The Finale - The Computer Wizard takes it All

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The Rematches

I am trying to make up for the absence of the last 10 episodes of the show. I know this blog went defunct at the most exciting parts and I'm really sorry. I have got all the episodes in my computer and I'll probably try to string them into a single file and upload it, when I have the time.

I am going to make it up by posting the rematches here and also the final match between Yod and JWP. I remember how spectacular the atmosphere was at the show. Everyone should've been there.

The Grudge Match - Rafik vs Dzhabar

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The well-deserved re-match - Zidov vs Zach

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The Return of the Contenders comment

I have decided not to comment on the show because it wasn't as good as I expected it should be. The results were pretty predictable:

Naruepol vs Soren - Nareupol won by points
Zig Zach vs Takeshi - Draw
Yodsaenklai vs Madsua - Yod by KO

I heard Madsua was a trainer at C.A. Really?

The Return of the Contenders

I know I've been gone for awhile. Never got to finish this blog. I apologise for the sudden disappearance.

17th September 2008 - The Return of the Contenders!

The most anticipated match, for most, of the Contender Asia was that of Yodsaenklai and JWP. Those of us who were at the Indoor Stadium Singapore will remember the the intense fight, a whole of five rounds with Yod taking victory. Remember Nareupol and how he barely performed in his fight with Yod? That was, indeed, disappointing.

Two Thai fighters, Yodsaenklai and Nareupol will once again grace the ring in Singapore. Held at the Jurong East National Stadium this time, the impact is sure to be similar to that of the Indoor Stadium. Other Contender superstars like Soren and Zach will be competing for world title belts - Soren against Nareupol for the Intercontinental belt and Zach against famed Japanese champion Takeshi for the WMC Asian Challenge.

Tickets are sold at http://www.contenderasia.com.

Soren's famous Brazilian Kick in Episode 5

It is famously known as Brazilian kicks but Muay Thai gyms teach it too. I suppose it is a different variation of Muay Thai Roundhouse kicks. K-1 commentators generally regard this as a "Brazilian Kick". Glaube Feitosa is pretty famous for knock-outs with this technique.

Here's a good tutorial on it:


The difference between the "Brazilian Kick" and the typical Muay Thai roundhouse is that the Brazilian Kick uses power more from the lower part of the leg than the hips. I believe the effectiveness of a kick like this would depend not only on technique but also the weight of the leg. Well, whether it is truely Muay Thai or not, this kick looks pretty lethal.

Contender Asia Episode 5 FULL

For the rest of us.

Episode 5 - Alain gets his rematch. Soren sends him home.

The Tiger Kings are on a lucky streak and emerged victorious once again. This time, both teams had to pull a truck at both ends and whichever team crosses his finishing line first, wins the challenge. The Tiger Kings were rewarded to a $500 shopping spree on eBay for their victory.

Zidov was pretty pissed off at the reward. He remarked that in his country, if you get rewarded $500 for pulling a truck, everyone will be pulling trucks all over the country for as long as they had to. Pretty true. These Contenders have been very pampered. Even the average Singaporean don't get to spend like this. Lucky guys. Zidov's from Switzerland by the way.

The Tiger Kings were pretty spontaneous in their deliberation this time round. Zach, Soren and Dzhabar wanted to fight. As a spanish tradition, as suggested by Pitu, three matchsticks were cut into different lengths and whoever draws the longest matchstick gets his fight. I don't know how it feels, sitting around the loft for weeks, months now actually, just to wait for your one fight. I would think it gets pretty frustrating and when the time comes, you want to get your fight over and done with. However, if you lose, you'd definitely miss days sitting around the loft doing nothing but training and eating. Something like a post-holiday nostalgia I think.

Well anyway, I am pretty impressed by the way Soren fights. No wonder the Thais say he's got talent and gave him the name Mongtongkong. He's a really technical guy. We don't see much power in his punches and kicks but when it comes to technique, he is way up there. Here is a video of Soren's previous fights.

He injured Alain with an elbow to his right forehead and the fight had to be stopped as the cut was too long and deep. The result was a technical knock out to Soren. Alain has got respect from his team mates to be a fighter who has a lot of mental power. Given his disease (Crohn's disease), Alain had to have 13 inches of his intestines removed. This sometimes affected his fighting capabilities but have duly helped to increase his threshold for pain. To be fair, Alain was sick for two weeks prior to his fight and it was impressive in itself to have been able to withstand that many knees to his stomach.

Each week it gets harder to see a Contender leave and I am even starting to feel sorry for the Wild Boars. It does have some effect on the show huh, now that Rafik is gone?

P.S: Video will be up in the next hour or two.