Photos courtesy of Ryan Laverty, Dave Bastian and Phil Sprung..
The Calgary Amateur Kickboxing and MuayThai Association (CAKMA) promoted their second and final Muay Thai
event of 2005 on Saturday November 19th, 2005. The event was the first in the H2H HEAT (Hand to Hand Heat)
fight series with the first installment being called 'Never Surrender'. The fight event took place at
the Sarcee Seven Chiefs Sportsplex on the Tsuu T'ina Nation. Originally the event was set up for October 22nd, but
due to many unforeseen circumstances, the event was forced to move both the date and to a different venue.
1300 spectators were in attendance with 1200 spectators finding themselves seated in the venue and approximately
100 standing room only tickets sold as well. Over 200 people were turned away at the door as well as hundreds of
people by telephone when they were looking for tickets days before the event. So many people were disappointed to
hear the event was "Sold Out!'" Amazingly, tickets were being scalped outside the venue by those who possessed
tickets.
The event was sanctioned by the Canadian Muay Thai Council - Amateur, which is recognized by the WMC,
IFMA and the WKA.
The event featured the return of countries who have visited Canada before in Muay Thai competition. Thailand and
Korea sent very good athletes and for the first time, a strong and respected Italian athlete also came to battle a
member of Team Canada.
The event was filmed for television and will make 4 one hour shows. The projected time for the shows to be aired
will be in early 2006.
TEAM CANADA - Photo's above taken by photographer Dave Bastian.
CANADA vs. ITALY
MAIN EVENT (Full Muay Thai Rules)
The main event featured Calgary's Scott 'Pitbull' Clark(Mike Miles Muay Thai) against Italy's
Salvatore Abate(Accademia Sicilia). Leading into this event, Clark had just battled the week before
winning the Gold Medal in the Lightheavyweight Muay Thai Division at the WKA World's in Niagara Falls, USA. The
promoters of this event (CAKMA) had 4 tentative opponents pull out leading up to the event. Finally, the promoters
found a top ranked amateur athlete for Clark to battle. The Italian athlete Salvatore Abate, was to take the fight
upon the recommendation of Italy's Max Baggio. This bout was to start off as a war. As soon as the bell rang for the
first round, Abate was off the line chasing Clark with strong roundhouse kicks and punches. One of the roundhouse
kicks to the body connected hard on Clark who winced and suddenly made him realize, he was going to be in for a tough
battle. Abate used explosive kicks and knees to keep Clark at bay. When Clark got in close Abate would turn his back
to the Canadian and attempt to back elbow. At the end of the first round both athletes were breathing hard as it
became obvious this bout was going to be a war of attrition. In the second round, Clark provided more pressure and
Abate was forced into becoming a defensive fighter. Clark just kept coming forward more and more. During the clinches,
Abate would try and pull Clark's head down and Clark countered by pushing Abate's head backwards until Abate was
bending backwards over the ropes. The clinch was wearing down the Italian fighter who was now breathing heavily. In
the third round, Clark seemed to smell blood and he pounced in on the Italian fighter very aggressively. Back into
the clinch with Abate bending backwards and lifting his leg to try and keep Clark off of him, Clark kicked out
Abate's supporting leg. As Abate fell to the canvas, Clark fired a knee at the Italian athletes head. Abate's
supporting leg's knee hit the canvas at the same time as the knee hit his head. Abate took the knee and went down.
Abate was counted out and Clark was to win the bout by KO at 1:30 of the third round. No protest was filed by the
Italian's on the strike, but the arbitration board still convened and decided to look at the blow. It was decided
that the blow was an accident, and though Abate could not continue, Clark was ahead on points and the decision with
Clark winning still stood.
Photo's above taken by photographer Dave Bastian.
Photo's above taken by photographer Ryan Laverty.
INTERNATIONAL BOUTS - Canada vs. Thailand (Full Muay Thai Rules):
SEMI MAIN EVENT
The semi main event was a study in ring generalship, tactics and endurance. Calgary's Jesse 'Smiles' Miles(Mike Miles Muay Thai) squared off against Thailand's Artit Srisomboon(AMTAT - Thailand).
Miles weighed in 3 pounds heavier than Srisomboon. The Thai athlete also had 5 times the fight experience Miles had.
Having watched the two bouts between the Canadian's and Thai's leading into this bout, many wondered if Miles could
deal with the pressure and tactics of the Thai athletes. The opening round started with each athlete probing and
taunting the other with body fakes. Srisomboon was to start firing some strong roundhouse kicks at Miles who
surprisingly was able to catch the kicks and then kick out the supporting leg of his opponent. The first few
successful counters by Miles seemed to be shrugged off by Srisomboon. After being dumped by the 4th time in the
first round, Srisomboon's demeanor took on a very serious side. He was quite angry about being dumped onto the canvas.
