(Duff)
THE NAME TRANSLATES
AS "LAND OF THE FREE," AND IT'S GIVEN BIRTH
TO ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DISTINCTIVE
AND DEVASTATING MARTIAL ARTS: THE PLACE IS THAILAND. THE FIGHTING STYLE:
MUAY THAI. (Chambers)
NOW WE'RE GOING TO EXPLORE
THE ANCIENT TEMPLES, MYSTERIOUS JUNGLE CAMPS, AND RAUCOUS FIGHTING PITS
OF THIS EXOTIC LAND IN A QUEST TO UNCOVER
THE SECRETS OF MUAY THAI, SECRETS ONE OF US
WILL HAVE TO USE IN A FIGHT
AGAINST A REAL MUAY THAI MASTER. WE'RE IN A BACK-ALLEY GYM
IN BANGKOK, THAILAND. YEAH, MUAY THAI IS EVERYWHERE. WE'RE ON A JOURNEY TO EXPLORE THE HISTORY
AND THE CULTURE OF MUAY THAI, AND WE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN. BECAUSE ONE OF US IS GOING
TO FIGHT A MUAY THAI CHAMPION. (male announcer)
THERE ARE HUNDREDS
OF DISTINCT FIGHTING STYLES IN THE WORLD. THEY ARE PRACTICED
IN EVERY NATION AND BY EVERY PEOPLE. NOW JASON CHAMBERS,
A MIXED MARTIAL ARTIST AND PROFESSIONAL FIGHTER... AND BILL DUFF,
A FORMER PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER AND WRESTLER... ARE EMBARKED ON A MISSION TO EXPLORE
THE HISTORY AND TECHNIQUES OF THESE INCREDIBLE
MARTIAL ARTS. AND AT THE END OF EACH JOURNEY, ONE OF THESE TWO WARRIORS
WILL FACE THE ULTIMATE TEST: THEY'LL TRY
TO SURVIVE A REAL FIGHT WITH A TRUE<i> HUMAN WEAPON.</i> (Duff)
ANY JOURNEY TO EXPLORE
THE WORLD'S MARTIAL ARTS SHOULD BEGIN HERE. THE PLACE IS BANGKOK, THAILAND. (Chambers)
THE CAPITAL CITY OF WHAT USED TO BE KNOWN
AS THE KINGDOM OF SIAM, BANGKOK IS LITERALLY
THE HOTTEST CITY IN THE WORLD. FAMOUS FOR ITS BUDDHIST TEMPLES
AND ITS SEX TRADE, IT'S HOME TO TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF SOME VERY TOUGH FIGHTERS, ALL TRAINED IN
THE THAI FIGHTING ART MUAY THAI. (Duff)
KNOWN AS THE SCIENCE
OF EIGHT LIMBS, MUAY THAI USES ALMOST
THE ENTIRE BODY AS A WEAPON. TRAINED TO USE THEIR FISTS,
LIKE WESTERN BOXERS, MUAY THAI FIGHTERS ALSO RELY
ON BOND-CRUSHING KICKS AND TWO STRIKES ALMOST UNIQUE
TO MUAY THAI, THE KNEE AND THE ELBOW. THIS COMBINATION
OF ATTACKS MAKES MUAY THAI A UNIQUELY DANGEROUS
MARTIAL ART. (Chambers)
THOUGH THE HISTORY OF MUAY THAI
IS SAID TO DATE BACK MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS, THE FIRST RECORD OF
THIS UNIQUE THAI FIGHTING STYLE COMES FROM
A 700-YEAR-OLD SCROLL CALLED THE CHIANG MAI ANNALS. ACCORDING TO THE ANNALS, IN 1411, TWO THAI PRINCES
FOUGHT EACH OTHER IN A MUAY THAI MATCH FOR THE THRONE OF SIAM. IN THE CENTURIES THAT FOLLOWED, THE THAIS USED
THIS VERY AGGRESSIVE HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT STYLE IN THEIR ONGOING BATTLES AGAINST THEIR TRADITIONAL
ENEMIES, THE BURMESE. (Duff)
THAT SAME FIGHTING STYLE,
MUAY THAI, IS STILL A VITAL PART
OF THAI CULTURE. [crowd shouting] THERE ARE OVER 65,000
PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS IN THAILAND. TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, THERE ARE JUST OVER 2,900
PROFESSIONAL BOXERS IN THE ENTIRE U.S. MOST MUAY THAI FIGHTERGIN
TRAINING AS YOUNG AS SIX. MANY TRAIN FIVE TO SIX HOURS
A DAY, SIX DAYS A WEEK, AND START
FIGHTING PROFESSIONALLY AS YOUNG AS EIGHT. AND ALL THAT WORK AND TRAINING
IS DEDICATED TO ONE MISSION: TO FIGHT HERE
AT LUMPINEE STADIUM. SO WE'RE HERE
AT LUMPINEE STADIUM, AT THE MECCA OF MUAY THAI. THIS IS THE PLACE
THAT EVERYONE ASPIRE TO COME. [man speaking over PA] (Duff)
THEY SMASH EACH OTHER
WITH KNEES, ELBOWS. THEY WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. THEY LOSE CHAMPIONSHIPS. IT'S A GREAT PLACE. [bell dings] [laughs] YEAH! (Chambers)
THIS IS LIKE
HUMAN COCKFIGHTING. YOU'VE GOT CHAIN-LINK FENCES,
SHEET METAL ROOFS. THERE'S NO AIR-CONDITIONING
IN HERE. THEIR GUYS ARE FIGHTING
IN 90-DEGREE WEATHER. IT'S POURING RAIN,
AND SOME SPOTS ARE LEAKING. OVERALL, THIS IS A VERY, VERY,
VERY INTENSE SITUATION. (Duff)
YOU COME HERE TO THIS STADIUM. I MEAN, BLOOD FLIES ON YOU. THESE GUYS DEMOLISH EACH OTHER. IT'S ABOUT
HURTING THE OTHER GUY AS BAD AS YOU CAN. I MEAN,
THESE GUYS ARE HUMAN WEAPONS. EVERYTHING ON THEIR BODY, THEY JUST SMASH
AGAINST EACH OTHER. IT'S INTIMIDATING;
IT REALLY IS. (Chambers)
FIGHTERS MUST BE AT LEAST 15
TO COMPETE IN LUMPINEE, AND THEY CAN WIN ANYWHERE
BETWEEN 150 TO 250 BUCKS FOR A TYPICAL FIGHT AND UP TO $2,500
FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP. IT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE MUCH MONEY FOR THE KIND
OF PUNISHMENT THEY TAKE, BUT WHEN YOU CONSIDER
THAT 250 BUCKS IS ABOUT WHAT A THAI
FACTORY WORKER MAKES IN A MONTH, IT MAKES MORE SENSE. (Duff)
THOUGH THE FIGHTS ARE BRUTAL, ACCORDING TO DAVID FARRELL, A FOREIGN FIGHTER
