Crushing Blow

After delivering his first knockout of the competition, Yodsaenklai said, "I feel both sad and happy. (Switches to English) I’m not happy, I hurt my friend, I’m very sad (Back in Thai) I will miss him a lot. We’re family, we're like brothers.” His parting words to his close friend were as such, ”Don’t be sad Naruepol. I will do my best for our camp."



In tribute to his friend, Zidov stuck the Thai flag above Naruepol’s bed. He said, “I like Naruepol. I talk with him. He was in my corner when I fight. It’s really not easy because we're all really good friends now." Naruepol had left behind some of his Muay Thai shorts and Zidov hung them above Naruepol’s bed as well. Above it he wrote on the wall, "Naruepol Chok Dee" which meant “Naruepol Good Luck.” Zidov shared further, “I miss him because I liked him, I really liked him.”

Left With A Swollen Eye

During the match, Naruepol’s toenail had cut Yodsaenklai’s eyelid. He was suffering a lot during the fight itself. To bring the swelling down the trainer put an eye patch on his eye. Yodsaenklai explained, “I did a high left kick and Naruepol was kicking at the same time. I fell and his toe stabbed my eye. I got dizzy and my eye was blurry. I had double vision. I thought I got cut and was bleeding into the eye.” The doctor examined Yodsaenklai's swollen eye. As he was being examined, Yodsaenklai explained to the doctor that it felt as though it was swollen and agitated. The doctor explained that he had an impact on his eye and he would have to be brought to the hospital to get his eye checked out for further damage to the eye itself. The doctor was concerned that there might have been further bleeding under the swelling. He was also worried that the eye might be damaged as Yodsaenklai could not see clearly as well.

In The Room

The men discussed Yodsaenklai's eye injury. Soren commented that due to his cut, Yodsaenklai kept looking down and blinking during the fight itself. Zidov said in his interview, "It's difficult when you have to fight a friend. Naruepol kicked Yodsaenklai in the head and then Yodsaenklai got angry and he knocked him out cold. He knocked him out cold." Zidov then suggested that the men should go down to Yodsaenklai’s recovery room to give him moral support. Zidov said in interview, “Yodsaenklais top of the top. Everybody wants to win Yodsaenklai. And if Yodsaenklai's not 100% ready with his eyes, he's going to have a big problem. Sure Yodsaenklai's my friend and I don’t wanna see friends get injured."



While in the room, the men inquired about Yodsaeklai’s injured eye. Soren in his interview with reference to Yodsaenklai’s injury, "I'm not looking for an easy way into the finals. I want everyone to be their 100% so then if I fight them and beat them there would be no excuses." Yodsaenklai then told them that he would have to go to the hospital to get his eye checked out. They seemed genuinely concerned about Yodsaenklai’s injury and position in the competition. Dzhabar in all honesty shared in his interview, "Yodsaenklai is a famous fighter. And he has the best chance to win this tournament. Because Yodsaenklai is injured it's good for everyone in the house. It’s good for me. I hope Yodsaenklai gonna be out a long time. I hope he stays out. "

Yodsaenklai Fairtex, the Pirate

In a positive turn around of events, Yodsaenklai returned to the loft with a bandage on his eye. "My eye is ok,” he said. “The injury wasn't serious and I made it so I can stay on." Yodsaenklai then showed Zidov his x-rays that indicated that he did not have any deeper injures. Yodsaenklai shared, "I was afraid I would go blind and have to go back to Thailand." Zidov said that when Yodsaenklai told him that there was no problem with his eyes, he felt relieved, as he did not like it when his friends were badly injured.



While lazily relaxing at the couch, the men started teasing Yodsaenklai over the eye-patch he wore. They repeatedly told him that he now looked like a pirate (in English)! Yodsaenklai said in his interview, "I looked like a pirate. Everyone thought I looked like a pirate." Zidov commented jokingly that Yodsaenklai’s name should be changed to Yodsaenklai Fairtex, the Pirate. This sparked off fits of laughter from the men with the exception of Yodsaenklai who did not look amused at all. He said sarcastically in his interview, "(in English) Pirate? What is this? I don’t know."

John Wayne Returns

Just as the men were teasing Yodsaenklai, John Wayne entered the loft. He shouted as he entered, "Is this the Muay Thai gym!" The men cheered obviously thrilled at his return. As he shook hands with the men, Zidov jokingly said, “Don't touch us!” In his interview John Wayne said, "Thank my lucky stars that my chicken pox healed pretty quick and I’m back in the competition!" He told the men sentimentally, “I can't believe I’m saying this but I missed you guys.” He continued in his interview, "Being out of the loft was a real reality check. A big wake up call. I thought that was the end of my fighting in my competition. I thought I was going to get sent home and someone else was going to replace me."



