The New York Bad Ass Phil Baroni in Chiang Mai, Thailand

This last week was a very exciting week for Team Quest Thailand. We had the opportunity to host The New York Bad Ass Phil Baroni out here in Chiang Mai. For me personally it was even more exciting because Baroni is somebody I have been a huge fan of since I got into the sport years ago. It’s easy to back a guy that goes out there and gives it his all every single fight. To put it simple, his fights are always exciting to watch.

Baroni came out to Chiang Mai straight after his fight in Japan where he fought Sakurai in a war.  He came out with the best of it in most exchanges and out wrestled Sakurai the entire fight. In my mind he won an easy decision but this is Japan. Baroni went into this fight training for ONE FC rules because that is what he was told the rules were. When he arrived for the fight he learned that there were not only no ONE FC rules but the rules resembled that of a cricket game. No elbows standing, no elbows on the ground, and no soccer kicks.

On top of the last minute rule changes he also learned that although the fight was agreed at 176lbs, the fight was going to be at 168lbs. This means that he had to lose an extra 8 lbs just a day before the fight. Now this is where I gained even more respect for Baroni because even a 1 pound difference can lead to substantial performance issues.

So Baroni arrived late on the night of January 1^st  in Chiang Mai and couldn’t find his hotel. He stopped in a random hotel that was just down the street from Team Quest Thailand. The next morning after he got some sleep I headed over to meet up with him and show him the gym. I showed him where his hotel was and gave him a tour of the gym. I felt that he was genuinely impressed and liked it which felt good. He also commented that our mats in our MMA room were better than wrestling mats which I thought was awesome because we did a lot of research before installing them.

So at this time Baroni was still pretty new to Chiang Mai so Alex Branom and I sort of gave him a tour of the city. We drove to the old city (tourist area) which is about a 5 minute drive from the gym and took him to rent a motor bike. I am always scared when a new person gets on a motor bike but Baroni proved to be a Thailand vet. It was nice that he drove motor bikes before.

So after this we got some lunch at a local Thai restaurant. Baroni didn’t know what to order so I suggested some food for him. I purposely ordered some non spicy food because most foreigners can’t handle the spice. Turned out at the end of the trip he was like “Bro I like spicy food, Chiang Mai doesn’t have any.” Looks like I should have ordered him some spicy sum tum.

Over the next bit Baroni trained really hard. I wasn’t really expecting him to train much since he was just coming off a fight but he jumped right in. He had to opportunity to work with all of Team Quest Thailand Trainers. I know he loved them all but I think that he and Kru Joe worked the best together.

Before this trip I didn’t know Baroni personally. One thing that really surprised me was that he was pretty laid back and just down for whatever. I always pictured him as this guy that was super outspoken and sort of “In your face” but it was the complete opposite. Baroni was pretty quiet, relaxed, humble, and ready to take in new experiences. He was also an amazing student. He listened to everything the trainers said. Sometimes these high level fighters have egos and are out just to holiday but Baroni was here to learn and train. Kru Joe told me that he really enjoyed working with him and hoped that he comes back soon.

During his time here Baroni was able to do a lot of tourist activities to like play with the tigers and elephants. He was pretty excited about the tigers. I am personally scared to get in there with them but check out these pictures of him playing with the tigers in Chiang Mai.

On Saturday the 5^th Baroni held a seminar for us. I thought this was amazing because we didn’t even ask him to do it, he just offered. I have to say, I have been to quite a few seminars in my day and all have been pretty good, but they didn’t compare to Baroni’s. Baroni gave the best seminar I have ever seen in my life. I think it was the best seminar I have ever seen for a few reasons. 1) Because he showed relevant stuff that students can learn and take away with them to use in the future and 2) because he gave the best detailed instruction on wrestling techniques I have ever seen and I have been around a lot of Olympic wrestlers. I believe if he ever opened up a school he could build a high level team fast. He is a natural coach. He also wasn't afraid to jump in with the students which was awesome for them.

After the seminar we all went out and ate and had a few beers. When I say a few I literally mean 2-3. I am not much of a drinker these days so it was nice to know everyone was on the same page as me. We ended up at some karaoke bar and Baroni said none of us are leaving until we each picked and sang a song. Baroni ended up singing Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe”. It was a pretty funny sight seeing him sing it and give a little dance. So after this we headed back and called it a night.