TRAINING IN BANGKOK, WE SHOULD'VE SEEN IT
BACK IN THE DAY. IN THE OLD STYLE KNOWN
AS MUAY BORAN, FIGHTERS DIDN'T WEAR GLOVES. INSTEAD,
THEY WRAPPED THEIR HANDS IN A TWISTED HEMP CLOTH
CALLED MUAY KAAD CHUEK. THE WRAPPING PROTECTS THE FIST
AND LEAVES WICKED CUTS. (Chambers)
SOME FIGHTERS EVEN DIPPED
THEIR WRAPPED FISTS INTO WATER TO HARDEN THE HEMP FIBERS
AND CAUSE EVEN MORE DAMAGE. BUT DAVID SAID THE STORY
OF DIPPING THEIR WRAPS IN GLASS IS PROBABLY A MYTH. THIS IS HOW THEY ACTUALLY
USED TO FIGHT? (Farrell)
THIS IS HOW THEY USED TO DRESS, HOW THEY USED TO FIGHT. IN THE OLD DAYS,
THERE WAS NO REFEREE. THEY WOULD JUST FIGHT
TO THE FINISH. (Duff)
NO BREAKS? (Farrell)
NO, LAST MAN STANDING. THERE USED TO BE A VERY HIGH
DEATH RATE IN MUAY THAI. (Chambers)
WITH NO ROUNDS,
NO PROTECTIVE GEAR, AND BASICALLY NO RULES, IT WASN'T SURPRISING TO LEARN
THAT DEATH WAS NOT UNCOMMON IN THE OLD MUAY BORAN FIGHTS. BUT THAT ALL CHANGED IN 1929, WHEN KING RAMA VII REINTRODUCED THE CLEANED-UP SPORT
OF MUAY THAI. (Duff)
EVEN WITH THE ADVENT
OF MODERN EQUIPMENT, LIKE BOXING RINGS, GLOVES,
AND MOUTH GUARDS, THE RISK OF INJURY
IS STILL VERY HIGH IN MUAY THAI. AS MANY AS 20% OF FIGHTS END
IN A KNOCKOUT. CONCUSSIONS, BROKEN JAWS,
AND CRACKED RIBS ARE COMMON. (Chambers)
I'VE NEVER SEEN SOMEBODY
GET KNOCKED OUT WITH AN ELBOW BEFORE. KID CAUGHT AN ELBOW
RIGHT TO THE TOP OF THE HEAD. BLOOD STARTED
POURING OUT OF HIS MOUTH. IT WAS DISGUSTING. AND THEY'RE JUST
BRUTALIZING EACH OTHER. THIS HAS OPENED MY EYES UP
SO MUCH MORE. (Duff)
STILL RATTLED
FROM THE VICIOUS KNOCKOUT WE HAD JUST WITNESSED, DAVID INTRODUCED US TO ONE OF THE LEGENDARY MASTERS
OF MUAY THAI, KRU SITYODTONG. AT 64 YEARS OLD, KRU YODTONG
HAD PERSONALLY TRAINED OVER 20 LUMPINEE CHAMPS. (Duff)
KRU YODTONG CHALLENGED US TO IMMERSE OURSELVES
IN MUAY THAI AND TO VISIT HIM AT HIS CAMP
AT THE END OF OUR JOURNEY. THERE HE PROMISED TO GIVE ONE
OF US THE ULTIMATE TEST: AN OPPORTUNITY
TO TRY TO SURVIVE A FIGHT WITH HIS CHAMPION. WHAT'S HIS NAME? YODDECHA. YODDECHA. <i>[speaking Thai]</i> WHAT'D HE SAY? (Duff)
THE CHAMPION WE WOULD FACE
WAS CALLED YODDECHA. A FORMER LUMPINEE CHAMP, YODDECHA HAS OVER 150 FIGHTS
UNDER HIS BELT. AS AN INTERNATIONAL CHAMPION, HIS RECORD IS 70 WINS,
12 LOSSES, AND 2 TIES. THE GUY
IS A SERIOUS HUMAN WEAPON. EVEN THOUGH
WE'RE BOTH EXPERIENCED FIGHTERS IN OUR OWN DISCIPLINES, GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH THIS GUY
IS GOING TO BE HARD-CORE. (Duff)
IF I HAVE
TO END UP FIGHTING THIS GUY, THE EGO SIDE OF YOU WANTS
TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE 30 POUNDS BIGGER
THAN THE GUY. YOU'VE TRAINED. BUT THE DUDE'S A CHAMP. THIS GUY HAS, LIKE,
CRUSHED DUDES WHO HAVE TRAINED
TO BREAK HIS SKULL. SITYODTONG'S FIGHTER
IS AN ANIMAL. I DON'T CARE WHAT HE DOES. IF HE COMES CLOSE TO ME,
I'M GRIPPING HIM UP AND I'M GOING
TO SLAM HIM ON THE MAT. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT,
WE GOT CALLED OUT. KRU YODTONG, HE'S GOT SOMEONE
FOR US TO FIGHT. YEAH, HE'S GOT THE EQUIVALENT OF US FIGHTING
MIKE FREAKIN' TYSON. HE'S NOT JUST SOMEONE. THIS DUDE CRUSHES SKULLS, HITS PEOPLE WITH ELBOWS,
THROWS KNEES. JASON, WE ARE NOT READY
FOR THIS GUY. WE HAVE TO TRAIN;
WE HAVE TO START NOW. WE HAVE
TO GET THROUGH THAILAND, FIND OUT
WHAT MUAY THAI'S ALL ABOUT. ■■ (Chambers)
WE BEGAN AT FAIRTEX GYM, WHERE WE MET UP AGAIN
WITH DAVID. ESTABLISHED IN 1975, FAIRTEX HAS PRODUCED
OVER 30 WORLD CHAMPIONS AND IS FAMOUS FOR TURNING OUT SOME OF THE HARDEST KICKERS
IN THE SPORT. IF WE WERE GOING
TO HAVE A CHANCE IN THE RING, WE'D NEED TO MASTER
A POWERFUL KICK, AND FAST. (Duff)
THE KICK IS A FUNDAMENTAL STRIKE
IN MUAY THAI. LIKE THE JAB
IN WESTERN BOXING, THE KICK IS THE
LONG-RANGE WEAPON OF THE SPORT AND CAN BE USED IN OFFENSE
TO TAKE AN OPPONENT DOWN OR IN DEFENSE
TO KEEP HIM AT A DISTANCE. UNLIKE IN OTHER STYLES,
MUAY THAI FIGHTERS LIVE AND DIE BY THEIR ABILITY
TO DELIVER PUNISHING KICKS TO THE OPPONENT'S LEGS. <i> (Farrell)
AND HERE WE ARE.</i> WHOLE LOT
OF BUTT-KICKERY GOING ON. (Farrell)
ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING
TO COME AND INTRODUCE YOU TO ONE OF THE TOP TRAINERS HERE,
SAMRANSAK, ONE OF THE TOP TRAINERS FOR TO TEACH YOU
HOW TO KICK HARD HERE. (Duff)
THIS IS A TOTALLY NEW KIND
OF STRIKE FOR ME. NOT BAD, NOT BAD, EH? (Duff)
COMING FROM FOOTBALL
AND WRESTLING, WHERE IT'S A LOT OF UPPER BODY, A KICK REQUIRES
TOTALLY DIFFERENT MUSCLES AND A LOT OF TECHNIQUE. THIS HAND HERE, STILL-- YOUR HAND'S COMING OVER. YOU GOT
