Larger venue for Muay Thai
After Fall Brawl 3 on Nov. 18, Kawartha Combat following up with Winter Warriors 2 card on March 3 at Memorial Centre
Kawartha Combat is ready to step up its game.
The local mixed martial arts gym on High St. has been open for five years and for the past three has run amateur Muay Thai and kickboxing cards at The Venue and Trentwinds International Centre. They will hold Fall Brawl 3 at The Venue on Nov. 18 but last week announced they will host the first full rules Muay Thai show, Winter Warriors 2, at the Memorial Centre on March 3.
Muay Thai is a combat sport similar to kickboxing except it allows the use of elbows and knees for striking. Last December, the sport was granted provisional Olympic status by the International Olympic Committee which gives the sport’s international governing body the ability to apply for participation in suture Olympic Games.
Kawartha Combat’s cards have attracted up to 500 spectators at The Venue and owner Kevin Henry says it’s time to try to reach a bigger audience.
“Our biggest show has been 500 people and we’re looking to triple that,” Henry said.
He attended the two professional boxing cards featuring Cody Crowley on May 10 and Sept. 30 which both attracted more than 3,000 fans to the PMC. Combined with similar crowds he’s seen there for Lakers lacrosse games it gave Henry the idea to try the larger venue.
“I liked the way it looked and the set up and the atmosphere and i thought why not give it a shot,” Henry said. “It was a great atmosphere when I saw that many people in the audience and I had a great time. I think our fighters are really talented and we can put some really familiar faces, every day people, in the ring and I think people will be blown away by the different techniques and discipline involved in Muay Thai.
“Some of our fighters are getting pretty experienced and gaining a bit of a reputation.”
To give the show extra drawing power they’ve teamed with Muay Thai Ontario to host a four-man tournament with two semifinal bouts and the winners advancing to fight for a provincial championship. The winner will get an all expenses paid trip to Bangkok, Thailand to train where the sport originated. Henry hopes to have a hometown competitor in the tournament.
“The four-man tournament is something that has never happened in Peterborough before,” he said. “You’ll get to see four really good fighters.”
The larger venue gives him more opportunity to sell sponsor tables at ringside. All tickets are purchased through the PMC box office which takes a load off Henry and some sponsors who have had to sell tickets in the past.
For many years Muay Thai was not a legal sport in Canada. A lot of work has gone into gaining government approval and setting up approved sanctioning groups. The provisional Olympic status adds another level of credibility and acceptance of the sport.
“People have been trying for years to make it an Olympic sport and now it’s on the way,” Henry said. “Some of these athletes you’ll see one day in the Olympics for sure.”
He’s aiming for 12 bouts with local competitors in the majority of them from Kawartha Combat and Dohjo Muay Thai. Among the local competitors expected to compete are Matt Loescher, Brett Blackwood and Henry may get in the ring, too. Other participating clubs include Lindsay’s Big Country MMA, Bowmanville’s Kal Samrit, Stirling ’s Rad Kickboxing and Belleville’s Loyalist Martial Arts.
The opening six bouts will feature novice competitors in head gear. The final six bouts will be open class matches with elbow pads the only protective gear.
Ticket prices are $30, $40 and $50 and available in person at the Collins Barrow Box Office, by phone at 705-743-3561 and online at www.memorialcentre.ca. For VIP tables email kawarthacombat@live.com.
Next month’s Fall Brawl 3 will also feature 12 bouts kicking off at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door. Those tickets are available at The Venue, Kawartha Combat, Mike’s Tattoos and Popeye’s Supplements.