Combat Sports: Muay Thai in SWFL

When people think of fighting sports, Muay Thai most likely isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But why?

Muay Thai is similar to kickboxing except for the fact that you're allowed to use elbows, clinch, and a looser use of knees. It originates from Thailand and when it's known, it's known for its high-impact and dynamic fighting style.

Eli Thomas, similar to his younger sister Reagan Thomas, has grown up playing team sports such as football, baseball, lacrosse, and track but never felt like he belonged in them.

"I looked up best combat sports to learn. MMA popped up, boxing popped up, and Muay Thai popped up. I called a gym that was near me and said 'Hey, what do you guys do?' and they said 'Muay Thai' so I went to the gym and tried it," said Thomas.

It was Evolution MMA in Naples, Florida coached by retired professional Muay Thai fighter, Cosmo Alexandre that sparked his love for the sport.

With Muay Thai being deeply rooted in the origins of Thailand, the sport demands a sense of respect and honor from those who partake in it because here in America, it's a privilege to do as a mere hobby.

In Thailand, there are thousands of children as young as 5-years-old who are essentially raised in a fight gym with the understanding that excelling in Muay Thai is their way of contributing to their families already low income.

This is the standard role that is expected in Thailand that not only results in serious injury to their bodies and brain, but also results in death in some cases.

One of the most well-known Muay Thai fighters, Rod Tang, is one of the few who made it to America to showcase the beauty and honor that exists in one of the most violent combat sports. His childhood not only instilled a sense of resilience into his fighting that is unmatched most of the time, but also sets the tone of how these fighters are to behave if they partake in the sport- showing respect to those back home who will never get the opportunity he has.

Because of this unspoken honor system, unlike boxing and MMA, there's little to no trash talk or drama between fighters that works only to entertain an audience. However, this leads to less viewers, resulting in less money for fighters.

"The whole point of fighting is to hurt each other. And while injuries might occur in other sports like football and basketball, that's not the intent of the game. The intent of fighting is to hurt people, so in experience it'll happen to you. It definitely takes being fearless, but you gain more confidence as you go," said Thomas.

How did he combat the fear to gain this sense confidence? Out training to out perform.

"I would wake up at 7 or 8 in the morning, go on a run, come back and eat a protein bar, and then I wouldn't eat anything for the rest of the day. I had training twice at the gym, and after my second session I had something small like mac and cheese," said Thomas when describing an average day in fight camp.

Thomas' first fight camp took place in Jacksonville, Florida on behalf of Rukus Muay Thai in January 2022 and is where he dedicated two months to physically prepare for being one-on-one in a ring with someone older, and more experienced than him.

The more physically demanding aspect of the training process required a grueling weight cut where he had to drop from his waking weight of 172 lbs, down to 143 lbs.

"I would just eat very little and train very hard and every one or two nights I would go to bed one or two pounds lighter than the day before. In the last week, I water load and sweat out about 10 pounds the night before weigh ins. That's what works for me."

In a weight cut this intense, it's natural to be less motivated, more tired, and fall out of routine but for Thomas, the "what ifs" are what fueled his discipline.

"What if I get hurt?"

"What If I get embarrassed?"

All thoughts that occupied his mind because like every other combat sport, the only person you can count on when the time comes is yourself. Instead of overlooking the mental aspect, Thomas used them to his advantage to make him train harder for fight day.

Like I said before, Muay Thai caters to a more dynamic style of fighting which gives fighters more combinations to work with and creates a more violent and skillful sport; but when you're a first time fighter this is your worst nightmare because there's hundreds of different ways you could get hurt, lose, or get knocked out by. And the nerves don't help.

In the moments leading up to the fight, Thomas' opponent was seen dancing and smiling because this wasn't his first rodeo. Meanwhile, Thomas remembers being nervous but not scared.

"I was still trying to get out of my sparring mode, I was just a little too passive and wasn't really pushing the issue on to him. So he touched me up a little bit in the first round until I had a mental switch where I can remember thinking 'I'm supposed to hurt him.' "

This mental switch was pivotal as he quickly wiped the smile off his opponent's face and claimed authority over the fight by rarely letting a punch through and forcing a standing eight count from a front kick.

While confidence is important, too much of it allows you to be caught off guard and in a sport like Muay Thai, fighters such as Thomas are quick to take their opportunity and end a fight such as this one in a TKO.

Thomas has had two fights since then and is an undefeated amateur who still trains but also helps coach at D MMA Fight Zone in Fort Myers, Florida to help others learn more about themselves by learning more about the sport of Muay Thai.

"Not only does it give you confidence because you know you can defend yourself when it's necessary, but it pushes you beyond any personal limitations and helps you become the best version of yourself. It also comes with a level of respect that I have yet to see in other sports, you know, we all have a mutual understanding that what we do is violent and demanding, so instead of it strictly being about competition, it's also about camaraderie and support."