The second round was pretty much the same story as the first with Srisomboon finding himself on the canvas when
attempting his kicks. In the third round Srisomboon attempted a low fake roundhouse kick that he took high hoping to
sucker Miles into taking. Miles snapped back and then answered with his own scoring body kick. Srisomboon was
starting to pressure more in this round and Miles seemed to get a little worked up delivering some good punch
combinations. Srisomboon took the punches and continued to move forward wanting to get into the clinch. As soon as
the Thai got into the clinch Miles was quite successful nullifying the knees. The fourth round was the most furious
of the Thai's. He provided pressure, threw a lot of body kicks, many which missed Miles or Miles caught. In this
round when Miles would try and take the leg of the Thai he was not as successful as Srisomboon would just position
in a manner to keep his leg between himself and Miles. Though Srisomboon provided pressure Miles was successful in
making the blows miss. In the final round, both athletes probed and delivered shots, Srisomboon would charge in and
clinch and throw a few knees but very few were to have any impact on Miles. At the conclusion of the bout, Miles was
awarded the victory by unanimous decision. "A great tactical match that just happened to go Jesse's way. I am
proud of him!", said coach Mike Miles.
Photo's above taken by photographer Dave Bastian.
Photo's above taken by photographer Ryan Laverty.
Photo's above (left) taken by photographer Ryan Laverty and (right) by Phil Sprung Jr.
BOUT 2
Calgary's Jason 'Surgeon' Cutbill(Mike Miles Muay Thai) squared off with the shorter and lighter (by
quite a margin) Worawit Sing-in(AMTAT - Thailand). Sing-in was sitting on 5 times the fight experience
of the Canadian athlete. Cutbill, being quite nervous fighting a Thai athlete (a dream of his), started off the bout
giving Sing-in respect but still fighting back. Due to the height difference, the shorter Sing-in was to remain mostly
in a defensive state throughout this fight. He would wait for Cutbill to move in and counter with a tiip that Cutbill
would generally take. As the bout progressed Cutbill became more and more aggressive in each round. In the third Cutbill
landed some powerful knees on Sing-in as well as a few strong elbows. In the fourth and fifth, Cutbill would land
with his knees but Sing-in was quite crafty at moving around the clinch after taking a few. Sing-in landed little or
no knees in the clinch but was slippery enough to get around the clinch as the fight progressed towards the finale.
In the fifth round Cutbill forced Sing-in backwards with relentless pressure from punches, kicks, knees and elbows.
A spinning back elbow from Cutbill was to bring the audience to its feet. The bout was close as both athletes went to
the center of the ring for the decision. Cutbill was to take the bout by unanimous decision as well as the Roy
Lilley Trophy for being the Best Canadian Fighter on the event. "I felt it was very close,
and could have went to Sing-in", said Coach Mike Miles. "Regardless, it was a great fight and a definite crowd
pleaser. Congrats to Jason as his hard work paid off!"
Photo's above taken by photographer Dave Bastian.
Photo's above taken by photographer Ryan Laverty.
Photo's above taken by photographer by Phil Sprung Jr.
BOUT 3
The first bout between Canada and Thailand was a welterweight match between Calgary's Phil 'No Fear' Leier(Mike
Miles Muay Thai) and Thailand's Panupun Tanjad(AMTAT - Thailand). Leier weighed in at 143 lbs. compared
to Leier's 145 lbs. The Thai athlete had over 3 times the fight experience of the Canadian. The bout opened slowly with each
athlete slowly testing the other with probing kicks. Midway through the first round, Tanjad delivered a blistering
hard low kick which surprised Leier. This kick was to start to set the pace for the rest of the bout. Tanjad was to
evade Leier's attacks as well as keep him at bay with a long side tiip. As the bout progressed, every time Tanjad
appeared to be coming forward Leier would back pedal. Unfortunately for Leier this was to have bad consequences. "Like
a ball rolling down a hill, it picks up momentum as it moves forward. Phil kept moving backwards and Tanjad would
move forward with body weight and blistering kicks and unfortunately for Phil he would be there and take the brunt of
the blows", said coach Mike Miles. Throughout the fight Leier just could not get into his battle plan and Tanjad
would unleash hard and fast combinations. "I kept telling Phil to go straight up the center when the Thai athlete
moved forward, but Phil would not", said corner man Chad Sawyer. In the final round, Tanjad placed well executed
blows but with minimal power. "He was so far enough ahead on the cards that he knew the only was Phil could win
would have been by knockout", said corner man Trevor Smandych. Tanjad was to win the bout by unanimous decision
and he also took (and deserved to) the Roy Lilley Award for the Best International Athlete
in the event.
