I can't lie or try to make excuses. The guy I drew for the first match in the elimination tournament handed my ass to me!
Though I was able to get through all 3 rds, my conditioning totally sucked! Honestly, I haven't been training, at all! With the exception of my starting to work out a little with my students now that I'm pushing them into fight training.
Robert, my opponent, was an American Kickboxer with only 2 months of experience. He was about 6'1" and 197lbs. He had a very strong physique. You should have seen his back and shoulder muscles!!! Talk about a pair of guns!
I weighed in at a colossal 245lbs! (Damn Thanksgiving!) Some of the weight I lost prior to the holidays apparantly found its way back...
He totally took me out of my game right away by leaping in with very stiff straight kicks. He knocked me back and then fired away a couple of straight punches. My timing was completely off and I found myself unable to retaliate. I think I landed 5 kicks and as many punches the entire fight! I always was a split-second behind him. He would get his shots in first and then smother me.
He won 3 to 0. The scoring was simple. You got one point for each "knockdown". If there was no knockdown, or the knockdowns were even, then it went to the judges. The cheesy thing about it is that the rules stated that if your glove touches the canvas, it is a knockdown. Honestly! All of the "knockdowns" I fell victim to can be directly attributed to 'slips'.
Why was I slipping around so damn much? Because they made the fighers wear those FUCKING STUPID KARATE BOOTIES!!!! They are designed so fucking ignorantly that the toe strap covers the ball of your foot, and the edges come all the way down around the edges of your foot, preventing you from ever having traction!
Even so, my opponent TOTALLY deserved to win! He literally was kicking my ass from one side of the ring to the other! I just couldn't do ANYTHING!
On the good side for me, I kept my guard up the entire match, and my chin down. Most of his shots landed on top of my forehead. My face is a few interesting shades of red and green right now, but if I hadn't kept my guard up and chin tucked, I WOULD have been KO'ed for REAL!
That dude hit me so fucking hard on top of my head that my right arm went numb, with 'pins and needles' shooting down to my wrist. I actually started to take a knee on that one, but changed my mind and kept fighting.
All in all, I really had a good time. Even though I lost badly, it was not VERY badly! I did not get KO'ed or seriously hurt. I was admittedly a little woozy after the match, but that was more due to exhaustion than the pounding that I took.
I doubt that I will do that again, but the promotor is planning on doing these on a regular basis, and I will encourage my fighters to participate. Especially now that I can see how they will need to be trained for the matches.
signed...
A very humble "Khun Kao"
245?
Ooh! That's tough, KK! Hopefully this will provide some motivation to fire up your training.
Why did they make you wear those Karate foot guards?! That's ridiculous for a Muay Thai fight!
KK, you must be tough bc I wouldnt step foot in the ring unless I had been training at least 90% of my max effort...gl next time
Brett
Khun Kao,
Stick to talking smack on the forum like me and youll do okay!!! :)
Yours,
Beev
P.S.
245? I thought you fought at about 180-185! your 100lbs heavier than me! You fat Bastard :)
LOL @ Khun Kao. can't even win a fucking toughman fight LOL you must be a panzy ass. I wouldn't want you as a trainer. Them 90 second rounds really get ya lol. Heres a hint, when u can't get out of the way of punches and kick u see coming that means time to quit. Don't blame your lose on kick booties, u must really suck to get droped by toughman gloves. But be proud of it none the less.It does take guts to fight when u know your not in shape, but most toughman fighters ain't either
i'm lost here Mr. Knock-em. please help me to understand. so if one has not fought competitively or trained to fight in 4yrs, yet, about to get into the ring against someone who has, what would you expect to be the outcome ? also, do you believe that the rules that were in effect could have influenced his performance at all ?
2ez
(socratic thinking)
and for the record here, i do not know mr. Khun Kao, but i do applaud his efforts.
Guys, don't take Mr. Knock-em-Cold too seriously. He's just yanking my chain.
He has a little bit of a point. Right now, as a fighter, I do suck. Who am I kidding? My novice fighters (1 or less fights) could school me right now. I don't have the conditioning or timing to be much of a challenge to anyone in the ring. I am able to use my experience to see me through "playful" sparring exercises, but that's about it.
But let's keep this in perspective. No matter how well I'm able to fight these days, I am a former champ. Back when I was doing this on a regular basis (1993-1995), I was at the top of my weight division nationally. Unfortunately, in my day, Muay Thai wasn't as popular. Fights were much fewer and further between. Boxing and Athletic Commissions were a lot more resistant to the sport, therefore making it hard for me to continue a fighting career.
Even though I can't do this physical shit anymore, I do know what I'm doing. Why do you think I only got a thumping rather than being KO'ed...?
Khun Kao
Good on you for stepping into the ring, KK! You'll have to let me know how the rest of the event went.
I think they have these every few months or so. The last one was probably in August or September.
shit happens. don't sweat it.
Ryan
OUCH!
Good for you for giving it your best. Glad to hear that you are not injured at all.