Zidov said, “Maybe it's a little bit of a plus for me because John Wayne was sick. John Wayne is a legend in Muay Thai. When I was new in the Muay Thai scene, I was thinking it was a dream to fight this guy one day. "John Wayne then realized that there were only seven of them. Zidov brought him up to speed with. Explaining how the competition worked now and told him that there were no more teams or captains. John Wayne then asked how the fighters were chosen for each week. The men pointed towards the Chinese drawers behind John Wayne. Dzhabar cheekily urged him to open one. However John Wayne was reluctant, as he did not want to jinx himself. He said, “The new system to pull the drawers was pretty insane. I just want to wait until it was my turn then see what happens. “



Soren then told him that they had another present as well. In his interview Soren said, "Personally I was happy to see him. He’s a fellow Aussie and I got someone to talk too. I’m happy to have him back.” Due to this, Soren wanted to give him the bracelet meant for him that was waiting on the ring rope. John Wayne looked excitedly at the bracelet as he wore it on his wrist. He said that the bracelet was a good reminder and memento for what he had done in the competition thus far. Furthermore Soren giving him the bracelet was “really cool.” He added, "It's really nice to see Soren and have a fellow Aussie in the loft." Soren then asked if what John Wayne had was shingles. John Wayne then clarified and said he had gotten chicken pox instead. The dermatologist had told him that he had gotten it even though it was his second time. He said in his interview, "It's really cool that we both can represent the country this far in the competition. It’s going to be a shame if we both have to fight each other. I hope we can both get to the semi finals and enjoy the journey together." In reference to the competition he shared, “I really have my focus back now and the bracelet is another reminder that I’m here to fight and I’m here to win.”

Spying Time During Training

During training, Stephen spent extra time to train Zidov harder than the other men. Stephen commented hat compared to the other boys, Zidov was six to seven kilograms lighter. This meant that in the subsequent rounds, Zidov was definitely going to feel the impact. Stephen training focused on 'counter technique' so that the injury level stayed down during the competition. He said, “For Zidov a big punch can be the end of the fight."



In response, Zidov said that Stephen pushed him harder due to the fact that from then on the fights were going to be much harder. As the other men continued to train for the second round, Yukay said, " Being one of the oldest in the house, you have to work twice as hard, because your body isn’t the same as it was when you're younger." While Yukay was training, Sean analyzed him and said, "Yukay's well in his 30s, he's got heavy hands and he loves to box. But I’ve got a lot more than just a great hand. Pretty soon they'll only be four more in the house. I’m definitely going to be one of them. I’ll more hardworking, I’m more conditioned and I’ve trained more intensely. I know I can kick all the guys in the house if I’m fit. There’s no reason for me not to do well. I’d like to fight sooner rather than later."

Predicting The Future

To entertain the men, Zidov had a card game that predicted the future of the fighters in the house. John Wayne commented on the game; “It definitely was crazy, the Croatian gypsy." Zidov explained the game, "The fights are five rounds. So I pick for every fighter five cards. Depending on how many fights you win, you’re the winner of the fight." The technique of the game was such. Zidov would shuffle the deck and choose two fighters to compete. Then he asked one of the fighters to cut the deck into two. Based on which fighter started first, he would pull out the first card from the deck and put it on the table. He would then pull out the second card (for the second fighter) and place it side by side. From there, the higher card indicated to who won that round of fight. He continued this five times for the five rounds that they fought. Whoever had the highest score from all the rounds was predicted to have won the fight between the two.



In a fight between Dzhabar against Zidov, he predicted that they would draw which then spurted Dzhabar to demand that he try predicting again. John Wayne said that though the game was slightly crazy, Zidov had been quite precise with his predictions. He then predicted himself against John Wayne and won. Zidov then screamed, “I won John Wayne Parr!” He joked in his interview, "I smashed John Wayne. I beat him badly. It can only be good for me; it gives me new motivation if I really have to fight him." John Wayne comically added in his interview, “Lord, I just lost to Zidov. I’m devastated." They then tried to predict Yukay against Sean. Yukay said, "I don’t believe in fortune telling. But it's fun to see that stuff." Finally Yukay was predicted to trash Sean. Yukay then said, "In Zidov's card game, when he did me and Sean today, I win. In the back of my head I think I beat Sean! I beat Sean! I like it." The men continued to play along and congratulated him over winning Sean.

Fight Name For Sean

As the men were lounging in the room, Zidov commented that Sean did not have a fight name. He suggested that he should keep it as ‘Braveheart.’ Sean replied, “No,” curtly. Zidov then suggested, ‘Sean, the Contender, Wright,” which sparked off fits of laughter from the men. In his interview, Sean said, "I don't have a fight name, I’ve never had one. A lot of fight names were tossed out but ninety-nine percent were just taking a piss out of me." As they continued to throw names around, Soren recommended that since Sean was Scottish that it should be ‘Sean, the Loch Ness, Wright.’



