who are now living and working there. Then it's off to Stockholm,Sweden for a week....a little more on that in abit as I think that will be the main HIGHLIGHT of my trip....then to end off my trip I'll be heading over to Amsterdam/Eindhoven for a week to visit my family there. I can't wait!!!!
So last weeks blog,I left off at The Contender and K-1 Max Grand Prix. The first series will take place on the 31st of May in Stockholm. And I will be staying with my main man Yukay from the Contender and I will be attending "Rumble Of The Kings 2008" as a VIP guest!!! =) Muahahah eat your hearts out!!!! I've known of the event for quite awhile now and Ive seen some of the previous events that Sweden has held and it is seriously one of,if not THE best venue to fight at. The LINE UP is looking amazing!!! With some of the top fighters battling it out for WMC World Titles and also the chance to make it to The Contender Asia 2 and also a shot at K-1 Max Japan Final 16.
K-1 Scandinavia Poster.
The Contender boys Bruce McFie,Yukay,Yodsaenklai and Dzahabar will be fighting that night in the 8 man Contender Asia Grand Prix,so it's gonna be great to see them and hang out with all of them again after the fights.
I know that you see JWP on the poster.....He was supposed to fight Ole Laursen for the WMC Super Middle Weight World Title but Ive heard that JWP has had to pull out recently as his dad is seriously ill and he has chosen to spend time with his father. JWP's wife also just gave birth to their 2nd Child. Im not sure if they have revealed the replacement for JWP so I dont wanna ruin it for the organisers, but from what I've heard all I can say is he's a short hard hitting fighter from K-1Max.
Yodsaenklai is fighting Levin Artem. You might be wondering What?...Who?.....(Sounds like the same reaction I got when I was listed on The Contender Asia Final 16)...I've seen Levin Artem fight before in Thailand and he is very very talented and amazing to watch,having said all that Yodsaenklai is a machine and is on a roll at the moment so it'll be an interesting one to watch!!
Another fight worth a mention is Nong Toom Fairtex (Yes THE Beautiful Boxer) vs Pernilla Johansson (Swe). I've heard that Nong Toom is back in the ring but of course fighting women now. She is always a good name to have on the fight card coz she still pulls in the crowd. Love to watch her do her Wai Kru where she puts make up on,it is pretty cool.
So yeah counting down the days to my Asian Invasion of Europe!! Am looking forward to some unhealthy food and cool weather in Europe!!
Right to end things off I'm gonna introduce you to a new fighter to everyone. He has been training in Angie Parr's tummy for 9 months now,punching and kicking away!!! He finally arrived at 1.30am on the 2nd of May 2008,kicking,screaming and raring to go!!! Weighing in at the offical weight of 8.85lbs.Introducing...
What has The Contender Asia done to us?!?!...Sheeeeeeeeesh!!! I can't believe I actually MISS a T.V Show!!! I mean....I wasn't even excited about...Survivor,Lost,Prison Break or Heroes???!!! (Maybe abit forDesperate Housewifes....? Eva Longoria!!!!) Maybe I liked The Contender Asia ...coz I WAS IN IT??! haha well for the first 7 Episodes at least?!? But Im pretty sure that when Season 2 is out Im gonna be finding myself infront of a TV watching the show intensively again!!
I think everyone is prolly going through the same Withdrawal Symptoms as me right now!! Seems like there are two types of Contender Asia addicts. One is the "Weds T.C.A Addict" and the other is the "Thurs T.C.A Addict"!!