Photo's above taken by photographer Ryan Laverty.
Photo's above (left) taken by photographer by Phil Sprung Jr and (right) taken by Dave Bastian.
INTERNATIONAL BOUTS - Canada vs. Korea (Full Muay Thai Rules):
BOUT 1
In the final female bout if the event, according to the program, Calgary's Misty Sutherland(Mike Miles
Muay Thai) squared off with Korea's Ko Min Jung(IMEG - Korea). There was a height difference
between these two athletes with Ko having several inches in height. As the bout opened, Ko was to move around dancing
while Sutherland remained calm and pressed forward. Ko was to deliver a lot of techniques but she was lacking in the
power department. Sutherland was to hit Ko with a lot of authority in her crosses and this was to slowly tire the
Korean athlete out who started moving backwards. In the 4th and final round, Sutherland exploded forward with strong
punches and kicks and forced Ko backwards for the remainder of the bout. Sutherland was to win the bout by unanimous
decision. Further congratulations go out to Sutherland who fought twice the week before at the WKA World's in Niagara
Falls, USA winning the gold medal in the Women's Superfeatherweight Muay Thai division . "Congratulations to Misty!
I am proud of you!", said coach Mike Miles.
Photo's above taken by photographer Dave Bastian.
Photo's above taken by photographer Ryan Laverty.
BOUT 2 Jason Primmer(Mike Miles Muay Thai - Calgary) stepped into the ring against Korea's Kim Seung Soo(IMEG - Korea). The Korean looked to be in very good shape. The first three rounds of the scheduled 5 round
full Muay Thai rules bout was a war. Both athletes delivered some excellent punching and kicking techniques. Primmer
proved somewhat successful at making Kim's kicks miss but during an early round, Primmer made a roundhouse kick by
Kim miss and then Primmer moved into a spinning hook kick thrown by the Korean. The audience was impressed but the
kick had no effect on Primmer who took the kick but Kim fell to the canvas after delivering it. In the fourth round
both athletes were looking tired with each making attempts to hit each other and Kim winning the fourth round (though
it was close). In the final round, Primmer was completely out of energy and though he moved forward he threw almost
nothing while Kim did deliver some successful attacks, Kim was to take the final round easily. The result of the
fight was Primmer winning by a split decision. "I personally felt that Kim should have won this fight, though by a
slight margin", Canadian Coach Mike Miles stated. "I feel these two should do battle again. Maybe Primmer will
get a chance at a rematch in Korea."
Photo's above taken by photographer Dave Bastian.
Photo above taken by photographer Ryan Laverty.
BOUT 3
In the first international bout between the females, Sylvie Charbonneau (trained by Trevor Smandych at National Kickboxing NW in Calgary) squared
off against Korea's Kim Tae Kyung(IMEG - Korea). Kim had looked very strong and fast in a training
session leading into the fight. As the bout opened Kim was to use her 5 inch height advantage and score quite well
on the outside while the shorter Charbonneau provided pressure moving forward. It was not until the second round that
the two athletes were to fall into the clinch and both athletes aggressively delivered kneeing techniques. Kim's
knees looked to score a little stronger, but undaunted, Charbonneau was to come back and deliver her knees also. In
the third round Kim was starting to look tired and Charbonneau appeared to turn it up a notch and provide pressure
chasing Kim backwards. Charbonneau was to win this round. In the final round, the two fell into a clinch and Kim
seemed reinvigorated. She aggressively kneed at Charbonneau who in turn answered with her own knees. After this
exchange, Kim seemed spent and Charbonneau aggressively chased Kim around the ring. In the clinch Charbonneau was to
land knees to Kim's head but they did not have the power required to KO Kim. The decision was called upon completion
of the final round with Charbonneau winning by unanimous decision.
Photo's above (left) taken by photographer Dave Bastian and (right) by Ryan Laverty.
Photo above taken by photographer Phil Sprung.