TO PROTECT YOURSELF HERE. THAT'S A LOT TO LEARN--
HANDS UP. THIS HANDS HERE;
THIS HAND'S HERE. EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE ATTACKING, YOU'RE STILL
THINKING OF YOUR DEFENSE. THEY'RE SO MUCH MORE TECHNICAL
THAN THE STATES. I CAME OVER HERE THINKING,
YOU KNOW, "I'VE BOXED FOR YEARS," I THOUGHT MY STUFF WAS TIGHT. AND IT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT, EVERYTHING
FROM AN INCH ON YOUR FOOT TO HOW YOU TURN YOUR HIPS. NOW YOU'RE GETTING IT. HE LIKES WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW. THIS IS WHAT WE WOULD CALL
BACK HOME THE POWER ANGLE KICK, REASON BEING BECAUSE
IT GENERATES A LOT OF POWER AND YOU'RE
COMING IN FROM AN ANGLE. (Chambers)
THE KICK'S POWER COMES
FROM THE TORQUE GENERATED BY THE ROTATION OF THE HIPS. IT'S THE SAME PRINCIPLE
THAT CRACKS A WHIP. TURNING THE HIPS
JUST A FEW DEGREES FORCES THE FOOT TO TRAVEL
A MUCH GREATER DISTANCE AND CREATES A LOT OF SPEED
AS IT DOES. THE LONGER THE LEG
AND QUICKER THE ROTATION, THE FASTER THE KICK. AND UNLIKE KARATE, MUAY THAI FIGHTERS
ARE ALSO TAUGHT TO STRIKE WITH THE HARD BONE
OF THE SHIN. A MUAY THAI KICK CAN GENERATE ROUGHLY THE SAME FORCE
AS A BASEBALL BAT, ENOUGH TO CRACK A RIB
OR A LEG. IF YOU'RE DOING THAT FULL-FORCE,
DROPPING DOWN, BAM, FIVE OR TEN OF THOSE, AND THE GUY'S NOT GOING
TO BE ABLE TO WALK. HE'S GOING TO BE
THINKING ABOUT HIS LEG. (Chambers)
WE'VE BEEN TOLD
KICKS DON'T COUNT UNLESS YOU DAMAGE
THE OTHER PERSON. "DAMAGE THE OTHER PERSON"-- THAT'S NOT SOMETHING
MOST PEOPLE WANT TO SIGN UP FOR. OKAY, ABOUT 5,000 MORE OF THOSE,
AND YOU'LL BE DOING PRETTY GOOD. BETTER? PERFECT. IT'LL NEED TO BE. OUR JOURNEY TO UNDERSTAND
MUAY THAI HAS JUST BEGUN, BUT ALREADY IT'S CLEAR
THAT WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. (Chambers)
FOR CENTURIES, THE THAI PEOPLE
HAVE USED MUAY THAI TO BATTLE THEIR ENEMIES, WHICH IS WHY
THE ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY AT NAKHON NAYOK STILL TRAINS EVERY CADET IN THE BASICS
OF THIS ANCIENT MARTIAL ART. (Duff)
BUT WE'VE COME TO THE ACADEMY
FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL. SINCE 1960, NAKHON NAYOK IS THE ONLY
MILITARY SCHOOL IN THAILAND THAT TEACHES
A UNIQUE VERSION OF MUAY THAI CALLED LERDRIT. CREATED
BY COLONEL WISITH LERDRIT, LERDRIT IS TAUGHT ONLY
TO A SELECT GROUP OF SOLDIERS AND FOCUSES ON POWERFUL,
ACCURATE STRIKES, DEADLY MOVES THAT CAN END
A FIGHT IN A SINGLE BLOW. JASON. I'M COLONEL SUPACHOK. <i>(Duff)
WE CAME ALL THIS WAY</i> TO LEARN ABOUT
THE FIGHTING ART OF MUAY THAI. OH, MUAY THAI. <i>(Duff)
WE WANT TO KNOW LERDRIT.</i> (Chambers)
CAN WE SEE SOME OF THIS? CAN YOU SHOW US
A FEW MOVES? (Chambers)
TO SHOW US WHAT HE MEANT, THE COLONEL GAVE US
A DEMONSTRATION. [bricks shattering] (Duff)
WOW. TIME FOR MY TEST. HIT HARD. YEAH. FOCUS THROUGH THE BRICKS. SEE IT BREAK
IN YOUR HEAD. [inhales] [yells] OOH. [applause] NOT BAD. I THINK
I SHATTERED THAT ONE. (Chambers)
CRUSHING CONCRETE,
LIKE KNOCKING OUT AN OPPONENT, IS ALL ABOUT AREA OF IMPACT. A TYPICAL BRICK CAN SUPPORT
ABOUT 675 POUNDS OF STATIC LOAD. THE HUMAN HAND CAN GENERATE
JUST ABOUT THAT MUCH FORCE, BUT BY CONCENTRATING IT
IN A SMALL AREA-- THE EDGE OF THE PALM-- IT'S ENOUGH
TO TURN THAT BRICK INTO RUBBLE. (Duff)
THAT SAME FOCUS AND ACCURACY
ARE THE CORE OF LERDRIT AND ARE THE SAME PRINCIPLES
THAT UNDERLIE THE MOST DEVASTATING STRIKE
IN MUAY THAI: THE ELBOW. COLONEL SUPACHOK TOOK US
TO THE MILITARY GYM FOR ADDITIONAL TRAINING. <i> (Chambers)
IT'S TOO FAR TO PUNCH,</i> SO YOU'D USE ELBOWS. CAN YOU SHOW US <i> HOW TO USE
SOME OF THOSE ELBOWS?</i> REMEMBER, I'M NOT A BRICK. OKAY. [speaks Thai] UH-HUH. AND THEN-- YOU'LL SEE IT COMING. ALL RIGHT, THAT WAS CLOSE. [thud] UH-HUH. HOW WAS THAT? THAT WAS JUST THE FOREARM, TOO. THAT WASN'T THE POINT. THAT WAS PRETTY WICKED. (Chambers)
AS BILL'S BRICK CAN TESTIFY, HUMAN BONES CAN RESIST
40 TIMES MORE STRESS THAN CONCRETE. AND UNLIKE MOST STRIKES THAT LAND WITH SOME COMBINATION
OF FLESH AND BONE, THE ELBOW IS ALMOST PURE BONE. (Duff)
BASICALLY, IT WORKS
LIKE A POINT OF A KNIFE. ALL THE FORCE IS MAGNIFIED BY BEING CONCENTRATED
IN THIS SMALL, HARD AREA. EVEN IF THE ELBOW
DOESN'T DELIVER A KNOCKOUT, IT WILL ALMOST ALWAYS LEAVE
A NASTY CUT AND OFTEN END A FIGHT. <i>(Supachok)
OKAY, THAT GOOD.</i> YOU'RE UP, JASON. OKAY, NOT BAD. IT'S OKAY? MM-HMM. LOOKED GOOD? WHOSE ELBOW WAS BETTER? HIM OR ME? I THINK HIM. [laughs] I'M THE ELBOW CHAMPION. WITH THE LONG-RANGE
POWER ANGLE KICK AND THE FIGHT-STOPPING
ELBOW STRIKE, WE'VE MADE A GOOD START AT BUILDING
OUR MUAY THAI ARSENAL. BUT THERE'S STILL
