First Knock-Out

After his knock out win over Pitu, Yukay said, “I think this was a major surprise for everybody. The other people in the house said they don't know me and they've never seen my fights or even heard of me. They know I'm a fighter though. I'm a quiet guy I let my fighting do the talking. It suits me perfectly.”

Back in the loft

The men in general looked extremely shocked after they witnessed arguably one of most stunning upsets of the first round of the contender. They sighed and sat around shaking their heads. Soren shared, "I thought Yukay was dead" while Sean added, “I thought it was going to be a hard fight for him." Zidov felt that Yukay threw some really strong punches, which ultimately won him the fight.

Soren added that Yukay won the bout despite fighting with an injured leg. He said, “I was pretty shocked in the fight between Yukay and Pitu. I thought Yukay was out of his league and Pitu would beat him easily. Yukay definitely has got my respect. You wouldn't want to take him easily." Zidov said that Yukay was ‘the sleeping bear’ and Soren emphasized his point as he said, "Yeah, real quiet but when he gets into the ring, Raah!"



Yukay entered the room as the men clapped, cheered and congratulated him after he defied the formbooks and scored an upset win. Yodsaenklai jokingly reminded him of how he had said he wanted to go home. Yukay then replied back in mock sadness, “Now, I can't go home!” Zidov commented, “Big surprise!” to which Soren added, “I was shocked! I thought Pitu was going to bash you!” Zidov then said that Yukay usually did not show his full power during training and instead always complained that he was tired. However, in the ring, he turned out to be quite the opposite.

In his interview, Zidov said, “Yukay is pretty quiet in the house. During training everybody thinks he's out of shape, not that much power and then he showed like that in ring. That’s amazing! That’s the first knock out in the competition. In Muay Thai anything can happen." Soren said to Yukay, “You evened it up. You’re the decider. Now it's four-four.” Soren said in the interview that it did not occur to him that he was in the final leg until he realized that there were only eight of them left. “We all got to fight each other. We don’t know who we're going to fight next. So we're going to have to be ready. So you have to train hard."

Training

Stephen told them that they were doing 10 rounds that very morning; 5 in the ring and 5 out of the ring. “Step it up!” he barked. Yukay said, "Now we're going into round two. The training is definitely stepping up and is much harder. Now it’s the last 8. You have to train hard to remain in this competition.” Stephen told them, "You're the last of 16. Prove it. Come on. It’s $150,000 on the line so punch harder!" Soren said, "Second round I want to fight for the elimination fight. The biggest competition would be Yodsaenklai. He’s the favorite from the start. Naruepol as well. I’m trying not to give more pressure to myself. Just keep my head down and train hard.” Stephen told them, “You're the last ones boys. You have to push harder now. Win one more fight and you're in the semifinals. So give it your all okay.”

Naruepol shared, "I feel uncomfortable in the loft because I can't speak English but I have Yodsaenklai, my friend who I came here with. We have known each other for two years. We’ve trained together and know each other very well." Yodsaenklai said, "Naruepol and I are friends and if we have to fight each other, because we’re from the same camp it would be tense. I hope to not face Naruepol in the ring.”

Winners in the First Round

Jaymee entered the loft with a red box in her hands. She congratulated them on making the quaterfinals. She said, "We're now at the halfway mark, you're now one huge step closer to winning the grand prize of USD$150, 000 and for earning the title as the ultimate Contender.” Zidov said, "If I win the competition, this money is going to change my life a lot. I was really proud to be in round 2. I see all these top fighters and I’m in with them. This made me really proud.” Stephen then wished the remaining eight fighters congratulations. He said, “To honor you for the hard fights you've done, we would like to present you with the contender bracelet.” Jaymee said that that would be the symbol of being the best of the best in the competition. Stephen gave a short commentary of the fights that they had been through which ultimately got them into the second round.



First came Naruepol of the famed Fairtex gym in Thailand who fought the opening bout of the competition against the brave Trevor Smandych from Canada. Next up, we had the brave heart from Scotland, Sean Wright, who won his fight against James Maritnez from the United States of America. Sean said, “The bracelet read ‘Prove you're worthy of being here.’ So yea it’s a pretty sentimental bracelet. It really sinks in that now the second round has really got going.” John Wayne Parr was next and Stephen said, "He's not here, he's still recovering, so let's put it over the ropes.” Stephen continued, “Captain of the Tiger Kings who fought a very hard fight with Rafik Bakkouri, captain of the Wild Boars from France." Sean added in his interview, “We're obviously missing John Wayne at this point. Everyone at this stage has fought their hardest to get a place in the next round. I don’t think anyone would be happy if John Wayne didn't make it back. He’s ill and has to be quarantined. At this stage I really don't know what’s going to happen to him."



