I am very proud of Jamie and Amy's victories. They trained hard and deserved it. For the most part it was a good evening, however a small shadow was cast by the unsportsmanlike conduct of our competition. Most people in the Muay Thai game are good folk who are fun to be around and who are very respectful. So it is a little bit of a surprise when we get such a hostile reaction. I feel the need to set the record straight.
1) The opposing trainer claims Jamie kneed his opponent in the groin. I had a clear vantage point and I saw it clearly. Jamie's first knee landed in his opponents belly. The second landed in his solar plexus. The third grazed his head on the way down. It absolutely did not land on his groin. It may have felt like that because Jamie's knees were so powerful. I talked with the referee Master John and he agrees. It was also clear that our opponent was not able to continue. Furthermore, I know Jamie and he has a good heart. He is not a dirty fighter and would not intentionally violate any rules.
2) Regarding Amy's fight the opposing trainer (same gym) claimed that the judging was off. I want to make it clear that this was not an IML sanctioned show. Master Lou may model the rules after IML, but unless a match is specifically advertised as "IML SANCTIONED" we do not have anything to do with matching, rules or officiating. I talked with some of the judges after the show and they assured me of unbiased representation and they had solid reasons for awarding it to Amy. Furthermore they all UNANIMOUSLY agreed on the outcome with out discussion . Many, Many times I have not liked the judging at a particular match, but the fact remains that each fighter has an equal chance to knock the other one out.
Ultimately, this is supposed to be a low key match designed for experience and fun. It is not a professional K-1 or UFC match. It is what it is and that's great. That is why I choose to participate in these events. Clearly issues of fair officiating and clean fighting are important. I will be the first to get behind efforts to make things better. Anyone who says differently does not know me or the sacrifice I have made to elevate the sport of Muay Thai in America. But I don't think poor judging or dirty fighting was an issue in this case. No one likes to lose. No one. Especially me. But by the very nature of the sport, there is a winner and a loser. And we take the loses with the wins. This is perhaps the most painful lesson in Muay Thai. How do you learn to lose? If you learn to lose gracefully and to use it as fuel for the fire, if you back to the gym and train even harder, then you realize that anyone who has the guts to get in the ring is really a WINNER.
Arjhan David Neal Brown
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