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January 12, 2018
Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu
100+ Fights, Bangkok, Muay Thai

Fight 173 – Sylvie Petchrungruang vs. Zaza Sor. Aree

February 6, 2017 “Tiger King Muay Thai Day” – Bangkok, Thailand (3 rounds) – full fight video or  full fight video with commentary

I got the call for this fight while I was driving home from another fight. Kevin had wanted me to fight with Zaza for a while, although she doesn’t fight often or on the kinds of shows I frequent, and is pretty big, so the chances of our paths crossing were quite slim. So, when this fell into my lap it was kind of a, “oh, yeah, great,” kind of response, even though nothing about the fight was in my favor: 3 rounds, big weight difference, etc. I take these kinds of fights often, and fighting up is something I’ve made a specialty out of due to necessity and passion.

Driving into Bangkok for a day-before weigh in and then coming in super early the day of the fight to get hair and makeup done – for the fight – isn’t my favorite, one reason I tend to avoid these kinds of promotions, but it’s good experience to have this of show every now and again. My excitement came from having Karuhat corner for me again. He’s my hero and I am surprised every time he agrees to come take care of me; especially given how outside of his world this kind of show is.

At weigh in they didn’t even move the scale to see what I actually weighed. They just had Zaza check first, she made the 52 kg mark and then they left the scale right there and when I stepped on the scale it didn’t move at all (as I was 46 kg), which led to a bit of confusion about the difference in our weight.

The reason why the weigh in is something of a side story in this fight is that while it is almost never an issue, my opponent’s camp decided to make a big deal about the fact that I stated the weight difference, implying that somehow the two of us were approximately the same size. Yes, I’d agreed to the fight knowing the difference, that’s no problem, but when I mentioned on an Instagram photo of the weigh in that there was a 5 kg difference (actually 6 kg, as I wasn’t aware of my weight at that moment, and in the fight it might have been 8 kg), Zaza’s boyfriend – a well known French fighter who appears on the THAI FIGHT series – made a big deal about how I’m such an asshole for bringing up the weight difference at all and then claimed that I had weighed in at 52 kg also. The reason I bring weight differences up, I explained, is because it’s a fact and part of the story of the fight. I can’t tell you how many fighters in the west have written to me, terrified because their opponent is, like, 2 lbs heavier than they are. If people come to see that weight differences take place all the time in Thailand people will come to know that you won’t die with a 10 lbs difference (which I frequently face); they will be less terrified of differences that they’re facing. So, this is why I always take note of the weights in my fights. It’s important to know these things. This whole unpleasantness was annoying to have going into this fight, something I’m very grateful to not have to deal with out here almost ever. So, again, part of the experience of the kind of fight this was. Kevin ended up making a little video to show that the scale never moved when I stepped on it, because the debate spilled over on a Thai Facebook group. I do believe that Zaza’s boyfriend just didn’t look closely and truly believed I’d also weighed in at 52. Easy mistake, though if you looked at us in person any experienced eye would see that we were not even close to the same size, so I’m not sure what everyone was going on about. I hate even talking about this stuff, I almost never have to. But hey, part of the point of these posts is to archive the experiences and situations of fights, for better or worse.

you can see our size difference here, at the final hug

Leading up to the fight was a lot of boring dead time. I had to get a face full of makeup and they braided my hair in a way that looked nice, but came out within a minute of the first round. Not meant for fighting. Zaza was pretty smart and did her own hair and make up I think. The guy who promoted this show also promotes the World Muay Thai Angels show, so he’s all about the blending of Beauty Pageant aesthetics with Muay Thai. At the venue I met some fans before the show, a Thai fellow who I see on Facebook all the time – huge fan of female Muay Thai and a really nice guy – as well as Martin Cotino, who is a patron and was wearing my Miss Gangster Knee short to the fight. That was awesome. But Karhuhat, who can be chronically late, was very late to arrive for this show and I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be there. It just so happened that Sangtiennoi, who I’d filmed a Patreon session with not long ago also had a fighter on the show. I asked him if he could corner for me in a pinch. He agreed with that nice smile of his and had one of his western fighters help with my oil massage, which was really generous of the whole team to help me out. I wrapped my own hands and was moments away from getting “on deck” when Karuhat appeared. Sangtiennoi was surprised to see who I’d been waiting for when I told him not to worry about cornering for me afterall; and the promoter’s jaw dropped when he saw who my corner was as well, which I loved. A friend of Karuhat’s happened to be at the show, just coincidentally, a woman who had lived in America for a while with her husband. She was there with her young daughter and having her and the little girl in my corner also felt great. It’s rare for me to have women in my corner. So hear I was with a hodgepodge of a corner, a sudden mix of an all-time legend and a woman who I just met, about to face a former WPMF world champion giving up maybe 8 kilos (17 lbs) in the ring. Take a breath.

