Getting Back to Training after my Fight.

My original plan was to fight again right away, within 7-10 days.  I figured I had already trained so hard for this one, my cardio was good and I was in shape, so why not take advantage of it and fight as much as I can in a row just like Mike Tyson did when he first started and fought every 10 days for a year straight.

Well, turns out, I'm not Mike Tyson, and there's a reason why guys in the UFC only fight every 6-8 months.

I took some physical damage during the fight, mainly my right leg was bruised and swollen from kicking and my nose and teeth hurt from getting elbowed.  But that didn't really stop me from my usual training, it had to have been something else, and I think it's mainly mental.  Working that hard, training for a big event and then not taking some time off to relax and celebrate isn't normal.  If I could do it again, I would have had a couple beers, pizza, and ice cream after my fight and took up to a week off to relax and chill out.  But instead, I forced myself to keep dieting and training and I felt myself getting weaker and less motivated.

Wanderlei Silva celebrating with cake and girls

Even though life is great in Phuket, I needed a break from my daily routine, so I randomly decided to hop on a bus up to Bangkok to visit my good friend Will "the kill" Chope who is up at 13 coins Muay Thai training for his next fight. 

The journey itself was something out of a movie.  I decided to go at 6:30pm and raced on my motorbike to the bus terminal to catch the last 7:00 bus.  If it wasn't for a kind thai guy who lead me there after I asked him for directions at a stop light, I never would have made it in time or even found the terminal.  At 7:04 as the bus was getting ready to pull away, I paid 483baht (about $15US) to get on the 11 hour journey.  I hadn't had time to pack, so all I had with me was a small backpack with a pair of shorts and a couple t-shirts.  The last thing I remember is asking the thai girl in front of me if I could have one of the motion sickness pills she was having.  Combined with two muscle relaxers I took, I passed out the entire bus journey.  Waking up alone on the bus 14 hours later, not having any idea where I was.  My money was still in my pocket and my bag was safe, so I hopped on the nearest metered taxi and 200 baht later I was at 13 coins.




13 Coins Muay Thai and MMA Gym - Bangkok


I met the owner, the legendary Mr. Coke, a Thai man who lived in the U.S. for 9 years, and the head coach of the new MMA program, BK, Brandon Kesler both really cool guys.  After taking a dip in the resort's swimming pool and having some fried rice in the hotel's restaurant I was ready to at watch a training session.  I really wasn't planning on training while I was up here which is why I didn't bring my gloves or even my mouthguard (which I regret) but after watching half a class I just had to jump in.  I ended up doing the last part of the MMA class with BK, then a full Muay Thai class and then rolling BJJ with Will Chope and Bobby - a highly experience purple belt who hangs out at 13 coins.

Turns out I was ready to get back to training, I just needed a change of scenery.  Some gyms talk about loyality, and being part of the team, which I believe in 100% if you are a sponsered fighter and getting paid to train at their gym and fight.  But as a paying customer, I beleive it is our right to go where we please without feeling bad for checking out another gym.  If anything, it's a better experience for us and we'll recieve a more varied training. 

But I do have to remember to give thanks to all the trainers and gyms who have helped me get to where I am now in my muay thai career and training.  Most recently I trained at Phuket Top Team and plan on going back next week after my little holiday, so thank you PTT for getting me ready for my most recent fight and win.  But I also have to thank all of the gyms that trained me in the past because all of that knowlege helped get to where I am today.  So thank you to Tiger Muay Thai and all of it's trainers where I trained for 3 months. And also William and the trainers at Koh Lanta Muay Thai where I also trained for 3 months. 

As much as it would be nice to be a fully sponsered fighter, where the gym gives you free training, free food and accomidation (or at least a food and room allowance) I think I'm happier exploring the world and training from gym to gym for 3 months at a time.  Maybe it's just my personality where I need change and have commitment issues or maybe I just like new settings and people more than I like building up a reputation and name, but either way, i'm far from that as I'm doing muay thai and MMA more as a hobby than I do as a career.  But even for fully sponsered fighters, I think that the gyms are wanting to keep their fighters training only at their camp more for their own business reasons (so they can claim that fighter to only advertise and credit their gym) rather than for the fighter's best training and intrests. 

Anyways, it feels nice to take a break from my normal life in Phuket, and I'll make sure I write up a short review of 13 coins before I leave. 

Warm Regards,

Johnny - My Fight Camp