The next day Baroni had to go. We really enjoyed having him out. It was a cool experience for us both because we were fans and also because I learned stuff at his seminar. We are hoping to get him back out soon. Baroni is back at AKA in San Jose and will begin to prepare for his next ONE FC fight soon. Check back soon to find out when Baroni is coming back next.

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Reflection of a Fighter

Here is a guest post from our very own fighter Adrien "Kaew" Team Quest Thailand. Adrien reflects on the ups and downs this year he has went through.

"My fight on Saturday night will be my last fight of this year. Losing by TKO in round one was not the way I would have liked to finish my year and I am pretty pissed off by my performance. But when I sat down and thought about it afterward, I have no regrets. I had to think about how I started this year and how I ended it to understand. I started training Muay Thai just over a year and a half ago without any martial arts background at all. I just came to Thailand to travel and started training Muay Thai for fun. I decided to give it my all and put all my heart into this sport, because for once in my life I had found something I really enjoyed. I had one goal in mind, if I trained hard every day trying to get better I could one day be a professional.

After only 1 year I was given the opportunity to fight at one of Muay Thais most prestigious Stadiums: Lumpinee. My dream came true when I stepped in the ring, I didn't feel any pressure and I had a big smile on my face. After that first fight things started to move very fast, the level of my opponents increased exponentially. When I entered the Kai Yan Ha Dao Tournament, I was a huge underdog and no one expected me to win 1 fight. Fighting beside fighters with 200 to 300 fights, some of them champions, I also doubted I could win as well. But I was willing to try and put all of my heart and energy into my training and the fight. I ended up placing 2^nd in my group, winning 2 times and losing once. Giving me the chance to go to the semi finals, something I had never thought I would achieve. Then I hit a wall, the wall that is in front of me right now, this hindrance, I will overcome it for my own sake. I will do as I always do, keep aiming for the top, until there is nothing left above me! 15 fights this year, 11 wins and 4 losses, at the greatest level of Muay Thai. Now it's time to take a break and rest my body. I would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year, and always remember to follow your dreams is the only way to happiness!

Adrien "Kaew" Team Quest Thailand"

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No Secrets, Just Hard Work.

Something I find interesting is that I am always hearing foreigners make comments about how the Thai's are not training scientifically. I hear stuff like, “Oh man, if they implemented a strength and conditioning program into there training they would be so much better.” Another great one is “The Thai's training methods are outdated.” Yeah there is always room for improvements but the bottom line is that it comes down to putting in the work, not some special new training methods. They have found something that works and at this point they are still producing the highest level fighters.

I think people forget that these fighters are not just fighters, they are professional athletes the same as any high level athlete. They know their body and what they need to do to prepare for competition. Muay Thai training is very sport specific. When you kick a bag you are getting resistance which is going to force your muscles to get broken down and repair better to yield greater results. It's not the same as say basketball when if you want to jump to dunk a basketball. You can jump as much as you want but there is no resistance that is going to force your muscles to get broken down and repair so they produce better results unless you implement some kind of strength and conditioning program.

HongTongLek Chor Farpleansee Working Hard.

Another great one I hear from recreational athletes is “The run is to long, more than 20 minutes can be counterproductive.” So ultimately what happens is students try to make excuses and skip the running thinking that nobody notices. Everybody, including your trainers notice. Yeah that is fine to skip the run if you are just a recreational trainee and not a professional athlete. For some reason that is unknown to me people are assuming the Thai's are running for cardiovascular reasons. But a nice jog isn't by itself going to get their cardio to the next level. People are missing the point completely why the Thai's are using this training method. Most Thai's are trying to fight as the lowest weight they can just like MMA fighters. This is a good method for keeping your weight down. But the main reason they are running is because running excites your nervous system ultimately giving you more bounce in your step and lightness on your toes.

I had the opportunity to work with Mike Dolce for a number or years back when I was at Team Quest in Portland. For those of you who are not familiar with Mike he is the the most sought after nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach in MMA. He has worked with the likes of Vitor Belfort, Chael Sonnen, Thiago Alves, Jake Ellenburger, and many more. Basically he knows his stuff. I think Mike said it best, he said that among his athletes the ones that did their runs were the ones that still had the bounce and lightness on their toes by the later rounds.