UNDERCARD (Canadian athletes vs. Canadian athletes):
In a long awaited match between two of Canada's best female Lightweight Muay Thai athletes, Calgary's Sandra
'Heart' Bastian(Mike Miles Muay Thai) jumped into the ring against Trisha 'Thrasher' Sammons(Double
Dragon Muay Thai & Kickboxing - Winnipeg). The bout was under modified Muay Thai rules. This was to start off
with each athlete attempting punch combinations and kick combinations and scoring. Bastian sat back relaxed in her
stance while Sammons provided a lot of movement around Bastian while faking that she was going to move in. As the
bout progressed both athletes were to start breathing heavily while Sammons seemed to be slowing down a little sooner
than Bastian. Bastian (who has not been in the ring for a full year) showed some ring rust allowing Sammons to make
some mistakes (when Sammons would miss and recovered slowly, Bastian would let her recover rather than countering
immediately). In the fourth round, Sammons came forward and was intercepted by Bastian's straight right to the body.
Sammons went down to the canvas for the count. Bastian was to win the bout by KO (body) at 1:37 of the fourth
round. "Nice strong right hand", said cornerman Trevor Smandych.
Photo's above taken by photographer Dave Bastian.
Photo above taken by photographer Ryan Laverty.
In the first full Muay Thai rules bout of the evening, Calgary's 'Nasty' Nate Smandych(Mike Miles Muay Thai)
squared off against journeyman athlete Jay Percival(Wind Warriors - Edmonton). Percival had taken the
bout on two days notice. Smandych's original opponent Abe Neufled had hurt himself at work a week before the bout and
had to withdraw. Regardless of the short notice, this was an action packed bout. Smandych seemed to dominate on the
outside while Percival showed his skills in the clinch. Smandych would score on the outside and then the two athletes
would fall into the clinch and Percival would score on the inside. As the rounds progressed, Smandych would become
more successful nullifying Percival's knees while in the clinch. Smandcyh was to win the bout by unanimous decision.
Even in doing so, the bout was very, very close. ("Thank you for taking the bout on short notice Jay", Robin
Finley - CAKMA.)
Photo's above taken by photographer Dave Bastian.
Photo's above (left) taken by photographer by Ryan Laverty and (right) taken by Phil Sprung Jr.
Calgary's Lindsay Rae(Mike Miles Muay Thai) stepped into the ring against Lethbridge's Dave 'Supa'
Vanderplas(PFA - Lethbridge). The bout was contested under modified Muay Thai rules (no elbow attacks and
no knee attacks to the head were allowed). This 3 round bout was to go the distance. Vanderplas was to provide the
pressure in this bout as Rae would hit and move. Rae, known for being explosive when moving forward was to have a
somewhat difficult time landing his blows on Vanderplas who protected from a shell quite successfully. During the bout,
when the two athletes would fall into the clinch, they both would score equally. Rae tried to choke out Vanderplas's
knees and unintentionally, hit Vanderplas in the groin several times during the bout. During one clinch exchange,
Vanderplas took Rae to the ground and Rae managed to switch the positioning so he was on top as they fell. Rae landed
hard on Vanderplas who had the wind knocked out of him. Combining this with Rae's landing low kicks, Vanderplas seemed
to slow down in each successive round while Rae kept busy throwing and landing shots. Rae was to win the bout by
unanimous decision.
Photo's above (left) taken by photographer Dave Bastian and (right) by Ryan Laverty.
The opening bout of the evening was a Kickboxing (low kick rules) bout and the only such rules bout on the card.
Calgary's Peter Arbeau(Mike Miles Muay Thai) stepped into the ring against Steinbach, Manitoba's Dustin
McCoghan(SMO Muay Thai). Arbeau was originally set up to fight Medicine Hat's Chad Vossler, but closing
in on the event, Vossler was to also hurt himself at work and he had to withdraw from the competition. McCoghan's
original opponent, Troy Bannerholt (Calgary - Miles), had lost his best friend to a tragedy and withdrew from the
competition as well. Thus these two athletes Arbeau and McCoghan) squared off against each other. The bout started
briskly with McCoghan charging across the ring to try and bull Arbeau backwards. Both athletes exchanged leather, and
then Arbeau sidestepped to create some room between himself and McCoghan. McCoghan came forward again and Arbeau
unleashed a very heavy right cross to the body which folded McCoghan to the canvas and for the count. Arbeau won this
bout at 51 seconds of the first round by KO (body).
Photo's above (left) taken by photographer Dave Bastian and (right) by Phil Sprung Jr.
Next up for CAKMA is an event scheduled for January 28th, 2006. The event is called H2H HEAT
'TRIPLE IMPACT' and will feature the return of Trevor 'T.N.T.' Smandych as well as former Muay Thai
Champion and stand out athlete from Calgary, Chad Sawyer. In the next month, the location of the event will be
sorted out. At the request of CAKMA, the website of Mike Miles Muay Thai & Kickboxing (www.mikemiles.com)
will post where the event will be hosted and when tickets will be on sale.