So since last night was the first Weds night that there wasn't The Contender Asia?!?! I was home at 8pm....and I was just so BORED.....Didnt know what to do!!! See since Jan 16th when it first aired....The usual Weds night routine for me was that I'd finish my personal training client by about 8pm, jump in a taxi to my friends place where some of them would be setting up the dvd recorder and some others would be preparing dinner and snacks. Then I'd quickly go get a shower and then I'd plant myself onto the sofa where for the next hour we'd all have dinner and watch the show. (And occasionally we'd still be on the sofa for the repeat telecast at midnight!?!?...Sad huh?....) But for weeks we've been doing that, and yesterday for the first time.......I was at home after my client and I was just sitting on the computer absolutely bored out of my mind and looking for things to kill time!!....Ipretty sure quite a few people who live in Asia and have access to AXN would have suffered the same sorta symptoms last night?!?!? Or maybe it was just ME?????
Then there's the "Thursday T.C.A addict"which are those who dont live in asia and have no access to AXN. Well the "Thurs T.C.A addict" are people who spend HOURS on a Thursday on the internet (barely a day after it aired) searching the Martial Arts forums like K-1fans, Sherdog, Kakutogi, Axkickboing, Contenderasiafans and even on The Contender Asia Facebook Group, searching for the megaupload links or torrents to download the episodes!!!! Its pretty crazy,today alone I've already gotten so many msgs and emails saying..."Oh man....I dont know what to do now on Thursdays....I usually spend hours on the forums and torrent sites searching for links to get the latest episodes!!!! What do I do now???"....uhhhmmm I don't know???....Sadly even tho I have access to AXN and live in Asia I am also a "Thurs T.C.A addict"!!! Coz I download them and watch it on my computer as I do my blog about each episodes.
Basically we're all addicted to The Contender Asia!!! I hope Season 2 is gonna get started on soon!!! But as far as I know,the selection for fighters in Season 2 will be a Contender Super 8 Men Grand Prix,that will take place in a few different countries. The winner of each Grand Prix will have a chance to be part of Season 2 AND K-1Max Final 16 in Japan.
I will blog abit more about it in the next couple of days as some of us from Season 1 will be fighting in the Super 8s so it's gonna be awesome!!!! So check back again soon! In the meantime,lpease let me know what you guys are doing to rid yourself of boredom on Weds nights now!!!
So here it is,Episode 15 the LAST episode of The Contender Asia Season 1. Very sad it's now over....Weds 9pm will never be the same again!!
An awesome looking picture of the venue.
So the date,April 12th 2008. Location Singapore Indoor Stadium. It was awesome to have finally fought there. In 2007 I was supposed to be on the main card of one of the promotions there but I was filming The series so couldn't make it. Singapore Indoor Stadium has been host to many great bands and amazing sell out concerts. So to finally fight there is like every Singaporean kids dream!!
Press Conference at one of my favorite restaurant, Brewerkz!
The night before we were all down at Brewerkz for the weigh-in and press conference. And some of us were in a grumpy mood having not eaten for a day over to make fight weight. I weighed in at 72.7 and I remember Zidov weighed in at 72?...Was annoyed that they wrote down on the fight that I was 73.5!?!!??!? Made me look like I was having a much bigger advantage. But after all of us weighed in...it was straight on to the water.....100plus....nacho chips...buffalo wings....beef ribs...pizza......!! We were starving!!!
There were actually 4 fights that night at the Indoor stadium and I guess just coz there was no "STORY" behind it they couldn't really put Soren vs Sean's fight into the show. Also they didn't show our introduction when we walked into the Stadium. The atmosphere was seriously AMAZING!!! The contender theme song blarring in the background and the crowd going absolutely insane is definitely a night I won't forget!
So I was in the Red Locker room. So Soren,JWP and Jabba were in the room with me. And yeah Pitu flew over to come watch the show and he decided to give the Red Corner a helping hand. Hanging out in the room and joking was great....JWP, Soren, Pitu and Jabba were my team mates and we were all very close friends. It's weird how fighting has become so NORMAL to us. I mean to alot of people it must be WEIRD that we can hangout and chat and joke before knowingly going into a ring to get hurt?? But the 4 of us fighting were all going through the same feeling before the fight....It's a weird feeling a mix of anxiety and adrenaline that just makes you start feeling lazy...?!! Soren calls the feeling "calm before the storm". But the funniest thing that happened in the locker room is when Stephan Fox came in to wish us luck and as he was walking out,Jabba goes,"Hey Stephan....Why No 100%?" ....hahahahahaha...I thought me and my friends were the only one who noticed his "100%..100%,For Thailand!!" ....hahahahaha that really cracked all of us up when Jabba said it.