Basically my point is there is no “magic training methods”. If you want to be the best you have to do what is already working but do it right and consistent. It's the same as anything else, you have to put in the hard work to get the results you want.  

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Team Quest Thailand Producing Talent

One of the things we are focusing on here at Team Quest Thailand in Chiang Mai is producing talent from the ground up. When we began to make plans to open the gym here in Chiang Mai we discussed all of our options on the direction we wanted to go for the gym. One of the big questions was, “Do we want to bring in some really high level fighters or do we want to focus on a higher level coaching staff that will produce new talent?”

At the end of the day, gyms are remembered for what fighters they produced, not who is training at the gym. A good example is Chute Boxe will forever be remembered as a gym that produced the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Maurico “Shogun” Rua. Greg Jackson's camp is a gym that is known for taking talent and just being there to support them. In other words, we feel that producing talent is what actually contributes to the MMA and Muay Thai community.

Team Quest has built a track record for producing home grown talent. To name just a few, Dan Henderson, Randy Couture, Chael Sonnen, and Matt Lindland. I could literally probably go on for a page of just names that Team Quest produced. This is the stuff that people respect at the end of the day. At Team Quest Thailand we are choosing to build our fighters in the same traditional system as the original Team Quest has and that is through a lot of hard work and dedication.

So I guess what I am ultimately trying to say is that we are working hard on bringing up the new generation of Muay Thai and MMA fighters here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Results aren't instant but they are coming with time. Although we have had amazing success in our first year with fighters like HongTongLek winning the Thailand championship belt at Lumpinee Stadium that is actually not why we brought him in. We brought in HongTongLek because of his ability to teach and translate techniques to students and new fighters in the most efficient way.

If you are a young fighter and think you have what it takes to train with one of the biggest international Muay Thai and MMA brands in the world. Contact Joel @ tqmma DOT com to inquire about fighting professional opportunities. Visit our website at www.tqmmathailand.com for more information about our Thailand MMA and Chiang Mai Muay Thai training camp.

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Team Quest Thailand New Additions

Team Quest Thailand New additions

Our goal is to constantly be improving Team Quest Thailand. So now that our classes are up and running we have decided to turn more of our focus into things that can help students even more. Basically we have sat down with our budget and decided what is the most important area's of the gym we can improve for students to have the best over all experience at the gym.

First addition: The CAGE

We have installed a MMA cage in our MMA and grappling area so that students can train in the most realistic training environment possible. Students are able to practice techniques utilizing the cage to help improve aspects of their game. Our cage stands about 6' tall and is reenforced with steel so that students can train in the safest environment possible.

Second addition: A full set of KETTLE BELLS

We have been focusing on putting together our strength and conditioning program. With the help from Matt Lindland and the people from Team Quest Portland, Oregon, we have incorporated their world famous “Fit Quest” combat sports specific workouts. What sort of functional workout would be complete with out a complete set of Kettle bells. We went all out and purchased 6 sets of kettle bells ranging from 4 kilos to 24 kilos.

Third addition: Wall Mats

Team Quest Thailand has installed wall mats in our MMA and grapping area. The mats are 2 inches in thickness and very durable. They are designed for taking a lot of impact while keeping students as safe as possible. The covering of the mats is genuine leather. This helps absorb sweat and gives the perfect amount of traction.

For more information about news and updates to Team Quest Thailand, LIKE our facebook page. Be sure to check back soon for Team Quest Thailand up coming events.

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Jamie "The Official" Stamp, fighting with Team Quest Thailand in Chiang Mai.

For those of you who have been following our blog, you know that Jamie “The Official” Stamp (current Australian Pro Evolution Champion) has been training with Team Quest Thailand for the last few months. He was meant to fight 2-3 times over the past few months but unfortunately has been plagued with injuries this trip. I actually felt really bad for him because I could see the frustration in his eyes. All he wanted to do was train.

Jamie was dealing with a lot of things that were out of his control. Anything from being sick to typical injuries. But Jamie is pretty head strong so he worked through them the best that he could. He was still training hard but he had to totally tweek his training.

