The Muaythai Ecosystem - Behind the business, there are those who just love it.
Muay Thai is an intricate ecosystem - made up of not just the fighters, coaches and gyms though they are key components. The promoters, officials, photographers, videographers, fight ushers, equipment runners.. the list goes on! Many work in the shadows. Behind the scenes, and away from the limelight.
Before I got into Muaythai, I used to just see the fighters. Individuals. These larger than life humans that were to me, like real life superheroes. To be honest I never noticed the extras that made the show.
After being a part of the board of Muaythai Victoria for a few years and being a part of the Rebellion promotions crew several times, I now have grown so much more respect and admiration for the entirety of the crew, fighters and gyms. I also have more understanding and empathy to why things are the way they are. But before we highlight the MVPs, the ones who work in the shadows.. lets paint a picture of where we are today. Shoutout to Som, whom from a conversation on Insta this blog post came from <3. This is for you and the many “Soms” who work tirelessly for Muaythai.
Lets start at the top. The Promotions.
Bringing Muaythai to the world and doing it justice through a one night show is a difficult balancing act. You want to share its deep rooted culture but keep the show entertaining for the viewers. You need to have exciting, on the edge of your seat matches but also have empathy towards the fighters’ wellbeing and longevity in the sport. You risk losing fans and viewership should you go the “too traditional” route. The wai kru ram muays though so beautiful and carry important significance to us in the sport, may mean nothing to the regular fight fans and tv producers. Where’s the blood bath and action? Will they click off when the first 5 minutes of every fight is a dance? But when pushed to the extreme of too much violence and damage to the fighters, people cry for more emphasis of the “art” of Muaythai. Where are the stylists and specialists of the craft? We don’t want to see just plain killers. Bring us beautiful violence.
In setting that scene, you can see how it’s a difficult job for promoters. Where does your show sit on that spectrum? The traditionalists, a niche targeting those who truly understand the art; to the ones who want to bring Muaythai mainstream for all? There’s a place for all on that spectrum but you can see that the starting point is already a challenge. And the funding? Shows need capital to come to life. Viewerships bring in the money, sponsorships and interest from those who have the money to push up the sport. Fighters and gyms traditionally do it for the money. No pay day, no reason to fight. Fighters fight, share a portion of their pay with the gym. The gym keeps the lights on, the fighters have a place to call home and train. That is the Muaythai business. Though for instance here in Melbourne, fighters and gyms predominantly do it for the love and interest in Muay Thai. The pay day isn’t sufficient to dedicate your entire life to it, especially at the start of your career. The shows aren’t frequent enough to fight on and call it a full time career.
Fighters fight.
Tell us the rules and we’ll adapt. Adaptation and evolution is a part of any sport. Ploughing your opponent was legal. Some groin strikes were legal. And now they’re not. Fighters adapt to their environments and motivations. Tell them that technical stylists will win over brawlers, and they will move in that direction. Give them a big enough reason to fight for a knockout, and they will all change their fight style. Fighters fight. Gyms adapt to what their fighters need for successful performances. Fighters are motivated for the wins, money, glory and the pursuit of superiority, whatever the rule sets and boundaries are.
Left to right - Benny, Peter, Tim, Ryan and Sy (promoter). Part of the OG team of volunteers for the Rebellion promotion.
Behind the scenes - the hearts and faces who do it for the love of it.
Now we have the setting of what I feel is modern day Muay Thai - the tug and pull, and the era of a new muaythai. Let go to the crux of this little write up. I’ll stay out of the politics and debates of the direction of Muaythai.. but just go more in depth into the people behind the scenes. Without them, we have no show and no opportunities to share our Muay Thai as fighters. They do it for the love of it. With very little recognition and money in return for the hours of work they put in, I feel that we should send some love their way today. Having personally met and worked with many of them over the years, it’s been incredible to witness their work ethic, dedication and sacrifice to bring Muay Thai together into promotions we love such as Rebellion, Roots and One Championship.