It took courage to get in there and mix it up.
Del
Thanks everyone!
I really appreciate the encouragement. I don't feel bad at all about my performance. I knew going in that I would be hard pressed to get through even one match. But the fighter in me just couldn't back out of the challenge.
In many ways, I was a total idiot for agreeing to compete. I haven't been in a ring to fight since March of 1997. Four and 1/2 years ago! I have not, repeast NOT been training... AT ALL!
I mean, sure! I participate in some of the exercises and drills with my students during class, but we all know that doesn't really count.
I took the fight for a couple of reasons:
#1- The promotor REALLY needed an extra fighter or more. There were some competitors who dropped out at the last minute and he had slots that needed to be filled. By coming through for a promotor on such short notice, my gym will be remembered and get preferential treatment in upcoming events.
#2- None of my fighters were available on such short notice. My one fighter, Jeff Ruth, REALLY wanted to participate, but when I called him on his cell phone, he was enroute to New York.
#3- If I was going to encourage my fighters to participate in this promotors future events, what better way to prepare my fighters than by having first-hand experience?
#4- I am trying to set an example for my fighters to follow. I am not asking my fighters to do anything that I am not willing to do (or have not done) myself. If I am willing to step into the ring with absolutely NO training and being in the kind of shape that I am (round!), my fighters and fight-hopefuls have NO EXCUSE for not participating themselves! If *I* can do it, so can THEY!
I want my fighters to understand that they should be prepared to take fights at a moments notice, if need be. I also want them to understand that fighting isn't just about a win-loss record. I want them to understand that its all about just getting in there and doing it! Just get in the ring and have some fun! You'll never know if you don't try it.
Basically, I decided to take one for the team.
I went into the ring having NO IDEA what I was getting myself into! I just said "WTF?" and went with the flow...
To answer a few questions and respond to a few comments:
The fights were under American Kickboxing rules. No kicks BELOW the waist were allowed. No knees. No elbows. Sweeps, however, WERE allowed.
When I was a fighter, my fight weight varied from 185lbs (my first fight) down to 160lbs (my last Muay Thai match). Yes its true. I'm a fucking fatty now. The good news is that since taking over teaching Muay Thai in VA, I had dropped from 255lbs back down to 235-240lbs. However, the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) in my family are deadly to a dieter! We're German, we love food and BOY! Do we know how to eat!!!
(more...)
I am not upset with my performance, though a little disappointed. I know how to deal with fighters like I faced, but my body and mind were just not responding. I wouldn't even be willing to attribute this to ring rust, because I never felt uncomfortable being in the ring. I was out of shape, out of training, plain and simple.
Also, I neither warmed-up or stretched prior to the match. I napped up until it was time to 'suit up'. I then wrapped up, gloved up, and got in the ring and fought. Even though the guy was pounding on me, I felt fine. My defense was 'ok'.
I kept eating the straight kicks because my body just would not respond fast enough to defend against them. I ate a few punches here and there, but nothing too bad. Well, except that one punch I already mentioned where my whole right arm went numb! That freaked me out!!! I literally was 1/2 way to taking a knee, but changed my mind. Pride can be a deadly thing!
I never felt in any real danger from him. Not to diminish his performance at all, because he fought great and was handing me my ass, but I was never *really* hurt. He never broke my nerve. I was pretty clear-headed throughout the fight (as clear-headed as you can be in that situation).
I just realized that I was losing and that there really wasn't much I could do about it. I knew I was outclassed, and just tried to keep fighting as best as I could and protect myself.
I will say this, however. If I did not have to wear those STUPID FUCKING BOOTIES AND SHINPADS, that would have been a different fight!!! Don't misunderstand, I'm not deluding myself into thinking that I would have won. I am still sure I would have been eliminated by my opponent. What I am saying is that had I been confident in being able to keep my feet under me, I could have kicked a lot more confidently. And had the shinpads and booties not been there, I would have made him respect the kick! I guarentee that he would have thought twice about stepping in on me then!
That was the thing about the stupid shinpads and booties! For one, they make it very difficult to move your ankle. I could not get up on my toes comfortably. I had to struggle to do so. Then, because of the lousy-assed design of them, you can't get any traction on the canvas. Just simple lateral motion was causing me to slip around, without my opponents help! It was almost like fighting on ice. It made the fighting surface very 'slick'.
Now, consider that I never train wearing these booties, I was totally unprepared for the experience.
The very bottom line is that I got in there and fought. Period. Win or lose, I fucking did it and there is no shame in that! And nothing can take that away from me!
Kob Khun Krab! (Thank You!)
Khun Kao Charuad; SuriyaSak/SitSuriya Muay Thai
Hey, thanks Khun Kao,
I recently got ass wooped not doubt worse than yours. I was so dissappointed afterwards, not reallt coz I lost but more coz i hardly threw any (recognisable)tecniques. Looking back at what was only a club tourney, I realised 2 things.
1. boy do i have spar more and with different ppl.
