Team quest Thailand had some big fights this last weekend again. Adrien “Kaew” Team Quest Thailand was one of them and has been on a tear. This time he was facing yet another tough opponent, Siangjan Kiatrachanok in the “Gai thort haa dow” 8 man round robin tournament at Lumpinee stadium. Adrien was looking to improve his almost flawless record.
Usually I am busy beyond belief here at the gym but this time I had a chance to go down with Adrien and help him prepare for the fight. I filmed as much as I could so that anybody interested in what it's like behind the scenes at Lumpinee stadium could check it out.
We are really happy to have Adrien representing Team Quest Thailand, he really represents himself and the gym in a professional way. This guy is for sure the biggest uprising superstar on the Muay Thai scene in Thailand.
So in the first video, Kru Ping (Team Quest Thailand's first MMA Thai fighter) and myself had to make the 9 hour bus trek down to Bangkok, Thailand. Adrien previously flew down because he had to cut a lot of weight. Taking a 9 hour bus would be miserable while cutting weight. We arrived early in the morning of the day of the fight and met Adrien at his hotel. At about 6:30am we walked about 10 minutes to Lumpinee stadium and checked in. Adrien went through all of the procedures such as checking in, checking with the doctor, and checking his unofficial weight.
after checking his unofficial weight was about 70.4 kilos and he had to make 70 kilos. So he was about a pound over. So he threw on his sweat suit and had to run it off. At Lumpinee stadium the fighters that have to make weight can go behind the stadium and run on a track. After 20 minutes of running Adrien came back and made weight. After a a bit of rehydration and food we headed back to the room so he could get some sleep and relax.
After a bit of rest and a lot of rehydrating through out the day it was time to make our way back to Lumpinee stadium to get ready for the fight. We headed back around 7:00pm. Adrien was weighing back in at a healthly 76.5 kilos and looking huge compared to his opponent.
I started out wrapping Adrien's hands almost immediately when we got there. I was completely new to wrapping hands. I had watched it many times but was only taught the night before by Team Quest Thailand's head trainer, Kru Joe. I had never actually practiced it though. Thankfully for me, Adrien is really easy going and let me practice on him for the first time. Adrien had to help me remember certain spots throughout the process. There is two stations to wrap hands at Lumpinee and they are right next to each other. The Thai guy next to me wrapped 3 peoples hands in the time it took me to do Adrien's.
Adrien received the typical massage, warmed up, and received his mongkong. It was time for him to walk out. He made his way out. T-sport (Thailand's premier sports channel) gave him a prefight interview and then it was time to walk to the ring.
In typical Adrien style, Adrien started out a bit slow and his opponent tossed him a few times. One thing about Adrien's opponents is that they usually have good game plans. The game plans work for the first few rounds until Adrien starts to wear on them. Usually by round 3 the fight is already over. The opponents start to slow down and then that's when he really lets his knee's go.
After the fight Adrien had to get 4 stitches in his nose. At Lumpinee stadium they just take you in the back and stick you up right there.
Adrien has advanced to the semi finals of the tournament and will be taking on the #1 ranked Rajadamnern stadium fighter next. This will be his toughest fight to date. Adrien will also be participating in the “Muay Thai Marathon” in Korat, Thailand November 1st. Check back soon for more details on Adrien fights and Team Quest Thailand.
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