NAKA Fight Night IV - May 31, 2025

It was nice to be back at the holy church in the name of NAKA! The event started slowly, with many empty seats for the first couple of hours. But by intermission, the church was packed and no one was praying! Ajahn Amnat welcomed the guests I think…and said something to the fighters… Am I the only one who’s always so distracted by Ajahn Amnat’s theatrics that I forget to actually listen?

Several MTO officials were still in Antalya for IFMA, so Kru Daryl had to step up and wear black! Simon Marcus (from The One Muay Thai) attended very much undercover, sporting a fishing hat and sunglasses. He cornered a fight and disappeared just as quickly. I don’t know what’s going on. I think Simon is dodging an interview with me!

Here are some highlights from the evening:

The fight between Hayagreev Veeru (Darkside Muay Thai) and Joshua Spaley (TKMT) really warmed up the crowd with plenty of heat. Both fighters have more losses under their Muay Thai shorts than wins. Hayagreev, with a background in American football, turned to Muay Thai in search of a real combat. Joshua, like many others, was inspired by UFC. Josh took the trophy with sharp crosses that landed clean and low kicks which seemed to come on automatic. The TKMT coaches in Josh’s corner were, surprisingly, the least dramatic I’ve seen from TKMT so far.

Rahma Rogers (The One Muay Thai) fought Zoey Zhou (NAKA Muay Thai). After watching Alex Pereira’s UFC knockout, Rahma thought to herself, “This is my calling.” Rahma tried a few push kicks to the head but quickly realized she could win the fight with boxing. Rahma took home the trophy.

The bout between Jessica Henry (VRTU Muay Thai) and Jane Taylor (NAKA) was… interesting. Both fighters were completely gassed by the second round and I mean not a drop left. The ref draw his hand between them and said “GO” three times, but the fighters just stood there and said…nah. I was rolling my eyes so I couldn’t see who won the trophy, but I think it was Jessica.

Brian Egona (TKO Fighting Arts) faced Drake Creasor (905 BJJ). Brian’s a big Naruto fan, but after losing to Drake by referee stoppage, I think he’ll be switching to his second favorite: Jean-Claude Van Damme TV shows. Be wary of him in his next fight.

Mathew Ivan (Black Eagle Khunkhmer) battled Ahnaf Chowdhury (Scorpion Muay Thai). Ahnaf tried a lot of flashy techniques: spinning back fists, spinning back kicks, superman punches, etc. But most of them missed or threw Anhaf himself off balance. His act reminded me of Jacky Chan in Drunken Master, but without the “Master.” Mathew tried not to laugh as he took the win and the trophy.

The fight I was most looking forward to: Rob Riley (Black Eagle Khunkhmer) vs. Jason Mann (Legacy Muay Thai). Rob trained as a kid but stepped away for years, facing serious life challenges, including addiction. He’s now over a year sober since the day he returned to Muay Thai. Rob wants to be an example for others battling the same demons. In the first round, Rob started strong, delivering punches you could feel from the audience. He gave Jason an eight-count seconds into the first round but gassed out later, allowing Jason to outlast him. Rob took the loss with a big smile and even celebrated with Jason’s team. That’s heart.

Habib Sultani (Stride Muay Thai) vs. Jack Cassera (Legacy Muay Thai) ended quickly in the first round via Jack’s side elbows.

The main event featured James Baird (Black Eagle Khunkhmer) and Troy Wisdom (Scorpion Muay Thai). Honestly, this one felt like a bout of hesitation. Both fighters faked a lot, but we never saw what they were faking for because the strikes never followed. In the first round, I think they exchanged maybe five low kicks total? Kru Daryl (on ref duty) had to step in a few times and whisper “Gentlemen, pick it up a notch.” In round two, things didn’t change much until Troy landed a high kick that dropped James and triggered a ref stoppage. Troy was waiting for an opportunity for that one kick!

There was one unclaimed trophy due to a no-show, which ended up going to Kru Benson (VRTU) for his bubbly attitude. A great show overall, though I missed the Greek food from down the street because my teammates were also no-shows. Next time!

Over in the MMA corner that same night, a fight ended in a DQ due to a headbutt. Isn’t that the one move not allowed in MMA? Assuming there are no biters? I’m rolling my eyes.

A few notes on the community:

Big congratulations to the Canadian medalists at IFMA: Grace Richard, Caelyn Batac, Fehn Foss, and Harrison King. You made Canada proud! Shoutout to the amazing coaches who selflessly traveled to Turkey to support Team Canada. We see you.

To those asking why I didn’t plan to attend the Muay Thai World Cup: I consider myself a blogger in the community. And I believe that being a part of this community means recognizing and respecting its leaders. And let’s be honest, our leaders are awesome.

Denis “The Bosnian Menace” Puric, founder of Soi Dogs in Hamilton, has been invited to Kingdom for a seminar on July 12th. Lately, Thai fighters have been coming to gyms for seminars: the Lightning, the Kicking Machine, the Thai Bomb, the Chili Elbow… okay, I may have made a few up. But truthfully, we have world-class fighters with world records right here in our local community. Why not support and showcase them? Our youth can connect with and relate to local stars easier and the community benefits are obvious.

See you all on June 21st at Fight Night 2!