As the men continued to ramble on, Sean, clearly frustrated, responded in his interview, "Half the time I don't know what the hell they’re saying. I can't understand a word Dzhabar is saying. I sure as hell can't understand Zidov." Zidov then suggested, ‘Sean the Scottish hunter,’ and later ‘Sean, the two second in the trailer, hunter.’ Sean just shrugged and laughed at the absurdity of the choices. Zidov said, “Sean is not easy to make him laugh but I always find a way to make people laugh. I’m happy when I see people laugh. Laugh means good karma, good feelings. I like people laughing than looking sad all the time."

Catching Up

Over a meal, John Wayne asked Soren and Yukay how the Chinese drawers worked in selecting the fighters. Soren explained that it was totally random. He said that he hoped that it would be him as he was anxious to fight. However he speculated that Dzhabar or Zidov were probably going to be selected to fight. He asked John Wayne who he suspected would fight. John Wayne said that as a guess, he predicted that it would be Dzhabar and Sean. He said, “The chest are pretty intimidating but it makes the competition a little scarier. Now you can see who's up ahead and yea it's going to be interesting to see what pans out in the future." Soren asked Yukay if he was ready to fight. However, Yukay pointed out to the fact that he still had a sore in his left leg after his fight with Pitu.



He then re-iterated his fight to John Wayne. “One kick from Pitu and I was giving back like two kicks in exactly the same place and that was it. He got a count and when he came up from his count I see in his eyes he wasn’t there. He got a cut. And I know he was looking for the corner and he went in front of me like this (stretching his arm out) so I punched and he was down." John Wayne said that everyone in the loft was talking about Yukay' as a ‘silent killer’ and a ‘punching machine.’ "If I had my own choice, I wouldn’t fight him,” John Wayne said. “Because I’ve been sick and my fitness isn’t 100% but I’m looking forward to see who the drawers will pick out."

Chinese Drawers Select The Fighters

Stephen and Jaymee cheered for John Wayne’s return to the competition. As Jaymee wished him back, John Wayne cheekily said, "You miss me obviously." After a hearty good laugh, Jaymee went into her explanation proper. She repeated that there was no more deliberation as only the drawers held their fate in the competition. Whoever pulled out the drawers with amulets inside would be competing in the next fight. Yodsaenklai did not have pull out any drawers since he was already in the semi finals. Clad with the Arab garb on his head, Dzhabar went first and pulled out an empty drawer. Tension mounted in the air as Zidov went next pulling out yet another empty drawer. Sean inched forward and pulled out a drawer that contained a blue amulet. He seemed contended with being able to fight as the men cheered for him. There was nervous anticipation as to who would be fighting Sean.



Soren pulled out an empty drawer. John Wayne, extremely nervous, managed to pull out an empty drawer as well. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, he said, "Thank God my drawer was empty cause I need a few more days to get my fitness up." Only Yukay was left and he pulled out the drawer with the red amulet. The men cheered for the next two fighters as they shook hands. Sean said, “Yukay had a pretty spectacular fight but that was one lucky punch. I’m better I know I have the technical ability to win this." Yukay said, “Sean, What I know about him is that he's one of the hardest trainers in the house. He’s in my way to get to the next step. And I won’t have it. No way. I will do everything to kick him aside and go to the semi finals." Zidov commented, "In the card game today I foresee the future fight. Yukay is going to win the fight and go in the semi finals. Yea, it’s not so fun for Sean."

One Hour To The Fight

As Yukay got ready for his fight, he shared his greatest inspiration for his fight. “The most important person in my life now is my son. I’m here fighting for him so you know I will do my best. I did some bad things in my past. I made some bad choices; I’ve been in jail a couple of times. But people can change. Muay Thai helped me get where I am today." He got himself oiled up and started to mentally prepare himself for the fight. “The life I lead before and the life I lead now is completely different. I did a lot of bad things in my life. But when my son was born, I think he's the part of me that was missing. He makes me whole. He inspires me to win. I’m 36 years old. Being at this stage in my career, this fight could be one of the last fights in my career. This fight is one of the most important in my life. I’m going to go kick some ass tonight. I have to prove it to everyone that the last fight with Pitu wasn’t just a lucky punch. I got the skill to take this fight further. I can win. Nothing can stop me."

Stephen entered the room, ready with a pep talk for Yukay. “It’s going to be the biggest fight of your career. Swedish title doesn’t matter tonight. Silver title in the world championship doesn’t matter tonight. It’s a big one tonight. You know he’s a big kicker. Make sure you check, make sure you counter. He’ll be worried about your hands after your last performance. Let’s go in full power.100 percent lets go!” With that he placed the mongkok on Yukay’s head and left. Yukay said, "I want to win so badly. I’ll do everything in my power to beat Sean. There’s nothing to it. I’m gonna go for it all."