So first up was Soren and Sean's fight,Unfortunately I didn't get to see the fight LIVE as I was next up and getting ready in the dressing room. But I remember one of the guys who was helping at the event gave us a run down and he was going...."Seans taking alot of knees and is running out of gas." We were all in the changing room going....."Sean out of Gas???" But I just watch the fight last night on youtube, and I gotta say....Soren was HUNGRY for a win. I was just talking to Soren before doing the blog and I said to him,"I've never seen you soo hungry for a win!! You just kept coming and pressing forward!!" And his reply....."4 straight losses can do that to you!!" haha Sean looked like he was just not used to someone pressuring him!! And getting in the clinch alot is really tiring!!! Sean did well landing some good punches and bobbing to avoid Soren's jabs,he has awesome speed in his punches. He also landed some good elbows on Soren,and Soren needed some stitches on the top of his head. But Soren just looked the dominant and hungrier fighter. Good to see my man Soren back in top form. Here are the clips. Check it out.
I remember standing behind waiting for them to announce my name and telling myself....."this is it,make or break!!" the rematch that I've been waiting for since that darn night my shoulder popped out. 2 surgeries later....months of strength and conditioning....2 weeks of hard training with my thai trainer,Bungman that I flew in to live with me to prepare me for my fight. It all came down to the next 5Rounds.
As I walked in,I gotta say the feeling of having 6000ppl cheer for you (or against you) is just very special...you feel their voices deep in your gut. You feel the adrenaline rushing through you...the hairs on your back standing...it's just so amazing!! It is like what Jabba says...."a drug" an addiction you can't explain and want it over and over and over.
I felt good going in there this time. I had awesome training with Bungman and I had new shoulders!! Though the worry of it popping out was constantly lingering in the back of my head. But I knew I had trained hard,and trained well and trained specificaly for this fight with the help of Bungman. We had a gameplan and I stuck to it. Unfortunately I couldn't have Bungman in my corner but "Matsui" and "Hanarong" who has seen me fight and cornered for me on many occasions had some good advice to give.
I did my Wai Kru and yes people were complaining it was very long....but it's only coz Zidov didn't do his Wai Kru!! So everyone was waiting for ME...!!! I even did abit of a edit to my usual wai kru replacing the last bow and arrow with a "X" slashing sword motion and ending it off with a stab.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
I remember in the early rounds of the fight I was landing loads of leg kicks,mid section and a couple of sweeps on Zidov. And after watching some of the shots again on TV it even made me go "OUCH!!" I remember thinking to myself in Round 3,"Right lets hope shoulder stays in,only 2 rounds left!!!"...Then in the 4th Round things started to pick up as Zidov pressed forward and was doing his "Crazy" thing,I remember landing a headkick and seeing him go down,but the ref didn't count him?? Was really weird.... you can actually hear the Ring announcer count 1?!?!?!?!?...haha... Soon 5th Round was on,and I knew that Zidov was gonna try to now knock me out as he was trailing on points. He started getting messy again and charging,was surprised he didn't do it from the first bell!!?
