I'll always have a special place in my heart of Tiger Muay Thai. It was my first official fight camp and it set the bar for all other gyms I've been at since then. It's the biggest gym in Thailand, and possibility the world and has 100-200 students training at any given time. It's basically a MMA University Campus.
Who I recommend it for: I would say Tiger Muay Thai is the best gym for 90% of guys wishing to come to Thailand to train. If you are 18-24 years old, coming for 4 weeks or less and it's your first trip to Thailand then TMT would be your #1 choice and best bet.
Who might not like it: If you want a small, quite gym, TMT is definitely not for you.
Tiger Muay Thai vs. Phuket Top Team and other Gyms.
First off, TMT should be happy that Phuket Top Team opened up down the street. If it wasn't for PTT, the new indoor wrestling room would never have been built at Tiger. PTT forced TMT to step up their game and work to continue to be the biggest and the best. I'm glad I'm no longer part of any of the drama down in Phuket, and trust me there was a lot of it.
A quick bit of history of the craziness in Phuket's Gyms:
JJ Ambrose was the Wrestling Coach at Tiger Muay Thai and is now at Phuket Top Team.
Rafael Pinto used to be the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trainer at Phuket Top Team and is now a fighter for TMT
Roger Huerta used to teach at Phuket Top Team and is now teaching at Tiger Muay Thai.
Mike Swick and Roger Huerta may or may not still open a new MMA gym in Phuket.
Ray Elbe (Head MMA Trainer at TMT) and Boyd Clark (Owner of Phuket Top Team) used to be moral enemies but now settled it.
I'm really glad that it all got settled, as a guest who trained for 3 months at both gyms I enjoyed my time at both equally and think it's a bit sad that it's so frowned upon for customers to try out both for themselves.
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| 3 Months at Tiger Muay Thai |
Anyways, here's a brand new video tour of Tiger Muay Thai hosted by
UFC Fighter and coach at TMT
Brian Ebersole.
What's new at Tiger Muay Thai:
The new indoor Wrestling and BJJ room is a very welcome addition. It eliminates a lot of the problems with staph infection of rolling on outdoor mats, and Gi training is now possible with air conditioning.
The newly remodeled weight room looks nicer, and I'm sure Peter the Thai Hulk is happy about it.
The Pros and Cons of Training at Tiger Muay Thai:
Pros: Well run, extremely organized like a real business.
Cons: It's a real business, expect TMT to make their cut on everything including hotel, glove rental, taxi, trips, and motorbike rental.
Pros: It's a well known gym that you can be proud to say you trained at. You'll meet pro fighters from the UFC and they have sick t-shirts and logo gear.
Cons: Expect to pay a premium for seminars with pro fighters and for the gear, including the most expensive t-shirts in Thailand.
Pros: Tiger Muay Thai is like a fraternity.
Cons: Tiger Muay Thai is like a fraternity. Basically, it depends on you and if you like that sort of thing. Out of all the gyms I've trained at it felt most like living at The Ultimate Fighter House and everyone that trained there represents TMT with pride. However, some people hate the idea of big gyms and fraternities which I understand.
Pros: Best social life of any gym in Thailand, maybe the world. You'll meet tons of friends and always have someone to hang out with during the weekends and off hours.
Cons: It's kind of like college all over again. Which has it's pros and cons. 90% of the people training there go to Patong at least once or twice a week to get drunk. Even if you don't plan on going, you will be peer pressured into going at least once a week.
Pros: Phuket is a very nice island, nice beaches, good scuba diving, has an airport, and a mall and cinema.
Cons: Phuket is also overpriced and is 2x the price of anywhere else in Thailand. Also everything is a bit far from TMT. A 20 minute drive to the beach doesn't sound too bad, but after training you won't want to do it.
Pros: There are a few restaurants that cater to westerners and speak good English on the street between PTT and TMT, namely Tony's and Ja Ja House.
Cons: You won't get real Thai food there with real spices and flavor. It'll be made for American tastes. Even though there are other restaurants near by, no one will go with you as they are loyal and lazy.
To Sum it up:
Tiger Muay Thai is a great large gym with huge facilities, big name staff and they at Thailand's largest and original MMA Gym. They have a very good Muay Thai program that is structured very well and have a good wrestling and jiu-jitsu andMMA program as well.
If your dream is to join the Tiger Muay Thai fraternity like I once did, don't hesitate, make the jump. If the idea of joining a fraternity makes you sick and you'd rather join a smaller gym with less hype, there are other gyms to join. Either way, best of luck with your training, and good luck.
Warm Regards,
Johnny @ My Fight Camp