Sean lied down as cool as a cucumber while he got oiled up for the fight. He said, “For better or for worst, the life I’ve now got is Muay Thai. I’ve given up everything for Muay Thai. I’ve given up University. I’ve given up my life in Scotland. I’ve given up my girlfriend. I’ve basically given everything for it. This is a huge opportunity for me. If I win the fight, I will earn enough money to live the next year in Thailand to live quite well. So this is make or break for me. I’m not just fighting for money; I’m fighting for the potential fights from the future and the potential earnings from that as well." As he warmed up, he said, “Anyone can maybe get through your first fight but once you gotten through two fights that makes you in the final four and that’s when you know you've made it somewhere. I definitely believe in myself. Yukay has got a right hand but I can box well. I can box hard with my hands; I’ve got the body, and got the head. I’ve got it all. "Stephen entered the room and spoke to Sean. “It’s going be a big one I think the whole of Scotland is going to watch this one. You have to be the Braveheart tonight. He’s a big puncher; you should keep your guard up. Don’t go in too early. Let’s do it!" Sean said his final words before he entered the ring, "I’m technically better than the guy, I’m more experienced and I’m faster, fitter and stronger but he’s still dangerous.”



Sean performed the Wai Khru as Yukay watched it. When he was done, Sean pretended to let go an imaginary fist bomb at Yukay. Yukay played along and pretended to catch it with his teeth and spat it out. After the performance was over, the bell sounded and the fight started.

Round 1

They wasted no time and got into the match immediately. As they punched and kicked each other, Zidov commented at Sean, “He's strong man!” Sean threw in a flurry of punches and kicks however Yukay blocked them and evened it with his own punches and kicks. He powered through and delivered a sharp kick to Sean's forehead. As they fought fiercely, they remained dead even as they successfully block each other. Yukay almost managed to topple Sean and gave his trademark hard blow to Sean's face. Red-faced Sean did not give up and fought back even stronger.

With the better part of the first round over, Sean seemed to have a rethink in his strategy as thus far Yukay proved to be more than a worthy opponent. Sean’s strategy seemed to rely on his counterattacking maneuvers leaving Yukay to make the first move. He allowed Yukay to throw his punches and kicks and Sean blocked them off as well as he possibly could before an opportunity arose and he launched a sharp kick right at Yukay’s shin. This caused Yukay to stumble and Sean took charge, punching him hard in the abdomen. This sent Yukay to the floor clutching his stomach in pain as the referee began the 10 count. He finally managed to get up at the 8 count and the bell saved him from a potential knock out defeat in just the first round.



Zidov quickly shouted words of advice to Yukay, “Put your hands up. This is your game. This is your fight. Block his kicks. Hands up don’t let him in. Believe in yourself ok!” In the other corner, Sean’s trainer told him coolly, “You had him you know. Round one you win. Slowly round two or three he’ll be tired already. Be careful. He’s strong and he’s hurting you.”

Round 2

The second round started with a high kick from Sean that unfortunately got blocked. They got into a lock however both refused to give up. Yukay then sprang a hard kick of his own to Sean's abdomen. Both fighters punched hard but expertly blocked each other’s attacks before Sean focused his attention on Yukay’s right thigh which he had bruised earlier in the first round. He kicked Yukay hard in the right thigh and Yukay stumbled and clutched his thigh. After limping around, he was unable to get back up in time for the count. He was then counted out and Sean won due to his failure to regain composure. As Yukay crouched by the corner, Sean immediately rushed to his aide to see if he was too injured. Yukay was in excruciating pain as was clearly seen from his face. Zidov told Sean, “Good job!” The trainer said to Yukay, “You did a good job.” Yukay responded, "It was the first one that did the damage, more damage." The announcement was made that Sean had won by technical knockout, stoppage in the second round.



A triumphant Sean said, "The fight pretty much went like how I expected it too. I expected to win. It’s great I’m in the final four. He turned out to be a very technical fighter. My performance wasn’t what I wanted it to be. I’m better than that and I’m a good fighter. But if I really stretch on then I’m world class. I’ve not fought the top guys yet so definitely my next fight will be a hard fight."

Yukay's Last Moments

To curb the pain in his thigh, Yukay tied an ice pack around it. He looked extremely devastated as he spoke, “I’m a little disappointed, I’m a little pissed. After a couple of kicks I was just stunned. Why didn’t I block? I get punished for that. I am thinking of my family and son and everything and keep focusing on them to get rid of the pain. I feel so angry. Going out like this seems a little weak. But you know I did what I can." He packed his gloves and hung his mongkok. As he left he remained in positive spirits. “My time is up. I accept it, no problem. I’m going home a little bit early, but its ok. I lose but life goes on. For me it’s been a great experience. If I have my career maybe I have one more fight. There’s always tomorrow.”