ONE 168 - Haggerty vs Superlek - Sep 6th

As long as superlek doesn't get dragged into a brawl he takes this.

*He's smart enough to see what happens, Nong-O, when you don't respect the size and punching power of Haggerty.
 
see an Akimoto fight in
That is who Haggerty should be fighting next. Not waiting like half a hear and holding up 2 divisions or going off and fighting a pointless mma bout in which hel'll get taken down and subbed or tko'd via g-n-p.
 
Popped for PEDs last year, got a 1 year suspension. He said he got injured and his doc gave him PEDs to heal it, which apparently is not uncommon in Thailand.
Only 1 year?! It is uncommon not to get 2 years for 1 substance and 4 for more.
 
Popped for PEDs last year, got a 1 year suspension. He said he got injured and his doc gave him PEDs to heal it, which apparently is not uncommon in Thailand.

It's a bit stupid that nobody gives his doc the list of banned substances, or that nobody in his management team goes through the prescription to double check that everything prescribed is allowed within the drug testing politics of the organization that pays him.

Like if I were at his level I'm pretty sure I'd at least Google what I'm being given, it doesn't take much of a search to find out that both Boldenone and Methenolone are steroids.
 
When are we gonna get a American Muay Thai champ 😢
 
it's nice to have a one championship event stateside though.
 
When are we gonna get a American Muay Thai champ 😢
American MT seems to have come a long way, you have guys like Topic, Abasolo, and Lessei. But realistically you will need an American to move to Thailand and live and fight there for 10 years. If you want to be the best in the world there are no short cuts.
 
American MT seems to have come a long way, you have guys like Topic, Abasolo, and Lessei. But realistically you will need an American to move to Thailand and live and fight there for 10 years. If you want to be the best in the world there are no short cuts.
guys like Haggerty are very Prominet in the Muay Thai world, I just don't see why a country (America) that has such a big mma/martial arts fanbase can't churn out more killers like Joe Schilling and Kevin Ross. it just seems like a shame is all.
 
guys like Haggerty are very Prominet in the Muay Thai world, I just don't see why a country (America) that has such a big mma/martial arts fanbase can't churn out more killers like Joe Schilling and Kevin Ross. it just seems like a shame is all.
UK shows that it can be done if people actually care enough about fighting. Schilling and Ross didnt scratch the surface of Americas potential. Go to Thailand right now and live there for 5 years and you will probably get better than Ross even if you are a cheeto dust couch surfer right now. The opportunity is there, someone just has to have the audacity to actually do it.
 
guys like Haggerty are very Prominet in the Muay Thai world, I just don't see why a country (America) that has such a big mma/martial arts fanbase can't churn out more killers like Joe Schilling and Kevin Ross. it just seems like a shame is all.

UK has the likes of Liam Harrison training the next gen in the UK, from his base in Leeds. USA need guys on his level with that experience traning the next gen in the States. Honestly, USA has far bigger and better facilities and environment to do so than most countries, including UK and EU countries. I see no reason why they can't produce elite talent in the next 10 years.
 
guys like Haggerty are very Prominet in the Muay Thai world, I just don't see why a country (America) that has such a big mma/martial arts fanbase can't churn out more killers like Joe Schilling and Kevin Ross. it just seems like a shame is all.

There are several reasons to this IMO and @SuperLuigi and @MAlexander22 pointed out some of the main reasons.

Here's what I think:

1. There isn't enough legit instruction in the US for Muay Thai. You need more proper coaches with tons of experience fighting at the top of the sport and ideally from Stadium Muay Thai. They don't necessarily have to be Thai, even though that usually helps, but even some very successful farang fighters who are now coaching would be a good start (think of someone like Skarbowsky who has his own gym in Paris, Dany Bill, John Wayne Parr, Liam Harrison, or even some younger fighters who had great success at the top of MT like Rafi Bohic).

2. US is a big country and the talent pool is small and spread out in MT, meaning that it's tricky to get a lot of good MT sparring in regularly and same with getting skilled fights regularly. You'd have to probably visit MMA gyms for solid sparring but that ends up being MMA striking or Kickboxing more so than traditional MT sparring.

3. Not many American fighters are willing to live the Muay Thai life in Thailand, living there for a long time and getting fully immersed in the culture and intricacies of the sport for a long period. Even if they do go there, they usually leave after 6 months or a year, you don't really come across many Americans who are committed and stay there more than 4 or 5 years like some of the greats of Europe, Australia, Brazil, etc. Part of that is maybe cultural because the US lifestyle is just too comfortable and too different from the lifestyle in Thailand while the money just isn't appealing enough. It's important to note, like many have said before who trained there for several years, that the Thais don't tend to fully dedicate themselves to coaching you and teaching you everything they know until you show full commitment and train and fight there at a decent level for several years.

4. MMA and Boxing are too big in the US and the money is so much greater even at entry pro level that most fully dedicated and committed fighters will usually be drawn towards those sports rather than Muay Thai which is almost non existent in the US and doesn't really allow you to live from.
 

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