Left to right: Dom (coach and owner at 8 Blades Warriors; Treasurer at Muaythai Victoria, Amin (official in training), Abbas (coach at Westside MMA, Head of officials at MVI, referee); Jeab (coach and official), Arjan Thawuth (WBC Head of Officials), Somsurat (coach, gym owner of JS Muaythai, fighter and judge), Rung (coach and official), Keith (owner and coach at Excel Martial Arts; Official), Tali (owner and coach at Oneal’s Gym; official), Trevor (Official), and Chris (fighter and coach at 8 Blades Warriors, official in training).
I didn’t pay too much attention to Benny, who taped up my gloves.. Peter, who told me I was up next and to go to the walk out area… Will, the now famous fight photographer who was exhausted from hours of photography and editing.. Silvia, at the door handing me my wristband… Shane, the judge who would be determining the fate of my fight. Jeab, who drove two hours to be there. I didn’t notice Tom, who’s arms were tired from holding up that massive video camera all night. I didn’t notice the eye bags under Sy’s eyes from being sleep deprived organising the show. I walked past Paris, the commentators and the MC without acknowledging their work in bringing the show to the home viewers. Matt, who tirelessly creates content to promote not only himself but fighters in the industry. For almost ten years, many of these faces were just in the shadows to me.
This past weekend, I noticed more of these faces and noticed the amount of sweat and heart they put into their work. Bridget, who worked countless hours organising hotels, flights and answering to every little need the fight teams needed. Som, who took hours out of her own training and running of a gym to assist in the up skilling of officials. Arjan Thawuth, in his quest to better assist all parties in understanding the rules set. Pinky, who commentated voluntarily for 4 hours before heading backstage to prep his fighter. And the coaches. For many of them this was their 5th or 6th consecutive weekend of fight shows. Some travelling every weekend to be there for their fighters and to push them further in their careers. A Muaythai coaches job is 24/7. Fighters become part of your family. Their ups and downs are equally shared. The emotions of happiness and pain, we see them share in the backroom and ringside. The judges. And I quote, “If the fighters win, it is because they’re good. But if they lose, it’s because we’re bad judges”. Touche. Referees, who get attacked online for deducting points, or for the safety of the fighters issue a count. And to the fight doctors and nurses. It’s a rough night looking at cuts, blood and dealing with frustrated athletes. But how lucky are we to actually have GOOD doctors to stitch up our mistakes?
And we’re not even halfway through! The ones who greet you at the door! Mostly from the WSG Gym .. coaches Bobur, Silvia and students from the gym standing for hours to hand out wristbands. I used to see Rhys at every show greeting guests before he moved to America! The production team. The ones who put up and take down the ring. The sponsors. The social media person, Cleo. Stephen, the commentator who was stressing next to me about presenting the perfect show. Shaun, the new MC who was nervous but did a splendid job! I know I’ve missed a heap of people still. Adam from Livecombatsports.. The corners, the gym mates who fly down to support their team mate.. Fadzli, inconspicuous in the crowd. Little do people know the hours of design work he’s put into make Rebellion look the way it does.. the list goes on <3.
Officials at work last weekend at Rebellion 30 and Roots 24. From left to right: Amin, Shane, Alexi, Trevor, Arjan Thawuth, Somsurat, and Abbas. A 10 hour marathon of judging and officiating.
At the end of the night, there are winners and losers. But the constant in this equation are these people behind the scenes. We hardly know their names and their stories. But without them we’d have no opportunities to showcase Muaythai. No evolution and growth to the sport. No betterment to the welfare of the fighters. No man power to make improvements to promotions which in turn benefit the fighters, gyms and fans of the sport. The crew behind the scenes whom many go home with a small pay check, or none. No trophies. Maybe a new t-shirt. Not much recognition for their contributions to the sport. Their names and faces are unknown to many. But when spoken to, you can tell they LOVE Muaythai. They have so much to share and so much we should be thankful towards them for. They experience the burn out, the tiredness, the “why do I do this” but we see them every show. Because they love this sport.
So, though we rightly have so much admiration for the fighters. Maybe next time you go to a show, take note of the extras and send some of that love their way. Muaythai is an ecosystem. It’s an intricate balance that many of us know nothing about of just how complex a web it is. Who knows what Muaythai as we know it will be like in the next 10 years? But today, I’d just like to bring to the forefront some of the ones who work in the shadows. Your work is not to be overlooked and forgotten. Thank you. As without you guys there is no Muaythai.
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