Landing the elbow was SWEET!! Watching it on the big screen and in slow mo was SWEETER!! You can see Soren in the Background going...."Owwww!!!" hahaha....I honestly do feel bad as he is still after all a friend (and soon to be a father!!!!) but this is the nature of our sport,he would have done the same to me given the very chance. There was alot of blood I remember jabbing and trying to just keep my distance and every jab I threw just more blood came out,I signalled once to the ref and he stopped it to let the Dr check. I remember seeing the Dr's cloth just go all red....!! Saw the Dr saying with,"one more cloth if it doesn't stop,I have to stop the fight."...Luckily for Zidov the bleedin stopped. I knew it was on now...and he's gonna try and knock me out coz thats the only way he'd win now. Same thing just pushed kicked,jabbed moved around let him charge kept my distance,then I remember landing the same elbow again on him and when there was finally way too much blood,the Ref jumped in and stopped the fight and I was declared the winner by TKO. Zidov later than cheekily said in his speech,"It's now 1-1.....".....and I think that has already sparked off talks of a 3rd Rematch... Well if people wanna see it then why not.
I do have to say the only thing that wasn't nice was the crowd BOOING that the fight was stopped...(or maybe it was my accidental kick to Zidov's groin) and I think that is just silly....You have to remember the Ref & Dr are there to protect the fighters. We have to fight another day as this is what we do for a living,and if the Ref and the Dr,can prevent a serious injury from happening...they will and they should!! I know Zidov wanted to carry on....Fuck,I would have carried on if my shoulder popped out another 10 times.....but its just gonna do more damage to me in the long run!?? Stephan made a speech in the ring to the crowd saying that we shouldn't boo...the boys did their best,they also shouldn't boo the Ref or Dr coz this is normal procedure for a fight if they think there is too much blood. I didn't hear the speech entirely but he then said something like,"if any of you here can do better,then step in the ring",I've heard him make similar speeches many many times all over the world at world class events,to me I didn't find it offensive......but for SOME people....it was such a big hoohaa on the local forums......
The commentators Michael Schiavello & Mark Castagnini from Fox Kickboxing were funny as...!! I've known Mark for awhile now and it was the first time meeting Mike. The two of them are by far the best in commentating,as they make it educational for viewers and they also make it bloody funny. Here's some of Michaels one liners,
"He's got more kick than a chorus!!","He's taken more hits than google", "He's taken more shots than an alcoholic", "He's got more mussels than a seafood platter", "He's taken more knocks than a front door", "He's got more combinations than a McDonalds menu!!" You can find more of Mike's lines on their myspace site,check it out.
Next up was the so called "Grudge Match" that everyone has been wanting to see since Episode 3. Between Jabba and Raffik. Unfortunately it wasn't as crazy and full of hate as people expected it to be. There was still SOME respect for each other and that is what this sport is all about. The fight was fought smartly by both of them. No wanting to make any silly mistakes and not get caught with anything stupid. I remember Jabba landing a couple of left hooks on Raffik that threw his head back abit. Raffik also in Round 4 and 5 started throwing in a few more of his sneaky spinning back elbows. I have to admit he throws them really well. The fight goes 5 rounds and once again Jabba my brother emerges victorious. In his interview he says something that I will always remember coz he said it to me in The Loft before,"Cold Mind,Hot Heart" and it's true...you need to be cool,calm and collected to be able to think under pressure.....but your heart has to be full of fire to want to win. Congrats to Jabba am glad you kept your cool and won the fight.
And the one that everyone has been waiting for since the last day of filming at the loft in 2007, all the way to April 12th 2008....and a rematch from their WBC title bout in 2005. This was gonna be one hell of an amazing fight.
We all knew Yoddi was doing it because he wanted to use the money to buy a house for them to give his family a better life. Then hearing about JWP's dad who was very ill with cancer and that he had weeks to live was very heartbreaking. Me and JWP are in contact alot and I remember chatting with him about it....and it was still at a very mild stage then,but obviously things have gotten worse since. But to make things more complicated for JWP,his wife was due to give birth to their 2nd child any time that week. So you can only imagine the things running around his mind...his dad,his wife and the biggest cash prize ever offered in Muay Thai all on the line. I really take my hats of to JWP for being such a strong person throughout the whole thing.