This actually brings me to a thought. Every athlete I have ever known encounters injuries or something that prevents them from training properly. This includes people who come to train in Thailand. Far to many times do I see someone get some small nagging injuries, say a hurt hand and then just completely stop training until it's healed. But this happens to every athlete. The athletes that find a way to work through it or do what they can are the ones who end up progressing. The question you need to ask yourself if this happens to you is “What CAN I do”.

Personally I have really bad tendinitis in my right hip. I have learned to train around my injury though. I usually can't kick with my right leg because the inflammation gets to much and I start limping really bad. So what I have done is used it as an opportunity to get better as a south paw. So over the last few years since this injury manifested I have got really good with my left kick. Because I took advantage of the opportunity I can now switch up my stance pretty easily.

I just find it frustrating when students or athletes use injuries as an excuse to completely stop training. This is why I really respect Jamie “The Official” Stamp because he literally did everything he could possibly do given his circumstances. Jamie was pretty determined, but the problem is that he was going home in two weeks. So he said “Screw it, get me the hardest fight you can get me and make it in a week.” He was determined to fight a Thai before he went home because even though he has 23 fights he had never fought a Thai.

So we actually didn't know who Jamie “The Official” Stamp was fighting until we got to the stadium. This is when Kru Joe came over with his eyes wide and said “Jamie, I know your opponent. He is good and big.” Remember, Kru Joe's opinion of what is good is basically someone who has a lumpinee belt or something equivalent. I seen a bit of fear on Jamie's face but that's a good thing because he fights better when he is the underdog.

Jamie "The Official" Stamp with Kru Joe.

Jamie's opponent was Fah Song Sang Chiang Mai Pa Who Yoot, a tough fighter from the isarn region who has fought a lot on the Bangkok circuit. But Jamie asked for a tough fight so that is exactly what he got.

I am not going to lie. Jamie was getting battered, and I mean battered for the first 3 rounds. His fitness was obviously a factor since he didn't get to train properly, he didn't have any sorta bounce to his step and his timing was off. He took probably 3 of the most brutal kicks to his ribs I have ever seen in my life. It also didn't help that in the start of the 2^nd round his opponent landed a flying down elbow on the top of Jamie's head splitting him wide open. He was bleeding like a faucet. Jamie's cut ended up being about an inch long and was really wide.

After the 3^rd round Jamie came back to sit and the ref came over to stop the fight. We started screaming at the ref in Thai that he still wanted to fight. Jamie was on the border of wanting to stop the fight. Kru Joe looked Jamie straight in the face and screamed at him “ALL YOU HAVE LEFT IS HEART AND YOUR HANDS, I NEED YOU TO USE THEM. GIVE ME ONE MORE ROUND.” So Jamie stood up and was ready to go, we still had to convince the ref not to stop it.

The 4^th round started and here is what happened.

It was one of the best comeback's I have ever seen. You can see that the crowd was going nuts. When he knocked him down the first time we thought he was finished and we were so excited we jumped into the ring to early. I looked over and realized that the ref was only giving a count. So we scrambled back out of the ring and waited the extra few seconds for Jamie to finish him. It was an amazing show of heart.

Jamie will be heading back to Australia this coming Thursday. It was great to have him out. He will be coming back next April to train with Team Quest Thailand for 3 months. I truly can't wait because he is amazing to have at our gym.

Team Quest Thailand has some big fights coming up. First up is HongTongLek Chor. Farpleansee who will be fighting in Team Quest Thailand's first international fight in Switzerland October 20^th against a tough french fighter named Amine Kacem. Amine fights out of Fabio Pinca's gym in France so you know he is going to be game for a fight.

After this, Adrien “Kaew” Team Quest Thailand will be fighting in the Muay Thai Marathon November 1^st in Korat, Thailand. This is a huge opportunity for Adrien because this tournament is set up for him. To win this tournament you need fitness because you might fight 3 fights of 9 rounds total in one day. Fitness is Adrien's secret weapon, he never gets tired.

For upcoming news and updates check back here with Team Quest Thailand soon.

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Fight Day: Lumpinee Stadium, Adrien "Kaew" Team Quest Thailand

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.

Check out the fight

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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