USKA 119 thoughts

As a newer gym we still have a lot of firsts. This past weekend we checked off another.

In August we had our first students fighting at WKA Nationals, but this past weekend was our first time fighting on a card for a fight promotion. Joey and Sudeep each fought at USKA 119 in Allentown and got their first fight under their wings.

Before I get carried away recapping anything, I want to get this out of the way. I am so freaking happy with everyone. The fighters, the corners, every student who showed up and screamed their hearts out, those watching the PPV stream online, those sending words of encouragement on social media, and so on and so on. There was so much positivity and engagement from so many members of the gym and non-members that I almost felt something in my cold black heart. I very badly want to build a gym full of ruthless killers in the ring, but, more than that, I want to build a gym where everyone becomes family. Everyone helps everyone else accomplish whatever goal they have. In only a year, I see the latter so much and it makes me so proud to call myself the owner of this gym.

Alright now to the event. This was my first time working with USKA, and I have to say they did a great job. I’ve been part of a lot of different promotions, and USKA was professional and on point. Yeah they were late on a few things and there was confusion on where to meet for medicals, but that stuff happens on so many promotions (plus they were running a boxing card right before this one). The fact they ran two cards smoothly in one day is insane.

Joey was first up to fight for The Clinic in a Muay Thai ruleset. He was putting his 0-0 record up against someone who was 0-1. A lot of people in the West see the loss as a negative. I knew that was a lesson for Joey’s opponent that Joey didn’t get to learn yet. I knew we had a challenge in front of us. It ended up being a very tough fight. Joey’s opponent kept marching forward and was trying to force a clinch battle. Joey landed many good hard left knees, but his opponent was a tough cookie. His opponent had excellent posture and ring control, which scores big in Muay Thai. He also knocked Joey off balance more times than Joey could knock him off balance. In the end, Joey lost 2 rounds to 1. I want to be clear—it wasn’t a robbery. It was a very winnable fight, but these things happen. We’re learning and moving forward. I’m super proud of how he fought. He didn’t back down, he didn’t quit, and he represented the gym and sport well.

We got the chance to talk to his opponent afterwards, and he was a class act. He also admitted that what Joey struggled with this fight was how he lost his first fight, so he made sure to pass on the lesson he learned to Joey! That’s the sport. But it’s also what I love about Muay Thai. People love to watch boxing or MMA and think you have to trash talk and hate your opponent. In Muay Thai we understand that that isn’t needed. You’re going to end up in the ring fighting each other, so no need to be awful to each other outside of the ring. Nothing but respect.

Now it was time for Sudeep’s fight. I have to be honest. I was nervous about this fight. Not because I had any doubt in Sudeep, but because it’s nerve racking telling a teenager’s parents their kid will be fine going into a fight when nothing is promised when you step in the ring. Also anyone who knows a teenager knows they don’t always listen well or follow directions. 😁 Sudeep surprised me on that front. More on that later.

Sudeep’s fight was under a K1 ruleset, so no clinching and no elbows or sweeps. Due to these differences, volume can be important. Sudeep’s opponent came out fast and furious, throwing a barrage of strikes. Sudeep kept his composure and frequently countered with cleaner harder shots. It was a super entertaining fight. At the end of the first round, Sudeep caught his opponent with a kick that caused him to stumble back a bit. If the round was close, that clearly made the round swing Sudeep’s way.

Round 2 was much closer as Sudeep was experiencing the fatigue of fighting. No matter how good your cardio is, you will get tired in the ring. He kept his composure and listened to me better than maybe any fighter I ever had. For me it felt like I was playing a video game. I called something out and he threw it. He landed a ton of good crosses and switch kicks in the fight that were scoring big.

With Round 2 feeling close, I told Sudeep he better dig deep for the 3rd round and leave no doubt. He did just that. He came out strong, landing tons of good shots and a devastating left knee. Kudos to his opponent who was tough as nails. In the end, Sudeep won all three rounds for the clear victory.

Victory or not I was super proud of both fighters. I have tried to keep the mindset as a coach that I don’t care about the results—I care about how they fight. I want to see my fighters fight with heart and to their skill level. The results will be what they are. You can’t win them all.

Don’t get me wrong—I want the fighters to win all the fights, but that just isn’t how life goes. Results can be out of our hands sometimes, but how we fight is always in our control. They both couldn’t have fought any harder, so I’m stoked. JJ and Paul were incredible in their corners. Everyone that came out to the fight was loud. I love that. Keep that up. Because this is only the beginning.