Muay Thai, fighting and training abroad

I trained Muay Thai, took a fight in Rio and won it by TKO. These are the pieces about fighting, training abroad and what the discipline of it changed — including the parts that were uncomfortable.

The first-hand Rio chapter

A personal fight account, followed by the wider habits and training stories.

Taking a fight as an ordinary adult

You do not need a childhood in the sport to end up in the ring, but you do need to be honest about the gap between training hard and being hit by someone who wants to stop you. My account of the fight in Rio covers the build-up, the nerves and how it actually went.

Why training abroad changes you faster

Living in Rio put Muay Thai training into my daily life rather than leaving it as a holiday activity. My original account is the source for the sessions and first fight. It is one experience, not evidence that training abroad guarantees faster progress. Coaching, suitable partners and appropriate supervision matter more than a romantic idea of a fight camp.

What it has in common with Army preparation

I can compare Muay Thai with my Army preparatory experience and endurance events, not with SAS selection, which I never attempted. Each put preparation into a different setting. None of them makes me a military instructor or a professional fighting coach.

The first fight on film

Footage of my first Muay Thai fight, uploaded 30 June 2014. The video description records a TKO stoppage after about a round and a half, while I was training two to three hours a day in Brazil. Watch on YouTube

Reader questions

Are you a professional fighter?: This collection describes my training and first fight in Rio. It does not claim a professional record or offer individual fight preparation.
Is this a fight-camp directory?: No. It is a historical first-person account. For current coaching, suitability and sparring arrangements, speak to a qualified gym rather than relying on an old diary.

The questions people ask

Training Muay Thai as an adult beginner

Get my 21 SAS reserve selection prep guide

What the stages are, what I was training to before I applied, and how I'd build the twelve weeks before a selection weekend. Written from my own application, free, no pitch.

The published stories

All writing