A LOT TO LEARN. TO TRULY UNDERSTAND MUAY THAI, IT'S TIME
TO GO DEEP INTO THAI HISTORY TO EXPLORE
HOW MUAY THAI WAS USED ON THE BATTLEFIELDS
OF ANCIENT SIAM. NOW WE WERE HEADED
BACK TO BANGKOK TO CATCH A BOAT. (Duff)
IN THIS CASE, THE BOAT'S
A THAI LONG-TAILED CANOE. POWERED BY A 440 BIG-BLOCK V-8, THE LONG, NARROW VESSELS
ARE UNIQUELY DESIGNED TO OPERATE IN THE HUNDREDS
OF KILOMETERS OF CANALS IN THE BUSY CHAO PHRAYA RIVER THAT GAVE BANGKOK THE NICKNAME
"THE VENICE OF THE EAST." (Chambers)
WITH NO HOUSING
FOR THE BIG ENGINES, THESE SUCKERS
ARE FAST AND LOUD. [motor revving] WE'RE FOLLOWING
THE CHAO PHRAYA RIVER-- "THE RIVER OF KINGS"--
50 MILES, FROM THE MODERN CAPITAL
OF BANGKOK TO THE ANCIENT CAPITAL
OF SIAM, AYUTTHAYA. (Duff)
ESTABLISHED IN 1350, THE CITY WAS ONCE
THE CENTER OF AN EMPIRE THAT INCLUDED MUCH
OF WHAT IS TODAY LAOS, CAMBODIA, AND MYANMAR. AT ITS HEIGHT IN THE 1700s, THE CITY HAD MORE
THAN A MILLION INHABITANTS-- TWICE AS MANY AS LONDON
AT THAT TIME. IT WAS HERE, DURING A WAR
AGAINST THE BURMESE IN 1592, THAT ONE OF THAILAND'S
MOST FAMOUS WARRIORS, KING NARESUAN, ESTABLISHED THE DOMINANCE
OF THE EMPIRE OF SIAM. (Chambers)
TRAINED
IN BOTH THE UNARMED COMBAT THAT BECAME MUAY THAI AND THE WEAPONS-BASED COMBAT
KNOWN AS KRABI KRABONG, NARESUAN AND HIS ARMY DEFEATED
THE CROWN PRINCE OF BURMA. ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY,
WE MET UP WITH KONG, A HISTORIAN AND STUDENT
OF THAI MARTIAL ARTS. KONG LED US TO A TEMPLE
OF WAT PUTTHAISAWAN. BUT THIS
IS NO ORDINARY BUDDHIST TEMPLE. IT ALSO SERVED
AS A MILITARY SCHOOL FOR THAI WARRIORS,
PRINCES, AND KINGS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS. (Dithywathana)
WELL, WAT PUTTHAISAWAN
IS A VERY OLD TEMPLE. IT WAS FIRST BUILT BY KING U-THONG, THE FIRST KING
OF AYUTTHAYA, IN 1350. WOW. (Duff)
IT WAS IN THIS TEMPLE
AND OTHERS LIKE IT THAT THE FIGHTING ART THAT CAME
TO BE KNOWN AS MUAY THAI WAS FORMALIZED. [sticks clicking] OF COURSE, BACK THEN,
MUAY THAI WASN'T JUST A SPORT. IT WAS COMBAT TRAINING,
AS OUTLINED IN THE CHUPASART, A WARFARE MANUAL
THAT WAS LIKELY PRODUCED UNDER KING RAMATHIBODI II
SOMETIME IN THE EARLY 1500s. AND IT WENT HAND-IN-HAND,
OR HAND-IN-SWORD, WITH THE WEAPONS TRAINING
KNOWN AS KRABI KRABONG. (Chambers)
SO HOW DOES KRABI KRABONG
GO TOGETHER WITH MUAY THAI? (Dithywathana)
KRABI KRABONG
IS THE ART OF USING WEAPONS, BUT IN THE WARFARE, IF YOU HAPPEN
TO DROP YOUR WEAPONS, YOU HAVE TO USE
HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT, WHICH IS MUAY THAI. (Chambers)
THE BASIC WEAPONS
IN THE THAI ARSENAL WERE: THE KRABI,
OR CURVED SWORD, OFTEN ONE IN EACH HAND; THE PLONG, OR STAFF; THE NGAO, A BLADED STAFF
DESIGNED TO BE USED FROM ELEPHANT BACKS; AND THE MAI SAWK,
A PAIR OF CLUBS THAT COULD BE WORN
ON THE FOREARMS. I FEEL LIKE I'M IN A REALLY COOL
JET LI FLICK RIGHT NOW. THESE DISTINCTIVE WEAPONS HELPED THAILAND REPEL
ITS ENEMIES FOR CENTURIES, AND EACH WEAPON HAD AN ANALOGUE
IN THE UNARMED COMBAT THAT BECAME MUAY THAI. (Duff)
IT'S SO ATHLETIC. IS THE ONE THING
THAT REALLY SURPRISED ME IS, I EXPECTED TO COME OVER AND SEE THIS CULTURAL DANCE
WITH SWORDS AND STUFF, BUT IT'S NOT. THESE GUYS
ARE REALLY ATHLETES OUT IN THE SUN
AND WORKING HARD. TOO BAD WE WEREN'T ALLOWED
TO BRING A SWORD INTO THE RING. BUT THE SCHOOL COULD TEACH US
ANOTHER MOVE TO ADD TO OUR ARSENAL, ONE THAT WORKED SEAMLESSLY
WITH WEAPONS OR WITHOUT: THE KNEE STRIKE. IS THERE ANY WAY
THAT YOU COULD SHOW US A KRABI KRABONG MOVE THAT WOULD TRANSLATE
INTO HELPING US WITH MUAY THAI? OH, YEAH, OF COURSE, YES. THE PUSH KICK
TO STOP THE SWORD AND THEN-- LIKE A THIEP? THIEP, YES. <i>(Duff)
EVERYTHING STARTS
WITH THE DEFENSE.</i> YES, BECAUSE IT'S WAY DIFFICULT
TO START WITH THE OFFENSE <i> WHEN THE OTHER PERSON HAS
WEAPON ON HAND.</i> OH, THAT WORKS. OH, THERE IT GOES, WOW. YOU LIKE THAT? YEAH,
THAT'S THE ONE I'M GOING TO DO. OH, REALLY? YEAH. <i>(Duff)
YOU TAKE THE BIG ONE;
I'LL TAKE THE LITTLE ONE.</i> OH, WELL, THAT AIN'T GONNA--
OKAY. I'LL WORK WITH YOU. HE CAN GET HIS BUTT KICKED
BY HIM. YOU HAVE THE SWORD. I WANT TO WORK WITH HIM. AND THEN GO TO YOUR KNEE. (Duff)
EVERYWHERE I LOOK,
EVERYWHERE I GO, THEY'RE A LOT FASTER THAN ME, AND THE MOVE I LEARNED
REALLY IS GOING TO HELP ME, BECAUSE I NEED
TO GET A HOLD OF THESE GUYS. IF THEY GET TOO SLIPPERY ON ME
AND TOO SNAKY ON ME, I GOT TO GET A HOLD OF THEM
RIGHT BEHIND THEIR NECK AND LAY SOME KNEES IN. GETTING IN CLOSE NEUTRALIZES
THE OPPONENT'S WEAPON ADVANTAGE. THEN, IN THE CLINCH, WE BRING
THE POWER OF THE KNEE TO BEAR. UNLIKE THE KICK, WHICH RELIES