Next up was Yodsaenklai Fairtex, who in an epic battle defeated Bruce Macfie from Australia. Then came Soren Mongkontong, the third Aussie In the competition who stopped Alain Sylvestre of Canada in his tracks. Soren said of his achievement, “I’ve made it this far, and no one can take it away from me. I’ve got that bracelet. I’m one of the last eight. I can take that home.” Russian born, Dzhabar Askerov was next and Stephen commented, “What a battle that was against David Pacquette, the sole British representative from England. It was probably one of the hardest in the first round.” Current captain of the Wild Boars, Zidov Dominik was next, who as Stephen put it, “made the whole nation of Singapore cry” After he sent the sole local contender, Zach packing. Finally we had Yukay Joakim Karlsson, who knocked Pitu who hailed from Spain out in just 2 rounds sending the stadium into a 10 minute silence.” Stephen then reminded them that they were only two fights away from the finals and the competition was getting harder and harder. They needed every minute of relaxation that they could get. For their efforts thus far, they were reward with an entire day of rest and recreation (R & R) at the Laguna golf and country club where they had access to all the facilities from the swimming pool to the hot tub and even the spa. Stephen and Jaymee would then join them for a meal at one of the restaurants there. Sean said, “We're taking off to the lovely, Laguna gold resort place but all the guys left in the house are ready to fight because the kind of money offered in this fight is unheard of.”

Rest &Recreation With Their Families

Yodsaenklai, in typical comic fashion greeted Stephen and Jaymee with a "Hi honey!" as they walked in. Stephen commented that it was their last supper before they went into the second round. Soren said, "It was a good thing to do at this stage of the competition. Have a day out, eat some nice food and maybe hit a bit of golf and just relax in a nice place." Stephen then asked the boys if they were hungry. Jaymee shouted towards the door, "We're hungryyyyyy!" Something fishy was definitely in the air. Stephen then said, “Send the waiters in with some food." The fighters looked towards the door in eager anticipation of their feast. To their pleasant surprise, their family and friends entered the restaurant holding bowls of soup. The men were ecstatic as they hugged and kissed their loved ones. Yukay said, "I didn’t believe it. Was this real or what? This was the other side of the world. To see my son come out with a big smile, my heart go boom boom boom! So fast! My girlfriend was well. I almost fell off my chair." Yodsaenklai was hugging his sobbing mom and he consoled her, "You're here, mom!" He said in his interview, "I was surprised, that's my mom! I was so happy and proud to see my mom. I was speechless. All I could do was hug her and be happy to see her."



Stephen then asked the men to introduce their family members to everyone. Sean introduced his ex-girlfriend, Anya. Yukay introduced his son Sebastian and girlfriend Tanya. Yodsaenklai introduced his mother who he added he loved a lot. Nauruepol's father had come to visit him. Zidov’s boss and friend Olay came down. Dzhabar introduced his cousin, Malik. Finally, Soren introduced his mother. He said in his interview, “This is just one of the happiest moments we've seen so far. Everyone was just so surprised and happy to see their loved ones.” After their lunch together, the fighters managed to spend one on one time with the family members at the resort.

Naruepol sat with his father and discussed his journey in the competition. He said, "With so many fighters here, the trainers are exhausted after three rounds.” His father laughed. Naruepol shared, “We haven't seen each other for so long so we miss each other. I know he loves me very much. I am very happy for that.” Naruepol then shared his first fight with his father. He said that his opponent Trevor was amazing and that no matter how much he beat him up, he kept fighting back. His father suggested that he should have swept his legs. Naruepol said he tried too however, he kept coming back for more. Naruepol's father said, "When I first saw him, I was happy. Of course I’m proud. All fighters want to be champions and he can do it. The family is proud to have a champion."



Sean’s ex-girlfriend had brought presents for him from Scotland. She gave him what was known as an ‘instant quilt.’ They both shared a laugh at this. Sean said, "I’ve known Anya so long now we've been so close over the years. We've shared so much. Even though technically we're not together at the moment, we're still a big part of each other's lives." She put on the quilt for him and they laughed at the ridiculousness of the quilt. Anya said that she and Sean shared a special bond. She said, “We did talk about the future. There was a probable mention of getting married and having a family. We’ve not closed any doors so we don't know yet. We’re both open to the future and waiting to see what will happen." Sean said that if he could have chosen anyone to come out and see him it probably would have been Anya. “It definitely gave me a big boost for the next fight,” he added.



Yukay spent some quality time swimming and playing with his family in the pool. He said that the first thing he noticed when he carried his son was how heavy he had gotten. “He’s getting so mature it's so good,” he added. His ever-doting son said, “I'm very proud of my father. My dad is the best fighter in the world. I think my dad is going to win." Yukay’s girlfriend Tanya shared, “I think he knows how proud we are and how much we support him. He knows that this is the best thing in his life, it's just once in a lifetime opportunity." Yukay said, “Just kissing my son and hugging my girlfriend gave me that extra recharge of my batteries that I needed for the next round."