As the two finalist were introduced and as they walked into the stadium....the cheer for them was unbelievably loud. JWP even said to me that having fought at so many places that was prolly the loudest he's heard in a long time.
Round 1 started and things were looking good as JWP blocked Yoddi's kicks and kept the pressure on him. But in the last 30 seconds or so JWP caught hold of Yoddi's kicks and JWP was in abit of a funny angle....and next thing I know I heard this loud "SLAAAAP" and JWP was down. He was down for awhile,but he got up just in time to beat the count.....and lucky for him he was saved by the bell. Round 2 same thing..JWP knew that he had to take the fight to Yoddi and with one knockdown against him...he needed to work HARD!!...... JWP pressed forward lots more and unfortunately Yoddi caught him with another punch right on the chin that sends JWP tumbling back. Once again JWP beats the count and as determined as ever presses on.
JWP gave it everything he had in the last 3 rounds....He blocked Yoddi's kicks really well that night. He tried and tried hard and even after landing some awesome punches,Yoddi wasn't at all bothered.....JWP coming back from 2 hard knockdowns and still taking the fight to Yoddi is an impressive performance. But this night was not meant to be his......but belonged to the young and talented,Yodsaenklai. Proving to the world that he hasn't just got a left kick on him. He's got both left and right punches that opponents should fear. JWP has nothing be ashamed of and has shown the world once again why he is one of the best foreign fighters in the world...and shown to all of us that he is one hell of a tough cookie. He is a legend in this sport and will always be.
So Yodsaenklai $150 000 richer and a nice big shiny belt to hold up his jeans,congratulations!! The boys all can't wait to visit you at your new house!! =) We're gonna have a pool party!!
Once again aHUGE THANK YOU to everyone who emailed me and supported me through the tough times. Coming back from 2 shoulder surgeries to win this rematch at the Indoor Stadium infront of 6000people was just amazing. Hope I've proven myself now and I hope Singapore is finally truly proud of me. It was am amazing night I'll remember forever!!
Anyways Im sad that I won't have to blog anymore about The Contender Asia,I really enjoyed doing it and having to share my inside views on the episodes and fighters. I'll still be blogging even though this is the last episode of The Contender Asia Season 1,so definetly check back regularly for more updates on me and Muay Thai in Singapore and Muay Thai news internationally.
So here we are on to the 2nd last episode of The Contender Asia. Damn time flies!!
Episode 14 begins and the house is looking very very quiet now with just JWP,Yoddi and Jabba left. As Yoddi walks in he knows he's pretty much one last step closer to the big fat pay check!! Either JWP or Jabba is in his way.
So the next morning,from what the TV showed,it looks as tho Jabba woke up before JWP. Now that says ALOT!!! That just shows how much getting to final meant to Jabba if he wakes up earlier then JWP!!! I remember watching the two of them in training. JWP as he himself said has slowed down as age is catching up...but he sure as hell hits damn hard!!! Jabba I gotta say has one of the best techniques for a foreigner. Very neat and not to forget powerful!!
After training the guys all got a gift from Samsung. And they got a Handheld Camrecorder!! DAMNIT!! More goodies!! The 3 of them then started to do a recap on all the fighters in the loft. Was wondering what JWP was gonna say about me..."Singaporean who speaks good engrish!!" haha JWP and me were good friends in the loft and we'd just talk and just...hangout!... It was an great experience and an amazing opportunity to meet one of the legends in this sport and to actually become good friends with him.
Come fight night. Even I was nervous as I waited anxiously for a phonecall with the results. Jabba and JWP both being my close friends. I was definitely not on anybodies side. And whoever made it through to the final I would be happy for. Listening to Jabba say that he wants to win this competition more than all the stars in the sky and that he fears no one in the ring but God. He always amazes me with these little sayings and all his beliefs in religion and fate. Sometimes when Im hanging out with him and chatting,I feel like Im talking to my dad?!?!!...It's not a bad thing....it just shows that Jabba tho he is young in age is very matured.