ON ROTATION TO CREATE POWER, THE KNEE GETS ITS POWER
FROM LEVERAGE. PULLING OUR OPPONENT DOWN
AS WE DRIVE THE KNEE UP CAN DELIVER
UP TO 2.5 TONS OF FORCE, ENOUGH TO LIFT A CAR. (Chambers)
WE'RE BIGGER THAN
THE AVERAGE MUAY THAI FIGHTER, SO I THINK
WE'RE REALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT CLINCH WORK AND THE KNEES
THAT HE WAS SHOWING AND DEVISE A LITTLE BIT
OF A GAME PLAN NOW, BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE
TO SEE THE KICKING, THE ELBOWS, AND NOW INTO
THE CLINCH OF THE KNEES. (Duff)
I'M A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS,
A LITTLE STRESSED, THINKING ABOUT
THE GUY I GOT TO FIGHT, THE LUMPINEE CHAMPION. I'M SURE HE'S AS TOUGH AS NAILS, AND HE PROBABLY CHEWS ON DIRT
AND SPITS IT OUT. BUT YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING
TO BACK DOWN FROM HIM. (Chambers)
KICKS, ELBOWS, KNEES. BUT THESE ARE ONLY SIX
OF THE EIGHT LIMBS. (Duff)
THE CLOCK WAS RUNNING OUT
ON OUR JOURNEY. IN JUST A FEW DAYS, ONE OF US WOULD FACE
A CHAMPION IN THE RING. (Chambers)
AND EVEN THOUGH WE WERE BOTH
EXPERIENCED FIGHTERS, WE COULD TELL THAT WE WERE
A LONG WAY FROM READY, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE TRAVELED
TO LOP BURI, ALSO CALLED THE MONKEY CITY, TO LEARN A UNIQUE PUNCH TO ROUND OUT
OUR EIGHT-LIMBED ARSENAL. OUR DESTINATION IS
A THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD TEMPLE IN THE CENTER OF TOWN. (Duff)
AT THE TEMPLE, WE MET A LOCAL HISTORIAN
NAMED SOMSAK WANNAKLANG WHO EXPLAINED LOP BURI'S
CONNECTION TO MUAY THAI. <i> ME AND JASON HAVE NOTICED
THERE'S A LOT OF MONKEYS HERE.</i> <i> CAN YOU TELL US WHY?</i> A LITTLE BIT. CAN YOU TELL US MORE
ABOUT HANUMAN? (Duff)
SOMSAK TOLD US THAT HANUMAN
IS THE HINDU MONKEY GOD BELIEVED TO HAVE FOUNDED
THE CITY OF LOP BURI. HANUMAN ALSO SERVED
AS THE INSPIRATION FOR A LOCAL STYLE OF MUAY THAI
CALLED MUAY THAI LOP BURI. IS THAT RELATED
TO THE MONKEYS HERE? CAN WE LEARN
SOME OF THOSE MOVEMENTS? <i> THAT WOULD REALLY HELP,</i> <i> BECAUSE WE HAVE
A FIGHT COMING UP,</i> AND THESE MONKEYS
SEEM TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING. SOMSAK INTRODUCED BILL AND I
TO A LOCAL MUAY THAI MASTER, KRU PRADIT LEKPHONG, WHO PRACTICES A DERIVATIVE
OF THE HANUMAN STYLE. (Duff)
THIS IS THE HANUMAN STYLE? OKAY. (Chambers)
THE MOVE IS CALLED
HANUMAN THAWAI WAEN, OR HANUMAN PRESENTS THE RING. BASED ON A 2,000-YEAR-OLD
HINDU EPIC CALLED THE<i> RAMAYANA,</i> THE MOVE RECREATES
HANUMAN'S GIVING OF A MAGICAL RING
TO A GODDESS. IT ALSO LOOKS
LIKE A GOOD WAY TO KNOCK THE CRAP
OUT OF SOMEBODY. TO EXECUTE THE MOVE, A DEFENDER STEPS INSIDE
AND DELIVERS BOTH FISTS INTO THE UNDERSIDE
OF HIS OPPONENT'S CHIN. LOOK AT THAT.
I MOVED THE MONKEY. DOWNHILL I WENT. I'LL SEND YOU A POSTCARD. THAT WAS A GOOD ONE. <i> THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD ONE.</i> (Duff)
IT'S NOT THE ARMS BUT THE LEGS
THAT DRIVE OUR FISTS. LIKE A PISTON,
THE EXPLOSIVE POWER OF THE LEGS IS CAPABLE OF GENERATING
HUNDREDS OF POUNDS OF FORCE ALL TO A VERY VULNERABLE AREA, THE SOFT UNDERSIDE
OF THE OPPONENT'S JAW. IT'S GOOD DEFENSIVE. YOU BLOCK. YOU GET IN.
YOU POUND 'EM. IT'S TIME TO PUT THIS
INTO ACTION. IT'S GONNA WORK
FOR YOU, MAN. YOU'RE GONNA BE REALLY STRONG
IN THE CLINCH; THAT'S FOR SURE. (Duff)
LEAVING MYTHOLOGY BEHIND,
WE HEADED TO SARA BURI, A GRITTY FACTORY TOWN IN THE MIDDLE
OF THAILAND'S CENTRAL PLAINS, FAMOUS FOR TURNING OUT
RELENTLESS FIGHTERS. OUR MISSION
WAS TO MEET MASTER KRU TONG, ) ONE OF ONLY 11 PROMOTERS ALLOWED TO SEND FIGHTERS
TO LUMPINEE STADIUM, AND PRACTICE OUR NEW MOVE
IN HIS TRAINING RING. RURAL CAMPS LIKE THIS ONE
IN SARA BURI ARE ACTUALLY WHERE MANY
OF THE MUAY THAI FIGHTERS GET THEIR FIRST START. WE'RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE HERE
WITH RURAL MASTER KING TONG, WHO'S GONNA TEACH US HOW TO TAKE
THE HANUMAN TECHNIQUES AND USE THEM IN THE RING. AS MASTER KRU TONG
SHOWED US AROUND, WE DISCOVERED THAT MANY
OF THE YOUNG FIGHTERS HE TRAINS ARE POOR KIDS FROM
THE SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE. FOR THEM, MUAY THAI IS THE ONLY WAY OUT
OF THIS HARDCORE POVERTY. BUT THEY DON'T JUST TRAIN
AT KRU TONG'S CAMP. MORE THAN 15 OF THEM
LIVE HERE TOO. SUDDENLY MY TWO-A-DAY TRAINING
IN PRO FOOTBALL DIDN'T SEEM SO BAD. (Chambers)
THIS IS WHERE
A LUMPINEE CHAMPION SLEEPS. NO ONE IN AMERICA
CAN EVER COMPLAIN AGAIN, NOT TO ME. (Chambers)<i>
HE'S IN ABOUT
A 12x10-FOOT ROOM.</i> <i> IT'S GOT CINDER BLOCKS,
A DILAPIDATED FAN WITH COBWEBS.</i> LOOK WHERE HE SLEEPS. IT'S NOT EVEN A BED.