Soren sat with his mom on the lawn as he shared his experiences in the competition. He said, “It's different fighting here, mom, I don't know what it is.” His mom said that it was due to the fact that the people he was used to being surrounded by did not surround him. Soren shared honestly, “I’m not going to lie, and I’m a Mummy’s boy. Just spending that time with my mom was truly special. My mom is the most important person in my life. She is a single mother and raised my sister and I since I was 2. She is a really good strong lady." He told his mom that the men got along well and that they had given him the nicknames of Doctor or Professor, due to the fact that he wore spectacles. His mom said, "To see Soren at this point in the competition has been really good for me because we just lost touch. For him it just reminds him of how much we love him and how proud we are of him. For me he's already a winner."



Yodsaenklai and his mom hugged and kissed, truly elated and excited to see one another. His mom said, "I’m so happy and impressed! I’d never dreamt I’d be here." Yodsaenklai shared, "I think my mom is the best mom. We are poor. This is the first time she has ever traveled to another country. I love my mom and I want her to follow me everywhere because my mom and I are very close." His mother, teary eyed, said, "If I didn’t have you as a son, I wouldn’t be here today." Yodsaenklai replied, "Everything I do, I do for you." She responded, “Thank you my son." She said in her interview, "Whenever my son fights and get paid, he never spends any of it. He gives it straight to me. He knows how difficult and poor life his mom has had." Yodsaenklai said to his mother, “Through all my battles and all my pain, I thought of you. Pain is something that made me want to quit fighting. I thought of you." His mom responded, "I don’t have much and I am poor I know you fight for me and for our family." Yodsaenklai said,”After seeing my mother, I am inspired to train harder and be more determined to get into the next round." He said in English, “I love my mother very very much.”



Malik, Dzhabar’s cousin wished him well in the competition as they hugged. Yukay hugged and kissed his family goodbye. Zidov toasted a beer with his friend and said, “All the families that come here for the support, we needed that, we need it from the heart. I enjoyed this day very very much. “Naruepol’s final parting words to his father were, “I love you dad.” His father unable to hold his tears said, "Take care of yourself. Do your very best!" Yodsaenklai wiped his mom's tears as they left each other. Despite the sentimentality of meeting their friends and families, most of the men were relieved at the chance of meeting their family at this point in the competition.

Back to Reality

The men assembled in the loft. Stephen asked them how their day went and Zidov replied, saying it was “excellent. Jaymee explained that there would be no more team challenges and they would now be fighting for themselves. Sean said that every one of them now felt bad because they might have to fight their teammates and that it was now every man for himself. Stephen then went on to explain that before them were 8 Chinese drawers and they each had to pull one drawer out. Two out of the eight drawers contained Chinese amulets with different couloirs splashed on it. Whoever pulled the amulet containing drawers be fight in the first bout of the second round. Soren said that the Chinese drawers did look a little scary and ultimately it was all down to luck. It's going to seal our fate. Stephen finally added that due to John Wayne’s absence, one drawer had already been pulled out and it did not contain any amulet.



Zidov went first and pulled out an empty drawer. Tension escalated with every drawer pulled as Sean, Yukay, Soren and finally Dzhabar pulled out empty drawers leaving only 2 contenders behind and with no amulets found in any of the drawers yet it was rather obvious that the first fight of the second round was going to involve the Thais, Naruepol and Yodsaenklai. True enough both Yodsaenklai and Naruepol pulled out drawers that contained the amulets. Yodsaenklai said, “I thought that I will fight Naruepol in the semis or the finals. It seems too soon to be fighting in the second round.” Naruepol echoed Yodsaenklai’s sentiments as he said, “After Yodsaenklai and I pulled out the amulets, we were both speechless. We didn’t know what to do. We didn’t want to fight each other.”

Reluctant Fighters

Silence bestowed the gym as Naruepol looked visibly upset. Zidov asked, "Naruepol, not happy?” Naruepol responded saying, “Yodsaenklai is my friend.” Zidov explained in his interview, “If you have to fight with a friend, its fine but because they came from the same gym it made it even harder.”

Sean said that it was very different when you were forced to fight someone from your own gym. He went on to say that it was shocking that Yodsaenklai and Naruepol were going to fight so early in the competition as they were probably the top two guys in the competition. Besides being from the same gym, they were also good friends and hence it was naturally tough to ask them to fight each other. If that wasn’t enough, they both represented the same gym.