2. the contest was a bit of a farse design to show the private students how much valuable their training was than ours (us poor folk train in a group).
Reading you posts make me realise Sh*t happens, to the best of us (so heaven help the rest). It is reassuring to know that I am not alone.
I have no intention of being happy about defeat, butI have larned much more in defeat than i would have in victory.
theLoser...
You are SO correct! Unless you are VERY serious about being a career fighter, your win/loss record is inconsequential. As long as you go out and do your best, then you have every right to be proud of yourself.
No one is happy about a loss. I'm not happy that I lost because my opponent was nailing me with stuff that I KNOW how to deal with. I was just too slow to do so.
And its good that you realize that the most valuable lessons are learned when you lose in the ring. So get back into the gym and apply what you've learned. I am...
Khun Kao
Hey Brooks:
Don't sweat the dudes talking smack about you. I know that you didn't make any excuses. If you really wanted to make excuses, then you probably wouldn't have fought that night. I guess that I would not have done what you did being at the weight, though (that's why I am constantly training, in case the same thing happens to me). But, you gotta be careful, bro. You could have gotten hurt seriously if you were as out of shape as you said you were. You said you are at 245 lbs.??? Damn!
Well, I can understand since you are married to a Latina woman as I am married to a Puerto Rican. If your wife comes from the same old school as mine, she thinks that fattening up your man makes him healthy. I told my wife that to get down in weight, I have to cut down on the starches while training. She has grudgingly accepted it, but still thinks that I need to eat more.
Don't sweat all the criticism, I know that you didn't make any excuses.
HL
Its all good, I think that Tyboxer and I have come to an understanding and we're totally cool with it. And I'm not worried about what Knock-em-Cold thinks.
In retrospect, it was dumb of me to do it. But then, I didn't really stop and think about it too much either. I mean hell, I had 3 hours! Talk about making a rash decision!
It all turned out "OK" in the end, though. I had a good time, I learned some things, and I've gotten some training ideas out of it. I also now have another promotor for my fighters.
Master K is disappointed in me for it. I don't exactly blame him. He's not upset that I lost, but that I made such a risky move. But, I'll post another thread on that subject...
Khun Kao
tyboxr,
My post was directed to Knock-em-cold. not you.
Yuki
Skpotamus...
I'd really like to get back down to my former fight weight, but that will be challenging at best. I don't think that I would seriously consider fighting unless I was able to get back down to 180lbs.
Khun Kao
Knock-em-Cold and Tyboxer...
I guess it shows that neither of you actually READ my posts. I'm NOT trying to make excuses! How many times do I have to say to everyone that I got my ass handed to me fair and square? For both of your sakes:
"Dear everyone who reads Q&A Kickboxing Forum. I, Brooks C. Miller, also known as 'Khun Kao' entered a kickboxing elimination tournament this weekend with absolutely NO preparation and got my ass kicked!"
Does that satisfy you? I have said over and fucking over that the reason I lost was due to being out of shape and not having trained.
I have stated the reasons that I took the fight despite my lack of preparation.
I have stated how my lack of knowledge regarding the rules and format of this fight contributed to the loss.
I have stated that DESPITE the Karate booties, I WOULD HAVE LOST THE DAMNED FIGHT ANYWAY!!!!
Knock-em-Cold, you make a very good point that as a trainer, it is my responsibility to teach my fighters the rights and wrongs of the ring and fighting. What better example to use than myself? I used to be good, prepare myself, and then go out and win fights. Now I suck, don't prepare myself, and am paying the consequences. What better illustration can I give my fighters?
Tyboxer, I'm glad you respect my decision to fight and my former accomplishments. Thank you. I worked hard for them. But I am only as good as my last fight. If I gave you the impression that I am making excuses for myself, then I'm sorry for the confusion. My opponent was better prepared than me... period. I chose to share my experience here on the Forum for the amusement of all. I find the whole experience amusing. I just went out there and had fun. I knew going into this that my chances of doing well were slim at best.
If you feel my actions weren't very "champion" like, so what? You're not me. I'm not trying to be insulting to you, but when you win a title of your own, then you can conduct yourself in any way that you feel befits a champion.
And if we're going to start that shit about my Thai nickname again... Can we PLEASE get over that?!? My god! For the LAST TIME, I did not choose the name, it was GIVEN TO ME! And Diesel Noi is NOT the only other fighter to have the nickname "Khun Kao". A whole fucking LOT of fighters have had that nickname! It is common! I knew of THREE other "A" class fighters from the mid-90's who ALSO had the nickname "Khun Kao". If you equate my being nicknamed "Khun Kao" with Diesel Noi, fine! But let me get this through your head... I DON'T! My nickname is MINE and has nothing in the world to do with the great Diesel Noi. I know that I cannot even begin to hold his jockstrap! There is absolutely NO ROOM for comparison!
SO GET OVER IT ALREADY!!!!
Whew, now we need to post some hotties to restore the calm...
Khun Kao