The fight itself was hard for me to say who won. Im trying to watch this without taking sides for either of them and it's hard. I've had people who were there that night tell me that Jabba should have won. (But then again some of these people wouldn't know a take down from a fall down!!) From my point of view,JWP made more of an effort coming forward pressuring Jabba and also as h said kept up he tempo countering back everytime Jabba attacked...But what made it difficult was at the same time,Jabba did so well to keep his defence tight and rarely took any good clean shots.
The fight was over and both men brought to the center of the ring to await the moment of truth!!....You can tell both of them thought they had did enough to win the last spot in the final. However there can be only ONE winner....and it was to be JWP. Heartbreaking to see my brother,Jabba a strong and hard man in tears. But I remember when I was talking to my friend and I said,"I feel like such a wuss for crying on TV after being elimintaed!!!" and all he said to me was...."Come this Sat at the Rugby World Cup Finals whichever team loses,you'll see a bunch of the toughest men in tears!! It just shows character and passion for what you do,so nothing to be ashamed of." Jabba again showing us through good and bad times Religion is so important to him,"God gave me the chance and I didn't take it......God wants it to be like this so I have to accept it. "
Me back at The Loft after the boys gave the wall abit of colour!! Read what names some of them have! HAH!!
So that was the last night in the loft before the contractors came to rip everything up and got everything cleared out of there. Me and Sean attended the "IT'S A WRAP PARTY!!" held by the Producers and Crew to celebrate the end of 7 weeks of filming!! Was good to be back in The Loft,I never thought I'd say that!! Was so good to finally see Yoddi,Jabba and JWP again!! It was one hell of a night out!!!
Next week the GRAND FINALE!!! I heard that they are showing all the fights that went on that night. Soren vs Sean,Zach vs Zidov,Dzhabar vs Raffik and of course the one we've all been waiting for,Yodsaenklai vs JWP.
So guys I won't ruin it for those who don't know the results!!! Looking forward to showing everyone some awesome pictures from the Finale!!
First of all a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all of those who attended the Contender Asia Finale. Coming from all over...HongKong,Phillipines,Malaysia,Indonesia and even Australia!! You all made the night very very memorable for all the fighters. We thank you all so much. It's a night the fighters will never forget.
I won't do a write up on the night yet as I don't wanna ruin it for some people. So I'm just gonna write as per normal on the episode. Plus I think most of the fights that night at the Finale are gonna be shown on the Final episode? So I'll do a write up then. Keep some of you in suspense!!
So lets get it rollin,Jabba still ecstatic over his win over Soren comes back in the room and sees the guys all sitting around all in awe at the punch he landed on Soren. Jabba then makes a good point...We chose this life and this job,we know the consequences and hazards of fighting. We are gonna get knocked out or hurt and we can't have hard feelings about it. This is the reality of FIGHTING.
In training at The Loft,you are always constantly being watched....either by your opponents or by FOX!! He'll like walk up to you from the back and just smack you coz he feels like it!! We're always studying our opponents watching trying to find a weakness and captivate on it. Alot of the times we try and watch videos of fighters before hand so that we can come up with a strategy or gameplan it's always good to have an idea of what you're gonna go up against. Tho sometimes seeing the guy you're about to fight knock his opponent out could do a weee bit of intimidation and play mind games on ya!!
This episodes fight was decided by who had fought first in the 2nd round of the Competition. That being Yoddi winning over Naruepol and Sean winning over Yukay. So it was fair that the other boys got a little rest to let injuries heal. So Sean vs Yoddi and the 2nd Semi Final was gonna be Jabba vs JWP.
So for making it so far into the competition,the boys were once again given a treat. The rewards and treats got so much better after the put an end to challenges!! The boys were taken to Coloc Tailors down at the Raffles Hotel. Firstly the recieved an amazing NECKLACE! Was sooo jealous when I caught up with the boys after the show...!! It's like a dog tag with the word contender but it had a diamond in it. Was very very cool!