IT'S JUST A MAT. IT'S JUST A MAT
WITH DISNEY CHARACTERS ON IT. (Chambers)<i>
BUT TRAINING IS MOTIVATIONAL.</i> <i> YOU OPEN YOUR DOOR,
AND THE RING IS RIGHT THERE.</i> MANY FIGHTERS BEGIN TRAINING AS YOUNG AS SIX
OR SEVEN YEARS OLD AND CAN BE SEASONED PROS
BY THE AGE OF 15. MANY FIGHT AS OFTEN
AS TWICE A MONTH, COMPARED TO A WESTERN BOXER WHO MAY FIGHT NO MORE
THAN A FEW TIMES A YEAR. DUE TO THE PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT
OF A MUAY THAI MATCH, MOST FIGHTERS
RETIRE BY THEIR MID-20s, SOME HAVING FOUGHT
AS MANY AS 150 FIGHTS, COMPARED TO ABOUT
40 CAREER FIGHTS FOR A BOXER. THIS PLACE IS REALLY LIKE
A NO-FRILLS GYM. YEAH, IT'S ABOUT AS RURAL
AS YOU CAN GET. YEAH, WELL,
THAT'S GOOD, MAN. THIS IS PRETTY HARDCORE. (Duff)
INSIDE THE ROPES, WE DEMONSTRATE
TO MASTER KRU TONG THE HANUMAN MOVE WE HAD JUST PICKED UP
IN LOP BURI. NOW, WE WANT TO KNOW
CAN WE USE THAT HERE? NO. [speaking native language] HE SAID IT'S NOT REALLY
GONNA WORK IN THE RING. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE MOVE,
WHILE POWERFUL, IS TOO SLOW TO USE
AGAINST A SERIOUS FIGHTER. AND BECAUSE BOTH FISTS
ARE INVOLVED IN THE ATTACK, IT LEAVES US DANGEROUSLY
EXPOSED TO A COUNTERSTRIKE. KRU TONG ADAPTED
OUR HANUMAN MOVE AND TURNED IT
INTO A FLYING KNEE STRIKE. OH, I LIKE THAT MUCH BETTER. IT WAS JUST THE WEAPON
WE WERE LOOKING FOR, THE PERFECT TRANSLATION
OF ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY INTO A TRUE FIGHTING TECHNIQUE. THAT IS NICE. YEAH. (Duff)
LIKE THE HANUMAN MOVE,
THE FLYING KNEE RELIES ON THE EXPLOSIVE POWER
OF THE LEGS. BUT RATHER THAN SPREAD THE POWER
OF OUR BLOW OVER TWO FISTS, IT CONCENTRATES IT
INTO A SPEAR POINT OF THE KNEE AND COMBINES IT
WITH THE FORCE OF GRAVITY. IT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF HITTING
OUR OPPONENT IN THE CHEST WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER. THIS LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING
THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO USE A LOT MORE EFFECTIVELY, 'CAUSE YOU CAN PUT
MORE BODY WEIGHT BEHIND IT, AND MY KNEE'S
A LITTLE JACKED, SO... WELL, MAYBE WE SHOULD GET
SOME GLOVES ON, DO A LITTLE SPARRING. ALL RIGHT, YEAH,
THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. (Duff)
THEY'RE TOUGH KIDS.
THEY REALLY WANT TO FIGHT. THAT'S THE THING
I NOTICED RIGHT AWAY. HE GOT IN THE RING,
HE'S HALF MY SIZE, AND HE SMILED AT ME. THIS IS A NEW KIND
OF FIGHTING FOR ME. IN FOOTBALL OR WRESTLING, IT'S MUCH MORE HEAD TO HEAD. THERE'S A LOT MORE MOVEMENT, A LOT MORE BOBBING
AND WEAVING. I LAID ONE IN;
HE LAID ONE IN. I LAID ONE IN;
HE LAID ONE IN. AND THEN THE ONLY ONE
I REALLY FELT WAS ONE OF THE BACK KNEES. HE HIT ME WITH ONE
OF THE BACK KNEES AND HE REALLY LAID IT IN. SO I KNEW
HE WAS KIND OF SAYING, "HEY, YOU KNOW,
THIS IS MY RING. I'M HERE,
AND THIS IS WHAT I CAN DO." I COULD TELL
THAT MY BIG ADVANTAGE WOULD BE IN THE CLINCH, WHERE MY SIZE
AND WRESTLING SKILL WOULD MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. [dramatic music] ♪ ♪ NOT ONE OF THESE GUYS
IS GONNA BACK DOWN. I DON'T CARE
IF THEY'RE 12 OR 20. THEY'RE GONNA STEP IN
AND THEY'RE GONNA WANT TO TRY TO TAKE ON
THE BIG WHITE GUY FROM JERSEY. SO I'M GOING TO GIVE THEM
EVERYTHING I'VE GOT. (Chambers)
THEN IT WAS MY TURN. [dramatic music] ♪ ♪ EVEN IN SPARRING, IT'S CLEAR THIS IS
A DIFFERENT KIND OF FIGHTING THAN I'M USED TOO. IT'S A LOT MORE STRATEGIC. GETTING INSIDE
IS GOING TO BE KEY IN THE BIG FIGHT. I KEPT MY HANDS UP
THE WHOLE TIME. HE DIDN'T LAND ONE CLEAN SHOT
ON MY FACE. A COUPLE OF KNEES INSIDE, BUT ALL THE KICKS
I WAS KIND OF ABLE TO CATCH AND GIVE BACK AT HIM. SO OVERALL,
I GIVE MYSELF A C-PLUS, BUT I NEED TO BRING IT UP
TO AN "A," BECAUSE THE GUY I'M POSSIBLY
GONNA BE FIGHTING IS BIGGER THAN HIM,
BETTER THAN HIM, FASTER THAN HIM TOO. AND HE'S NOT
GONNA BE JUST TAPPING ME. HE'S GONNA BE TRYING
TO MAKE THOSE KNEES THAT CONNECTED
WITH THIS PART OF MY CHEST CONNECT WITH THE OTHER PART
OF MY BACK. (Chambers)
WE'RE HEADED NORTH, DEEP INTO THE JUNGLE
NEAR THE RIVER KHWAE, ON THE BORDER WITH WHAT
USED TO BE CALLED BURMA BUT IS NOW MYANMAR. THIS REGION IS SECOND
ONLY TO AFGHANISTAN WHEN IT COMES
TO THE HEROIN TRADE. AND GUN BATTLES
STILL BREAK OUT BETWEEN SMUGGLERS
AND THAI SECURITY FORCES. BUT WE WERE ON OUR WAY
TO THE CAMP OF KRU PREANG, MASTER OF A SECRETIVE FORM
OF MUAY THAI CALLED CHAIYA. I FEEL LIKE WE'RE INFILTRATING
A NINJA CAMP. (Duff)
THAILAND IS 95% BUDDHIST,
SO WE WEREN'T SURPRISED WHEN KRU PREANG
WELCOMED US TO HIS CAMP WITH A TRADITIONAL
BUDDHIST CEREMONY. [man speaking native language] (Duff)
MASTER PREANG
IS A LITTLE PIT BULL. YOU CAN TELL RIGHT AWAY. I MEAN, HE IS VERY REVERENT AND HE IS VERY CALM, BUT YOU CAN TELL
THAT BEHIND THOSE EYES HE'S A FIGHTER. (Chambers)<i>
HOW DO THE TECHNIQUES</i> THAT ARE USED
IN MUAY THAI CHAIYA DIFFER FROM TECHNIQUES WE SEE WHEN WE SEE TWO GUYS
FIGHTING IN A RING? [speaking native language] (Duff)
AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS
WE LEARNED WAS THAT
IN A BATTLEFIELD FIGHT A GOOD DEFENSE
MAKES A GREAT OFFENSE. WOW. (Chambers)
THAT'S REALLY FAST. YEAH. HOLY CRAP. THE DEFENSIVE ABILITY
OF MUAY THAI CHAIYA TECHNIQUE ARE PRETTY MUCH ALL ELBOWS. AND THEY USE THEM
AS THEY'RE STRIKING AS WELL. I CAN BARELY SEE
ONE OF THOSE-- THAT LOOKS PAINFUL. YOU NOTICE HOW THEY FINISH OFF
THE OPPONENT EVERY TIME THEY THROW THEM. THEY DON'T JUST KEEP THEM
DOWN THERE. EVERY TIME
THEY'RE CATCHING SOMETHING, THEY'RE GIVING SOMETHING BACK.