I wish the fight had been different, but I had underestimated how difficult the height and weight difference would be in a 3 round fight. Karuhat insisted that in a 5 round fight I could have won as the tide was starting to turn as she was beginning to tire, but it wasn’t a 5 round fight and by round 2 I was already frustrated and showing it. It’s just fucking impossibly hard to keep closing space on a tall, big opponent in this case. I made bad choices, hopping out so that I had to constantly reset, and the referee broke the clinch anytime I got a slightly dominant position, so I was constantly having to start over. An additional feature of this fight was that the ref was Peach, a former female fighter, and BFF of my opponent as well. For a clinch fighter, other than the opponent, the ref and how the clinch is handled is probably the single biggest factor in a fight and chances for victory. If I’d stayed closer the whole time and controlled her arms – as Karuhat kept telling me in the corner – and really showed energy and movement once I got a good position in the clinch (so the ref could not break it) I would have had a much better time of it. As it was I didn’t handle the challenges well, I showed frustration, and they even cut the final round incredibly short (1:20 instead of 3:00). Not even 3 rounds, a small cut suffered (just taped it and fought 4 days later), this was a learning experience on several levels. The embarrassment of my struggle with Karuhat in my corner made this a fight I didn’t enjoy at all. Some days, some fights, are just not great and this was one of those for me. I came out of the fight pissed off, even though when Karuhat talked to Kevin afterward, while I was changing or something, he was actually optimistic about it. He was convinced I could have beat her if given a couple more rounds; I could not feel that on that night, but I have to trust what he saw. This is not an unfair match. Ultimately, this is the kind of opponent I need to be able to solve and regularly beat, if I am to become the fighter I want to be. And the fight, although a disappointment for me personally, was something of a Giving Tree, as it was after this fight, upon reflection, that Karuhat decided he wanted to switch me to Southpaw, and move me closer to his incredible switching fighting style. This was a huge step in my development, something I’ve been pursuing for almost a year now. You can watch the over 2 hour 20 minute video of the process when Karuhat moved me to Southpaw here if you are a $5 patron.

You can watch the entire fight video here. Or you can watch the whole fight with my audio commentary if you are a $1 or more supporter of mine. People tend to like my voice over comments, as I talk about the atmosphere and tactics. As a supporter you also get instant access to my Muay Thai Library project, an in-depth study source.

Fight 173 - Sylvie Petchrungruang vs Zaza Sor. Aree with commentary dollar

click here to watch the full fight with my commentary

You can get a sense of the event here in my post-fight update, I sound pretty upbeat:

 

As a patron you can study the Karuhat progression of instruction here, some of which this fight had  bearing on:

#7 Karuhat Sor. Supawan – Be Like Sand (62 min) watch it here

#11 Karuhat Sor. Supawan Session 2 – Float and Shock (82 min) watch it here

Bonus Session 1:  Karuhat Sor. Supawan | Advanced Switching Footwork | 60 min  – watch ithere

#20 Karuhat Sor Supawan – Switching Attack (144 min) watch it here

#27 Karuhat Sor. Supawan – Tension & Kicking Dynamics (104 min) watch it here

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Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu

The Author Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu

A 103 lb. (46 kg) female Muay Thai fighter. Originally I trained under Kumron Vaitayanon (Master K) and Kaensak sor. Ploenjit in New Jersey. I then moved to Thailand to train and fight full time in April of 2012, devoting myself to fighting 100 Thai fights, as well as blogging full time. Having surpassed 100 fights in 3 years here, my new goal is to fight an impossible 200 times in Thailand, as much as I possibly can, and to continue to write my experience.

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perfect-muay-thai-technique

Precision – A Basic Motivation Mistake in Some Western Training

read my guest post articles a Husband’s Point of View A Husband’s Point of View – Consider this a working theory. I’ve written about the uniqueness of Thai style training before, in The Slow Cook vs the Hack, and this article can be seen as something of an extension of that. But as Sylvie’s husband watching her progress through very earnest training and a hell of a lot of fighting, and seeing numerous westerners come through her Thai gyms, I’ve come upon something I think is pretty important. What led me to this is a very particular quality many serious

Guide to Muay Thai Gym Etiquette - Not Offend

Guide to Thailand Muay Thai Gym Etiquette – How to Be Polite

Below is meant to be a helpful guide, something that I wish I had when I first came to training Thailand. These are just things I’ve noticed in my 4 years of training and fighting here and are not hard and fast rules to follow. If you want to be polite in Thailand gyms, in a culture that is different than your own, these are just a few things to look for. There are of course a wide variety of gym experiences in Thailand, and things that are impolite in a small, family Thai-style gym might very well be common