Naruepol then said, “You can ask anyone if they would want to fight a friend. Nobody would, but as close friends, we have to accept this but its painful deep down. I don’t know what to do.” Zidov said that he felt that it was going to be an interesting fight. Yukay said he did not see it coming while Sean said that he did not know if Naruepol had what it took to beat Yodsaenklai as he likened it to him fighting against his brother. Sean continued, “Thailand is still the number one in terms of producing fighters. Naruepol was 17 when he started fighting while Yodsaenklai started even younger. They come from the same gym. This gym's their livelihood, it's their family. i don't know what’s going to happen."



Yodsaenklai told Zidov that he was not at all happy. Zidov told him that Naruepol felt exactly the same. Yodsaenklai said, "To have to face a close friend in this next fight, I felt depressed and wanted to cry because we both came here to be the champion of the competition.” He then went on to tell the trainer jokingly, “He's better looking than me.” The trainer then countered and asked him if he was jealous of Naruepol and Yodsaenklai agreed. Naruepol laughed at this as Yodsaenklai said, “I should break his nose. He won’t be so good looking, and then we can walk side by side. I go by luck while he goes by his looks. I’m ready to fight even with my close friend. Even though we are friends I can fight him. In the ring there is no such thing as friends.

30 Minutes to fight

Yodsaenklai said, “In this competition i fear nothing. I want to show that I am the best in this competition. This is a high competition with a lot of prizes. I want to win this for my parents so that I can buy a house for my mother. My close fiend, Naruepol now stands between me and the prize money. Friends or not, once you get in the ring you have to fight. I am very confident. I came here to prove that I’m the champion of the competition.”



Naruepol in his pre fight interview said, “This competition will change my life and make me famous. It will bring lots of new things in my life. In my fight with Yodsaenklai, frankly speaking I don’t want to fight him because he is my friend but as fate would have it, we have to fight each other. Fighting Yodsaenklai is a test of my self. I am under stress. I’m feeling a lot of pressure because we're best friends so I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Why do we have to fight each other this round? I don’t know what to do.”

Round 1

Upon completion of the Wai Khru, both men faced each other and were understandably very hesitant to make the first move until finally Yodsaenklai put friendship aside and went on the offensive as he threw a couple of punches at Naruepol which were blocked routinely. It was a very slow fight with kicks and punches coming few and far between. Both men were very calculated not willing to over commit in the fear of making mistakes. It seemed that Yodsaenklai had a slight edge over Naruepol mainly due to him having thrown the more punches and kicks. Naruepol must have realized this when he launched his own offensive maneuvers which almost resulted in him toppling Yodsaenklai over. Naruepol then let a high kick go which hit Yodsaenklai in his head, close to his eyes and Yodsaenklai fell over. Yodsaenklai climbed back up to his feet but seemed to struggle to regain his bearings and vision as his eyes kept blinking.

He moved around the ring very slowly, with his initial momentum gone but yet still managed to connect with a punch which connected with Naruepol’s face. The round ended with Yodsaenklai trying to regain the edge he had as he threw punch after punch before the bell sounded. In Naruepol’s corner, we saw his trainer asking him to use his weapons in the next round and to kick him hard whenever the opportunity arose. In Yodsaenklai’s corner however the focus was more on Yodsaenklai’s well being as he asked the doctor if his eye was ok. He was told that Naruepol’s toenail had scratched his eyelid but he was perfectly alright to continue the bout.

Round 2

This time around they went straight at each other as they traded punches and kicks, most of which were either blocked or evaded except for a really hard punch from Yodsaenklai which caught Naruepol off guard and left him scrambling in his bid to regain his composure and Yodsaenklai duly capitalised and belted a flurry of punches on Naruepol who was now taking a beating. It did not last long as Naruepol’s body caved soon as he fell down and did not make it back up in a 10 count. The bout was awarded to Yodsaenklai by virtue of knock out.

After the match, Yodsaenklai said, “I saw that Naruepol did not use his weapons with enough power. Maybe he was scared of me but I went full on. Although I am sad I had to fight a friend, I am happy at the same time. I feel very touched that I made my gym and my family proud of me. I'll do my best for Thailand. :



The camaraderie of the two men was still as strong as ever, even after they fought each other. Naruepol said, "My biggest regret is to have to fight my friend. If I could change anything I wouldn’t have fought him now but in the final." Naruepol wished his Thai counterpart well as they parted ways.



A teary eyed Naruepol said, “When fighting a friend, wining or losing isn’t a problem because we're still friends but I will not cherish this day that I lost. I will not think about it because I had to fight my best fiend. I want to apologize to my parents for not wining the championship for them. He hung up his mongkok as he said that he will strive on and continued training and fighting Muay Thai in Thailand. He also hoped that his best friend, Yodsaenklai stayed determined en route to winning the competition as he will be waiting for him back in their training camp. He also added, “Between friends and money, I think friends are hard to buy. Money as long as we are living can still be earned. He shouted out to his comrade as he left the arena.