THEY'RE NOT JUST-- YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST LIKE
ONE GUY IS ATTACKING AND THE ONE GUY
IS DEFENDING. IT'S LIKE THEY'RE
BOTH CONSTANTLY ATTACKING. YOU'VE GOT TO BE SO QUICK
TO DO THAT. I MEAN, YOU HAVE--IT'S JUST
SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT. AND THAT'S THE END
OF THE FIGHT. (Duff)
BASICALLY WHAT HE'S SAYING IS, AS HE SEES
THE OTHER GUY MOVE, HE'S STEPPING IN FIRST
AND BLOCKING AND COMING WITH THE ELBOW, INSTEAD OF MOVING
OFF THE PUNCH, LIKE THIS. IT'S TOO LATE, <i>BECAUSE HE'LL BE AWAY
FROM YOUR PUNCH.</i> SO WHEN HE COMES IN--
BANG, BANG-- HE'S HITTING THEM
WITH THE ELBOW. KRU PREANG TAUGHT ME
THAT THE ONE THING YOU NEVER DO AS FAR AS HIS STYLE IS CONCERNED
IS BACK OFF. A LOT OF THE PLACES WE WENT,
LIKE FAIRTEX AND SARA BURI, THERE WAS A LOT OF DEFENSE. THERE WAS A LOT OF BACKING OFF,
SHUCKING AND JIVING, YOU KNOW,
MUHAMMAD ALI-TYPE MOVEMENTS. THERE WAS NONE OF THAT HERE. IT WAS STRAIGHT AGGRESSION,
STRAIGHT AHEAD. EVEN THEIR DEFENSIVE MOVES COULD BE CONSIDERED
AN OFFENSIVE MOVE, BECAUSE IF THE GUY
DOESN'T GET OUT OF THE WAY, HE'S GONNA CATCH AN ELBOW
RIGHT IN THE THROAT. [dramatic music] ♪ ♪ (man)
BUT NORMALLY, EACH STRIKE
WE WOULD BLOCK WITH THE ELBOW. THE OFFENDER HURT MORE
THAN THE DEFENDER. (Chambers)
THAT WAS REALLY INTENSE. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW FAST
THOSE GUYS MOVE. YEAH, THEY'RE A LOT FASTER
THAN ME AND A LOT FASTER THAN YOU,
UNFORTUNATELY, FOR US. WHEN WE STEP INTO A RING
AGAINST A CHAMPION, I THINK WE CAN TAKE THIS, PUT IT TOGETHER
WITH EVERYTHING WE LEARNED. (Chambers)
YOU'RE FEELING
A LOT MORE CONFIDANT THAN I AM. LATER THAT NIGHT, KRU PREANG TOLD US THE STORY
OF NAI KHANOM TOM AND HOW HE USEMUAY THAI
TO CHANGE HISTORY. [speaking native language] (Chambers)
AFTER WINNING HIS FIGHTS, NAI KHANOM TOM WAS FREED
BY THE BURMESE KING. HE RETURNED
TO THE SIAMESE CAPITAL OF AYUTTHAYA AND SPENT THE REST OF HIS LIFE
TEACHING MUAY THAI. HE BECAME KNOWN
AS THE FATHER OF MUAY THAI AND REALLY CREATED WHAT IS TODAY
THAILAND'S MOST FAMOUS SPORT. (Duff)
INSPIRED BY THE STORY, WE AROSE AT DAWN AND HEADED OFF
TO MEET KRU PREANG. I COME DOWN HERE, AND HE'S ALREADY UP DOING
AN HOUR OF TAI CHI ON THE ROCK. [speaking native language] WORKING WITH KRU PREANG ) AND LEARNING
THE CHAIYA TECHNIQUES IS-- IT'S SUCH
A BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENT, YET IT'S SO VIOLENT. AND HE IS SO STRONG-- SUCH A SMALL MAN
TO HAVE SO MUCH POWER. AND MUAY THAI CHAIYA TRAINING
WAS AS DIFFERENT FROM TRAINING IN THE STATES
AS YOU COULD IMAGINE. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, JASON AND I WERE INTRODUCED
TO THE TRADITIONAL METHODS OF MUAY THAI TRAINING. WE KICKED BANANA TREES
TO TOUGHEN OUR SHINS, DODGED LEMONS
TO IMPROVE OUR ACCURACY, CHOPPED LEECH-INFESTED WATER
TO AVOID BLINKING, AND PRACTICED MEDITATION
TO CLEAR OUR MINDS. (Chambers)
I FEEL LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT
AT THIS POINT. I'VE BEEN BEATEN
AND PRODDED AND BITTEN BY EVERY BUG OUT HERE. I THINK I'M LEARNING THINGS THAT I'LL BE ABLE
TO PUT INTO USE AND THAT ARE PRACTICAL. BUT THE ENVIRONMENT, AS AESTHETICALLY PLEASING
AS IT IS, IS NOT FUN TO TRAIN HERE. [dramatic music] ♪ ♪ I FEEL LIKE WE'VE BEEN
KIND OF SHOPPING AT GROCERY STORES. WE'VE BEEN KIND OF PICKING
SOME OF THIS FRUIT, SOME OF THIS, SOME OF THAT,
SOME OF THAT, AND I FEEL LIKE MASTER PREANG IS KIND OF THE COOK THAT'S ABLE
TO CONGEAL EVERYTHING TOGETHER. I THINK I'M READY. (Chambers)
AND THEN OUR JUNGLE TRAINING
WAS OVER. IT WAS TIME FOR ONE OF US
TO PUT OUR TRAINING TO THE TEST, (Chambers)
BILL AND I WERE AS READY
AS WE COULD EVER BE. IT WAS TIME TO TAKE SITYODTONG
UP ON HIS CHALLENGE TO FIGHT HIS CHAMPION. SO WE TRAVELED TO HIS CAMP
IN PATTAYA ON THE GULF OF THAILAND. BY THE TIME WE GOT THERE, KRU YODTONG
HAD ALREADY MADE HIS DECISION. (Duff)
WE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND
WHAT HE WAS SAYING, BUT WE COULD GUESS. [speaking native language] (Duff)
BECAUSE I'M TWICE AS BIG
AS YODDECHA, KRU TONG THOUGHT
A FIGHT AGAINST JASON WOULD BE A BETTER MATCH. YOU ARE FIGHTING YODDECHA. (Duff)<i>
DISAPPOINTED.</i> <i> I CAME ALL THE WAY
TO THAILAND TO FIGHT, SO...</i> <i> HE'S GOT A BEAR
IN HIS CORNER.</i> <i> I'LL COME RUNNING.</i> WHATEVER YOU NEED, BROTHER. YODDECHA WAS TRAINING
RIGHT NEXT DOOR. LIKE MOST FIGHTERS, HE HAD TAKEN
HIS TRAINER'S SURNAME, YOD, AS HIS OWN. IT'S WAY TO SHOW HONOR
AND LOYALTY TO HIS CAMP. (Chambers)
BUT HE'S BROUGHT HONOR
IN LOTS OF OTHER WAYS TOO. YODDECHA BECAME
THE 2002 LUMPINEE CHAMPION AND HAS SINCE TRAVELED
TO MANY COUNTRIES, DEVASTATING HIS OPPONENTS. I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS. WE'RE DEFINITELY NOT
ON OUR HOME TURF, AND EVEN THOUGH I'VE FOUGHT
PROFESSIONALLY BEFORE, I REALLY DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO EXPECT. THE WHOLE ENVIRONMENT
IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM AN MMA FIGHT
IN THE STATES. YOU READY, BIG MAN? (Chambers)
AND DESPITE MY HARD TRAINING... AS HARD AS HE HITS YOU,
YOU HIT HIM HARDER. (Chambers)
I'M DEFINITELY
NO MUAY THAI MASTER... (Duff)
JUST TRY TO REMEMBER THE DEFENSIVE STUFF
WE LEARNED, MAN. (Chambers)
NOT LIKE MY OPPONENT. GOT TO BE HONEST, I WAS FEELING OKAY
UNTIL I SAW THE AMBULANCE HERE, BUT WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU JUST UPS
YOUR INSURANCE PREMIUMS. [dramatic music] SIDE ANGLE, BABY.
