*BOOM*….MMA has arrived in Thailand!!–fights next weekend March 26th in PATTAYA!

*ROAD TRIP*!!!

….Next weekend in Pattaya will be the ‘closest’ we have come to an ‘mma promotion’ in the 4+ years I’ve been living in Thailand.  Working in conjunction with Ultra Fight Gym (Master Toddy and Bobby Gerrits)–Legacy Gym (Ole Laursen)–Bangkok Fight Club (Alex)–and Fairtex (Eric)….Tiger Muay Thai has helped organize a multi-team-MMA fight night.

Justin Governale will be facing Mardsing Suriya in a classic Grappler Vs. Striker.  Governale is a BJJ Blue Belt with aggressive striking, while his Thai opponent is a veteran of over 80 professional Muay thai fights.  This bout is going to be Amateur with no elbows, no knees to the head, and shin pads….but it is still going to be a war.  The winner of this bout will be Thailand’s first ever 155lbs Amateur MMA Champion.

Matt Merria is going to be fighting a Russian prospect named Yuri Sovenko.  Unwilling to agree to standardized MMA rules, Yuri requested that the bout be conducted under ‘DRAkA’ rules–basically meaning that there will only be 30 seconds on the ground.  Matt is a very talented grappler, and the sudden rule change has affected our gameplan….but at the end of a six week training camp…we had to accept the modified rules, or get stuck without a bout.

Win-or-Lose both Matt and Governale have trained their hearts out…and have evolved as fighters from the process.  Next weekend when we head into Pattaya, team Tiger Muay Thai will be looking to showcase two of the most exciting MMA fights of the night.

If your in Thailand…try to make it to Pattaya to support tha’ boys!! Tixs are cheap 1000 Baht Seated and only 500 THB for standing…part of the proceeds will help Earthquake victims in Japan.