Proving Grounds 1
Joel Wasel of Dynamic MMA and Jason Fenton of Iron City Muay Thai hosted a double header Muay Thai event with Proving Grounds 1 at the BCIT gymnasium on June 6th. The day featured a smoker tournament for local amateur fighters with 4 boxing rings, and the evening presented a fight night with a 10 fight line up and two final fights from the days’ tournament.
Proving Grounds 1 was announced with the fanfare of a top quality Muay Thai event with special recognitions bestowed on the representatives in the West; Master Song of Kai Singthong Vancouver and Mike Miles of Calgary. The fight night featured fights with full contact Muay Thai rules, which to say with elbows, a feature that the local fight scene has been waiting to add to its striking arsenal for a long time. The main card was for an ISKA North American Light Welterweight Full Muay Thai Championship belt at 142 lbs between local Sean Kearney of Iron City Muay Thai against Arthur Barkaukas of Wooden Man Muay Thai in San Francisco. Kearney went on to win by judges unanimous decision in a fight that culminated in an explosive 5th round of fight action. In a fight night that had all great fights on the card, Fenton declared that Proving Grounds 1 would lay the ground work for the British Columbia Muay Thai community to make BC a destination for world class Muay Thai. If there are more fight nights as good as Proving Grounds 1 on the way, FILES Magazine says, Chok Dee!
Fight # |
Weight |
Win |
Def. |
Loss |
Reason |
Smoker 1 |
178 lbs |
Gurmeet Gill |
Def. |
John Basque, Iron City Muay Thai |
Judges unanimous decision.
|
Smoker 2 |
168 lbs |
Mike Yurko, Iron City Muay Thai |
Def. |
Chris Ryan, Dynamic MMA |
Judges unanimous decision.
|
1 |
154lbs |
Andrew Lewis, Nak Muay Thai |
Def. |
Daniel Olson, Kai SingThong |
Judges unanimous decision.
|
2 |
150 lbs |
Suraj Bangara, Canada’s Best Karate |
Def. |
Houtan Ali Kashani, KB-One |
There was a Powerful volley of knees by Kashani, in round 1, but Bangara came back with a strike that stunned Kashani and after the referee checked his ability to continue, Bangara came on with a flying tep and a beating to finish off the fight at 1:52 of round 2.
|
3 |
147 lbs |
Oli Mckiernan Iron City Muay Thai |
Def. |
Gary Gil, West Coast BJJ |
Judges unanimous decision.
|
4 |
154 lbs |
Cole Smith, Dynamic MMA/Squamish Martial Arts |
Def. |
Phil Bordenbender, Team Bad Boy |
This fight was the first one in the eventing where we saw the favor swing wildly between each fighter in a series of heavy attacks, sweeps, and clinches. Cole Train Smith finally found a weakness in Bordenbender’s leading leg, but by no way was that the end of the fight. More sweeps were to follow, and Smith would get the judges decision.
|
5 |
178 lbs |
Chad Gerow, Revolution MMA |
Def. |
Shawn Whitehall, Shaolin Muay Thai |
The first full Muay Thai rules fight of the evening, and the first one in BC sport for some time. Elbow strikes have remained controversial as policy is somewhere behind the current growth of martial arts scene in BC. By the end of round 2 Gerow had a knockdown over Whitehall on his scorecard. Gerow put those elbows to good use in round 3 to clinch the judges unanimous decision.
|
6 |
142 lbs |
Tom Mattu, WKX Surrey |
Def. |
Anthony Pizzarelli, Wooden Man Muay Thai |
KO round 2 by perfectly landed round kick upstairs.
|
7 |
160 lbs |
Ron Pearce Nak Muay Thai |
Def. |
Mark Goco, Dynamic MMA |
Full Muay Thai rules. Pearce kept Goco occupied against the ropes through round 1 and 2, with clinching and heavy knees. Finally it was the heavy beating of knees at the end of round 2 would send Goco to the canvas and end it by KO.
|
8 |
125 lbs |
Max Carruthers, Ajarn Mike Miles |
Def. |
Chriscarlo Chua, Neuroline Muay Thai and Fitness |
A win by split decision from the judges.
|
9 |
154lbs |
Stanley Lam, Kai SingThong |
Def. |
Jamie Gifford, Shaolin Muay Thai |
Full Muay Thai rules. A shoulder dislocation ended the fight for Gifford, which had to be carefully put back in order by on site fight doctor and paramedic. Otherwise, Lam had to put in effort to recover ground in round 1 to Gifford, and the fight was one with hard exchanges between the fighters.
|
10 |
142 lbs, ISKA North American Light Welterweight Full Muay Thai Championship |
Sean Kearney, Iron City Muay Thai |
Def. |
Arthur Barkaukas, Wooden Man Muay Thai |
Full Muay Thai rules. Sean wins by judges unanimous decision in a fight that culminated in an explosive 5th round of fight action.
|
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