Pitbull - Fear and Agression in Muay Thai

Fear of Escalation in Sparring and Training Aggression as a Skill

A lot of us feel that aggression comes with an “on/off” switch, and that we should be able to flick it back and forth based on context. Many of us who are learning Muay Thai struggle with aggression, perhaps because we don’t feel that we are “naturally aggressive,” and it’s frustrating to watch those who are seemingly naturally gifted with aggression succeed in ways that we don’t see in ourselves. But aggression isn’t natural, even if it does seem innate in some more than others. I contend that aggression feels natural to some due to having spent years cultivating it before they

Dracula Guard position - Muay Thai

Padwork with Daeng at Lanna – Dracula Guard (Long Guard Variation)

First a Little Bit About Daeng Daeng is one of the most fight-focused trainers I’ve trained with. When I was training at Lanna Muay Thai in Chiang Mai, it was Daeng who invested the most in diagnosing and fixing weaknesses in my fighting. He wasn’t my main trainer, but he’s a very good teacher and has a keen eye for finding how to improve on existing strengths and correct errors. I’d initially gotten a bit stuck with a technically brilliant but lazy and unmotivated trainer – that guy was a great trainer for some, just not for me – and Daeng

Arjan Surat - Dejrat Gym in Bangkok - Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu

Arjan Surat of Dejrat Gym – 1 Hour Private | Coach of the Thai National Team

Join and Study my Muay Thai Library of Legends This is a full video of a private I took with Arjan Surat, Head Coach of the Thai National Team, and owner of the esteemed (but lesser known to the west) Dejrat Gym in Bangkok. I did a short review of the gym when I interviewed female fighter Kaitlin Young, and it was then that I met Arjan Surat for the first time: an absolutely extraordinary teacher and life-force of Muay Thai. The man is Old School-Old School, telling me that he’s been holding pads longer than I’ve been alive (he’s

The Gendered Experience

Lindsey Newhall - Fightland - Muay Thai

Gender and Class – Muay Thai for the Masses in Thailand

photo credit above: Lindsey Newhall Fightland There is a great article by Lindsey Newhall “Muay Thai for the Rich” (Fightland) on a trend I’ve been following in thailand of a growing middle-class interest in Muay Thai, largely by women. A little strange that this particular corporate gym is in Isaan but Buriram is seeking to associate itself as a sport destination, so tje stadium and financing makes sense in that light. Do read the original article which spawned some interesting comment from James Gregory on my Facebook Page. He talks about his personal experience of training with Namkabhuan, the trainer

bev 2

Pumping Iron II: The Women – The Markers of Gender and The Problems of Definition

Earlier this week I watched “Pumping Iron II: The Women,” a counter-part of sorts to the Arnold Schwarzenegger versus Lou Ferrigno docu-drama from 1977, focusing on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia competitions.  “Pumping Iron II: The Women” focuses on the 1983 Caesar’s World Cup, a competition that is staged for the film and introduces the Australian phenom Bev Francis, a former Power Lifter making her debut in the US female body building competition circuit.  The drama and intrigue of the film is whether Francis’ other-worldly physique, which tips more toward male bodybuilders than the small, moderately muscular

Interview with Frances Watthanaya by Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu

Video Interview with Female Muay Thai Fighter Frances Watthanaya in Isaan

above is my 20 minute video Interview of Frances Watthanaya in Phutthaisong, Buriram – Isaan Read about my trip to Giatbundit Gym in Phutthaisong here. Read about and watch my fight for Giatbundit Gym in Buriram here. Talking with fighter, mother & wife Frances Watthanaya When I first “met” Frances online she was living in Canada and finishing up her degree.  She also is a mother to a young, intensely independent, little daughter named Parvati.  And she’s a Muay Thai fighter who is married to another Muay Thai fighter and now that she’s finished her degree and the family has

Nong Toom - the name nong

Ruminations on Gender, the Name “Nong” and Diminution in Muay Thai

Below are some ruminations on things I’ve picked up on in Thai culture These are suspicions I’ve arrived at through my various experiences and observations of Thai culture and should be taken as that, rather than claims of unarguable fact. I’m not fluent in Thai, neither the language nor the culture, but these are opinions I’ve formed through my experiences, observations and some academic research thus far. If anyone has further insight into or perspective on the language, gender and subculture I’d be glad to hear it. Thai Fighter Names and Gender Bias You can almost immediately spot female fighters

Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu - Chiang Mai University Library