SIDE ANGLE. NICE. COME ON, HIT IT. NICE. A LUMPINEE CHAMP
IS NOTHING, BABY. NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING. THE FIGHT WOULD TAKE PLACE IN A COMPETITION RING
AT THE CAMP. A PLACE FOR REGIONAL BOUTS, IT ALSO HOSTS WORLD CHAMPS
LIKE ROB KAYMAN AND MUSASHI. THIS IS MY INSANE,
INSANE BUTT GOING IN TO FIGHT
SOME BADASS THAI GUY. (Duff)
KRU YODTONG PROVIDED US
WITH A FIGHTER'S ROBE AND A TRADITIONAL MONGKON, A HEADBAND THAT'S BEEN BLESSED
BY BUDDHIST MONKS AND IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT
ITS WEARER FROM HARM. WE'LL SEE IF IT WORKS. GET IN THERE
AND SCREW HIS ASS UP, BROTHER. (Chambers)
THE FIGHT BEGAN
WITH A RITUAL CALLED A RAM MUAY. THE MOVEMENTS
REPRESENT A FIGHTER HONORING HIS CAMP OR TRAINER. FIGHTERS ALSO BOW
TO THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE RING TO HONOR
THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS OF BUDDHA: COMPASSION, TEMPERANCE,
PRUDENCE, AND JUSTICE. [applause] THEN IT WAS TIME. BUST HIM IN THE CHOPS, MAN, <i> EVERY CHANCE YOU GET.</i> <i> HE STARTS THROWING HARD.
YOU THROW HARDER.</i> [bell dings] [dramatic music] ♪ ♪ CIRCLE RIGHT.
WHERE'S YOUR HANDLING? CIRCLE RIGHT. OUR STRATEGY WAS SIMPLE. GET CLOSE
AND USE OUR SIZE AND WEIGHT AGAINST THE LIGHTING-FAST
YODDECHA AND HIS POWERFUL KICKS. (Chambers)
IF I COULD GET INSIDE,
I COULD USE MY WRESTING CLINCH AND MY MUAY THAI
KNEE STRIKES WE LEARNED TO DEVASTATING EFFECT. BUT GETTING INSIDE A GUY
AS QUICK AS YODDECHA IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE. HE'S GOOD, MAN.
HE'S HARD TO GET INSIDE. <i> I'M HAVING A REAL HARD TIME
FINDING RANGE ON HIM.</i> <i> I'M COVERING UP
MOST OF HIS SHOTS</i> <i> HE'S NOT CONNECTING, BUT--</i> (Duff)<i>
AND HE'S NOT HITTING
WITH MUCH.</i> <i>CLINCH HIM UP
AND USE SOME WRESTLE.</i> <i>SHOW HIM A LITTLE WRESTLE.</i> (Chambers)
HIS MISSED KNEE STRIKE
WAS MY CHANCE TO GET INSIDE. BUT WITH HIS SPEED, I COULDN'T
HOLD HIM IN THE CLINCH. TAKE HIM DOWN.
GO AHEAD, JASON. (Chambers)
I HOPED MY SPIN KICK
WOULD CATCH HIM OFF BALANCE. IT DIDN'T. YODDECHA WAS JUST TOO FAST. EVERY TIME
I TRIED TO GET CLOSE, YODDECHA PUSHED ME BACK WITH A DEFENSIVE KICK
CALLED A<i> TEEP.</i> (Duf JUST UNLOAD WITH A RIGHT, OKAY? HE'S DOING
ALL THIS JUMPING AND [bleep] CRAZY [bleep]. THAT'S WHAT THEY DO. HE'S GETTING IN. HE'S NOT CONNECTING
WITH ANYBODY. HE'S GETTING IN THERE TIGHT.
HIS KNEES ARE ANNOYING. [dramatic music] ♪ ♪ (Duff)<i>
THERE YOU GO, WRESTLE.
NICE, NICE.</i> (Chambers)
FINALLY I GOT IN,
AND THE TAKEDOWN ALMOST WORKED. BUT HE RECOVERED
AND WAS BACK IN THE FIGHT. AND THEN HE SHOWED ME THAT HE KNEW HOW
TO USE ALL EIGHT LIMBS. IT'S NOT AN OFFICIALLY
SANCTIONED FIGHT, SO THE REFEREE
WILL DECIDE THE OUTCOME. NO SURPRISE. [bell dings] [cheers and applause] THIS IS A LOT OF FUN. HE'S REALLY SKILLED AND FAST. HIS SHOTS
ARE REALLY PRECISE. HE KICKED MY BUTT PRETTY GOOD, AND DON'T WANT
TO BE FIGHTING HIM AGAIN. SO IT WAS FUN. I GOT A COUPLE OF BANGS
AND A COUPLE OF BRUISES, BUT, MAN,
THAT MAKES YOU FEEL ALIVE, WHEN YOU GET HIT
IN THE FACE. I'LL HAVE
A FEW NICE WELTS TONIGHT. I LOVE IT. (Duff)
WHAT A FIGHT.
THAT GUY WAS AMAZING. WE'VE SEEN A LOT
ON OUR JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY
AND CULTURE OF MUAY THAI. FROM THE FIGHTING ARENAS
OF BANGKOK TO ANCIENT TEMPLES
TO GRITTY RURAL GYMS... (Chambers)
FROM THE SPECIAL FORCES TO MASTER PREANG'S
ANCIENT STYLE, WE'VE EXPERIENCED EVERY ASPECT
OF MUAY THAI, THE SCIENCE OF EIGHT LIMBS. OUR JOURNEY
HAS OPENED OUR EYES TO HOW MUAY THAI IS WOVEN
INTO THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THIS AMAZING COUNTRY AND HOW THAT SAME HISTORY
IS STILL ALIVE IN MUAY THAI. (Duff)
BUT IT'S NOT JUST THE HISTORY. THE TRAINING WE RECEIVED HERE
IS GOING TO STAY WITH US, A CRITICAL ADDITION
TO OUR ARSENAL AS WE CONTINUE OUR QUEST
TO BECOME A HUMAN WEAPON.
