World Muaythai Council

On Saturday July 16, 2011 worlds collided at the “WMC World Stand Off” in an event that pitted Thailand vs. U.S.A! The event was packed with nonstop action from the start to the very end.  The fans let their appreciation known by constantly cheering throughout the event.

The event took place at the WMC Stadium, in Pomona California, and as the live broadcast began, veteran ring announcer “Voice of the Ring”, Chris Gregory, introduced himself. Then followed that up with “this is a very exciting evening indeed – as we are not only bringing you explosive world class Muaythai fights… one of which is a WMC World Title… But additionally, this very broadcast is the largest Muaythai Broadcast ever seen!  Muaythai fans, we are now live to 177 countries and you are part of it!” The crowd erupted for a long period of time, and then live ringside commentators David Huey and legendary former champion Maurice Travis were introduced.

The event was originally scheduled to include 5 professional fights; however 2 fights were scratched. Gornpet “Diamond Hands” Dejrat was set to fight Ky Hollenbeck but failed to pass medical inspection. Charles “Mantis” Williams was set to face Neungsiam “The Rock” Samphusri, but also failed medical inspection.

In the “WMC World Stand Off” main event the 20 year old Brazilian Sheymon Da Silva Moraes battled the 30 year old Thai Lerdsila “Mr. Lightning” Chumpairtour. Da Silva, a 2-times CBMT National Champion, entered the ring wearing blue trunks with a record of 18 -3 -1 with 10 wins by knockout. Mr. Lightning, a Rajadamnern Champion in 3 weight categories, entered wearing red, with a record of 60 -15 with 5 wins by way of knockout.

The fight lasted all 5 rounds and went to a decision. However, just prior to the fight Da Silva did not remove his shirt during the Wai Kru, which can be considered as taunting or disrespectful. The Wai Kru is an action of respect in the Thai culture that is performed by Muaythai participants in competitions. “Wai” is a sign of respect towards each other, which consists of putting the hands together like in prayer and bowing, while “Kru” means teacher. Therefore the Wai Kru is the way to show respect to the teachers and the trainers. Also, in the past Muaythai was usually fought in front of the King, so Wai Kru was also to apologize to the King for the brutality in fighting.

Many fighters consider tradition and the ring as holy ground, so by not removing his shirt, Da Silva was not appearing as part of tradition which is considered disrespectful. Throughout the fight Mr. Lightning was able to return the disrespect with his actions and posturing which he did to mock his opponent.

Mr. Lightning’s strategy in the fight was to be a counter fighter thus allowing his opponent to initiate the action. Da Silva continually pressed forward all throughout the fight but Mr. Lightning was always able to avoid many of his attacks with his evasive footwork and techniques.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many times throughout the rounds Mr. Lighting would avoid an attack and smile back at his opponent as if to say – is that all you’ve got? However, the look on Da Silva’s face never seemed to change, as he looked focused at all times. Even after getting thrown to the ground several times he never allowed any frustration to show on his face.

In the fight Da Silva chose to focus more on his striking. Round after round being the more powerful striker he took huge swings at his opponent but was never quite able to connect with a knockout punch. For what seemed like most of the fight Mr. Lightning kept his hands down enticing his opponent to move in and attack. Even after getting kicked in the legs a few times he shook his head and patted his leg encouraging Da Silva to try it again.

When the fight was completed it was apparent that Mr. Lightning’s experience and speed was just too much for Da Silva. His ability to evade attacks never allowed for Da Silva to unleash the kind of attack he would have wanted. As the final bell rang to end the match, it was apparent that there would be no lingering disrespect as the two fighters smiled and hugged while exchanging words. In an exciting match of youth vs. experience Mr. Lightning was able to win the fight by unanimous decision.

The second professional fight of the “WMC World Stand Off” featured William “The Bull” Sriyapai vs. Ekpracha “Hitman” Menton. Sriyapai entered the ring wearing blue trunks with a record of 28 – 7 with 8 wins by way of knockout. Menton entered wearing red trunks with a record of 60 – 20 with 15 wins by way of knockout.

The fight was scheduled for 5 rounds but didn’t make it past the 3^rd round. Menton dominated the entire fight. As the bell rang to begin the fight, Menton quickly unleashed two kicks to the head within the first few seconds before Sriyapai even had a chance to get off any attack. From early on it was clear that Sriyapa was going to have a difficult time in this match.

Menton came out with extreme aggression and chased Sriyapai around the ring throughout the fight. Sriyapai was outmatched and stumbled many times from the repeated and unrelenting attack. The full range of Menton’s arsenal was on constant display as he never let up his brutal attack. It was clear that Menton’s intention was to end the fight rather than allowing it to go to decision. Any of his powerful strikes could have ended the fight at any moment and by the huge amount of volume from the crowd it was clear they loved every second of it.

Sriyapai had difficulty defending himself and received a gash over his eye from a nasty elbow. At one point in the second round, Menton nearly flew out of the ring as Sriyapai managed to duck under a flying knee, but he immediately bounced back up on his feet much to the delight of the roaring crowd.

In the third round Menton put the finishing touches on a beaten up Sriyapai. The accumulation of the constant attacks left Sriyapai with very little ability to defend himself. Finally it was a knee strike which put him down causing the referee to stop the fight. Menton was declared the winner by way of technical knockout at 58 seconds into the third round.

The third professional fight of the “WMC World Stand Off” saw Baxter “One Arm Bandit” Humby vs. Chonglag “No Wait” Keawit. Humby entered the ring wearing blue trunks with a record of 39 – 7. Keawit entered wearing red trunks with a record of 60 – 15 with 45 wins by way of knockout.

The fight lasted all 5 rounds and went to a decision. Throughout the fight Keawit was the aggressor always moving forward and pressing the action. However, Humby was efficient in keeping distance by always circling and using well timed forward kicks to the midsection of his opponent. Humby’s strategy was to counter his opponent’s attacks but he also used his excellent footwork to his advantage. For the first two rounds Humby would move forward throw a punch or kick then move back out of range repeatedly to keep his opponent off balance and from moving forward. It was during the second round that Humby received a kick to the head which he managed to shake it off.

By the third round it appeared that Keawit had found his range. Keawit was more aggressive and constantly threw Humby to the ground. Humby wasn’t deterred and continued to stick to his gameplan.

During the fourth round the level of intensity reached another level as the two fighters went back and forth with everything that they had. Humby became the crowd favorite as fans began to cheer “Baxter” repeatedly.

In the final round the intensity was still high but both fighters showed small signs of fatigue. Humby returned the favor from an earlier round with a kick to the face of Keawit.  The crowd responded with a roar. In the end the fight came down to a close decision with Keawit winning by split decision.

“WMC World Stand Off” Professional Bouts Results

Lerdsila “Mr. Lightning” Chumpairtour def. Sheymon Da Silva Moraes via Unanimous Decision

Ekpracha “Hitman” Menton def. William “The Bull” Sriyapai via third-round TKO

Chonglag “No Wait” Keawit def. Baxter “One Arm Bandit” Humby via Split Decision

“WMC World Stand Off” Undercard Bout Results

Jorge Perez vs. Ronald Cruz ruled a majority draw

Ruben Lahn def. Oscar Sanchez via second round KO

Victor “The Mongoose” Perez def. Ming “Little Dragon” Freeman via Unanimous Decision

Eduardo “Jom Prai” Alvarado def. Beto Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision

Article by Dan-V (Pushkick Promotions)

Tags: Competition

This entry was posted on Friday, July 22nd, 2011 at 12:53 PM and is filed under Events.