The guys were pretty funny at the tailors. Sean being the STANDARD MODEL SIZE??? The Fox saying to Jabba when he tried on his suit,"If my name was Stephanie...You'd be the one!"...and JWP going,"If I were a girl,I'd definitely wanna do me!" hahah And Yoddi once again sorta bringing it all back down to earth saying that all his life he never would thought he would own a suit one day...!! Geez,stop making me feel bad Yoddi...!! haha Simple things like this we take for granted sometimes and forget that not everyone can have em.
Day of the fight. Sean talks abit about how he's been doing Muay Thai for 12 years and how when we all arrived on day one,he was the last to be picked. Yet today he is the last blue team member in the house. Would have been crazy is he won it all!! Would be a great story and a massive career boost!!
Yoddi and JWP were chatting about the fight ahead in the living room. The guys chat and JWP just tells Yoddi to watch his bodyshots and leg kicks and Yoddi's reply,"Im not James or Yukay....lets see how he goes with the REAL DEAL!!" JWP said it should be a exciting/fun fight to watch....and Yoddi just goes,"It'll be exciting before the fight but when we get in the ring,it won't be much of a fight."Yoddi sometimes comes off to some as arrogant....but to me I say he's just VERY self confident. I was at the FIRST press conference for the Contender Asia in Early 2007..This was when I wasn't even supposed to be a FIGHTER on the show,was just helping out with stuff. I remember Yoddi answering some questions and he said," Im 100% confident of winning this competition!!" It's a bold statement but he knows what he's capable of and he has a very very strong mind (AND A F#$%ING STRONG LEFT KICK!!!)
Yoddi's once again was right and proved too strong for Sean.Sean froze up and Yoddi showed us that he's not just a strong kicker but he can also pack a punch. Landin a SWEET uppercut on Sean as he slouched into the corner. Sean was saved by the bell in the 1st round and in his corner he looked pretty out of it. Not responding and not having the fire in his eyes anymore. Round 2 and Yoddi knew exactly what to do and what to look out for. Soon another devastating uppercut sealed Yoddi's spot in the Finals!!!
Sean is an awesome fighter and is alot better than what we saw against Yoddi. I don't think any of us doubt it. But like I said,earlier on intimidation and mind games play a huge factor in fighting. If you go in the ring with the slightest of doubt and worry...part of the battle is already lost. Fighting is not just about being PHYSICALLY strong...You gotta have a strong MIND and a strong HEART to fight and get to the top. It is your MIND and SPIRIT that pushes your BODY to do amazing things in life!!
So congrats Yoddi a spot in the final!! Next episode....Jabba vs JWP.
sincere apologies on not being able to do a write up for Episode 13th. I have been super busy with trying to run my personal training business,training for my fight on 12th April tmrw,and also do all sorts of press interviews and media related stuff. Its been busy!! I will do the write up hopefully by Monday or Tuesday next week? When all has finally settled down.
On another note,most of the boys are here in Singapore now and we caught up for a little at yesterday's photoshoot. Was good to see the guys again. We've all been training hard and looking forward to the fight after party!!!
Just incase you haven't been following the radio interviews and articles in Singapore. (Coz you might not be from Singaporoe or you might be like me,too busy/lazy to read the papers!!) It is official that I am having a rematch with Zidov. Zidov and I were on 98.7FM on the Shan & Ros show just a few days ago talking about our rematch. They are gonna send me the link to the interview when it's ready so I'll have the link up for all of you to download,it was a fun interview.
I've actually known about the rematch going to happen for quite awhile now. But due to contracts and stuff we aren't allowed to mention these things. Have been training hard and my weight and stamina feels awesome. Just hope my damn shoulders don't play me out this time. Am looking forward to the fight. We are having the weigh in tonight at 6pm and after that it's time to pack on lots of carbs and energy for tmrw!!