Chiang Mai University (CMU) Main Library – CMU Post Office – Gender Studies

Where is the Chiang Mai University Library? When I first arrived in Chiang Mai, for whatever reason – maybe it was the language barrier as I had not yet progressed with my Thai, or maybe it was a mismatch between my Googling skills and everything not being available on an English search engine – but I could not figure out where exactly the Chiang Mai University Library was, despite the fact I live only a 15 minutes walk from CMU.  I really wanted to locate the library because there were several gender studies books that I wanted to delve into

loma-and-chommanee-interview

My Interview with Loma and Chommanee at Lookboonmee Gym

above, video interview with Loma and Chommanee One of the things that is surprising every single time I witness it is how humble, kind, and open fighters are outside of the ring. Even the superstars. I remember early in my career being thrown off by how nice my opponents seemed to be before a fight, I thought maybe they were tricking me by smiling and being sweet but then kicking my ass in the ring… but it’s not a front. That’s just actually how people are. The 16 Female Muay Thai Fighters I’ve Interviewed Loma Lookboonmee and Chommanee Taehiran are

crying in muay thai

There Is Crying in Muay Thai – Emotional Training

  I had lunch with Alicia Nowak yesterday, a young Polish woman who lives and trains Muay Thai in Vienna. We met through my Muay Thai Facebook page and I was surprised as we sat together across a table how easy it was to talk with her, to relate our experiences and struggles with training. It shouldn’t surprise me, as I honestly believe that no matter how different two people are who are training Muay Thai that a great deal of their experiences will be the same, but it was a delightful surprise. I mentioned – almost casually – that

My Broken Nose - Beauty Self Esteem and Fighting

My Broken Nose – Beauty, Self-Esteem and Fighting

My hands are shaking as I loosen the laces of my gloves, my fingers pruned and pale from all my sweating. I unwrap and fold the wet strips of linen so that I can hang them up to dry for afternoon training. Normally, Pi Nu is deciding at this point whether we’re going to do some insanely difficult conditioning drill together or scrap it for the morning because he’s too lazy. I’m hoping for the latter. He comes and stands in front of me, kind of watching me silently in this way that he does sometimes, trying to read me…

Lommanee - Tom Beauty - Muay Thai

Lommanee Tom Female Beauty – Muay Thai Angels Shows Support

About a year ago I wrote about the mixed blessing of attention that the World Muay Thai Angels show was bringing on female Muay Thai in Thailand: World Muay Thai Angels and the Benefit for Women.  At the time, the tournament was brand new and is still to date the biggest production for an all-female tournament. As I said then, I was concerned that the new “sexy” image of Muay Thai was specifically aimed at erasing the observably pervasive among male Thais’ idea that only Toms or “butch” women fought Muay Thai. (For more on Toms and their counterparts, Dees,

20-minutes-of-clinch-with-pettonpung-gym-mae-rim

Sharing Clinch Techniques | 20 Minutes Clinching with All-Female Gym [video]

In the video below some of the techniques being worked on: blade of the forearm lock to create leverage turns on the knee, waiting until on one foot small jerks to off balance, instead of continuous pressure moving forward and back to off balance inside thigh trip to turn and trip steering by the inside of the elbows the bounce to hide moves Spreading the Technique of Clinch This is a follow up post on my Passing Some Clinch Knowledge post on my visit to the Pettonpung gym about a month before this, where I showed my lock and a

Tom and Dees in Thailand - 8limbs.us

Reading Notes “Toms and Dees” by Megan Sinnott – Part 1

Why Toms and Dees? On more than one occasion I’ve heard from one of the men or teenaged males who corner for my fights that I will be fighting, “a tomboy.”  This information is always delivered with a smirk or mocking gesture or laughter as if it’s a joke that I’m in on.  The word “tomboy” for me holds a western connotation of a girl who likes to play with boys, masculine toys, play rough and usually dress in pants and a T-shirt.  It’s not a suggestive of a sexual orientation where I come from and, generally, it’s either something

hut

Menstrual Taboos and Cultural Relativism – Being An Ally

This is a bit of a free form thought response to reading a very interesting article. I wrote a blog post recently on the role of menstrual taboo in Thailand limiting women’s access to the top stadia and restricting equality and possibilities in Muay Thai, called “Can Bleed Like a Man – Lumpinee, Muay Thai, Culture, Sexism and Meme.” A lot of responses to that blog post were positive and thoughtful, even those that disagreed with my thesis that traditions which view and treat a class or group of persons as unclean, corrosive or polluting are simply unsustainable.  These views

Apollonius - Boxer at Rest Toughnes

The Fragility of Western Masculinity

Some of the questions raised by this article were followed up here: Do Women have a Commitment Advantage in Muay Thai This post also lead to me writing about the Myth of Overtraining and how Endurance is a Skill. There’s a type of dude who frequently appears in the gym in Thailand, looking to fight in Muay Thai.  Usually these guys already have a few fights under their belts and are in close-to-fighting-shape.  I specify that they’re “close to” fighting shape because these guys rarely identify themselves as being already in shape, or where they would want to be to

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