TEEP 011: Richard "Maximus" Abraham

Dany Bill is a 7-Time World Muay Thai champion from Muay Thai's golden era and touted as possibly the most technically gifted fighter to ever compete in the sport of Muay Thai.  He won the coveted Kings Cup in Thailand in it's inaugural year of 1993, to the dismay of over one hundred thousand Thai locals who had no familiarity with the African-European fighter.  Amateur fighter, photographer and podcast host Charles Little II catches up with Dany Bill and Muay Thai trainer Shawn Yacoubian immediately following Dany's training seminar at Yacoubian Muay Thai Academy in Chatworth, California.  Dany shares insights from his unique journey, locker-room stories and inside information behind his numerous victories against the best Muay Thai fighters across the globe during Muay Thai's celebrated Golden Era.  Dany Bill is actively sharing his experience through Muay Thai training seminars, individual training sessions and consulting.  You can find Dany Bill on Instagram @danybillofficial.

Dr. Jason Park is a Physical Therapist, Board-certified Sports Clinical Specialist and a Sports Performance consultant. I honestly hope that there is a "Dr. Jason Park" facility one day, because Jason is truly a multi-talented human. We got together and talked about his fight history, his "Muay Thai thesis" and more.

Alex Von Have could very well be the first transgendered individual to enter the Muay Thai ring. We sat down to talk about that and a whole lot more.

This installment of the podcast is a live recorded conversation and visitation inside the walls of Maximus Muay Thai in Itasca, IL just outside the city limits of Chicago with Richard "Maximus" Abraham.  Richard is a gym owner, #15 ranked Welterweight Glory kickboxer, trainer, tombstone engraver, husband and father of five.  He's one of the hardest working and disciplined individuals on the planet and we explore from where he derives his focus, his passion and how the hell anyone can get so much done in 24 hours and keep on keeping day after day!  it's an inspiring no bs talk that's loaded with takeaways and a taste of what its like to pop in and train in a brand new state of the art facility with one of North America's most respected and feared kickboxers and muay thai practitioners.  Follow the Teep This Podcast here

A special shout out to the Muay Thai promoters across North America who are working harder than ever creating more and more opportunities for fighters and students to get experience in the Muay Thai ring!  Also, please check out our friends just north of us in Canada on all that's happening on their exploding Muay Thai scene by tuning into The Bloody Ballet podcast hosted by Ryan McKinnon.  This episode features my conversation with one of the most feared young fighters making waves around the planet in both the Muay Thai and Kickboxing circuits.  Regian Eersel aka The Immortal is the current Lion Fight Super Middleweight World Champion and I spent some time with Regian and his trainer Paul learning more about what it feels like to be a world champion at only 24 years of age and how the American Muay Thai scene appears from his perspective in Holland, the world capital of Kickboxing.  We get into "the Dutch style" and is it as hardcore as everyone says it is?  We go deep behind some of his most memorable fights and experience some of those fights from his perspective inside the mayhem.  Tune in for Episode 11 with special guest Glory world champion, gym owner, entrepreneur and father of five Richard "Maximus" Abraham from Maxiumus Muay Thai in Itasca, IL.  Live well, love much, laugh often and train hard.  Sawasdee krap.

In this episode Joe and I get way into the behind the scenes of some of his epic fights against top tier opponents including Travis Clay and Eric Luna. I learned all about what it is to be Chomorro and we explored just how different Muay Thai fighting is from other fight sports.  We talked about life, self-awareness, tradition and how knowing ones self and honoring that knowledge can order your steps toward living a fulfilled life. © 2019, TEEPTHIS.COM. All rights reserved.

In this, the second podcast episode of 2018, I'm happy to have finally caught up with a unique fighter that I've been tracking since around Jan of 2016.  Travis Clay (Sitan Gym, Arizona) is a WBC National Muay Thai Champion and is one committed and too often underestimated American Nak Muay.   Travis was fresh from weighing-in for his contest with Ognjen Topic for Friday Night Fights (New York) which is slated to be the first full rules muay thai fight in America to be streamed live over the internet.  It's a glorious time for Muay Thai in the states and Travis and I discussed some of his past fights in particular detail.  Including his pro debut against UFC veteran Jared Papazian at Lion Fight 26; his stunning fight with Julio "The Don" Peña and his epic WBC title fight last year with Joe Gogo in San Diego for Dennis Warner's WCK Full Rules Muay Thai promotion.   Travis went deep into his muay thai technique, he let us inside his head before during and after the aforementioned fights as well as discussed the nuanced differences between "Muay Thai" and "Kickboxing" and where Muay Thai may seemingly be headed in the USA over the next few years.   Sit back and take in the interview and enjoy.  This is also a pivotal podcast episode for Teep This as this was the very first video podcast that I ever recorded.  I interviewed and cut this podcast from my office and Travis spoke to me from his hotel room in New York before turning in to rest up for his fight the very next day.   Thanks for tuning in to the podcast.  Please like @TeepThis on facebook, follow us on Instagram and rate and review the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play.  Live well, laugh often , love much and train hard.  Sawadee krap.

The TEEP THIS PODCAST returns after a six-month hiatus with special guest and Lion Fight Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion Sergio Wielzen. 

The hottest topic in the American Muay Thai scene at the moment is Muay Thai on the world stage. Muay Thai debuts at the World Games in Poland in July and the USMF is changing the game in order to curate the best fighters from the USA to compete against international opponents and place American Muay Thai among the best in the world rankings. This month’s guests include two fighters who have represented the USA at the IFMA world championships the last two years in a row. Pro fighter Asa Tenpow (Florida Kickboxing Academy - West Palm Beach, FL) and amateur fighter Janet Todd (Boxing Works - Torrence, CA). I talked with both fighters about their recent trip to the IFMA world’s in Belarus, Minsk; their opinions of the state of Muay Thai in America and the level of competition taking place at international competitions. They both shared a huge amount of their experiences from abroad and here at home; as well as where they think American Muay Thai needs help and where we’re excelling as we adopt the sport and continue developing our brand of American Muay Thai. Janet Todd brought home a bronze medal from the world’s this year and immediately followed that up by winning her division at the Defiant WBC Muay Thai Tournament in Tacoma, Washington (May 27-29). Janet recaps that tournament for us, which is a timely continuation of our initial coverage of that tourney with it’s creator and organizer Daniel Gutierrez of Defiant Promotions (Los Angeles, CA). It’s an incredible time for Muay Thai in the USA and we’re honored to take part in this pivotal period in American Muay Thai history! Subscribe, review and share this podcast via: iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play (Android) Read the full podcast post, see all the related images and leave comments, questions or suggestions at teepthis.com/category/podcasts/ or send an email directly to [email protected]  Live well, laugh often, love much and train hard.  Sawadee krap.  

This month in exploring Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts in the states,  I speak with Daniel Gutierrez of Defiant Promotions and Defiant Gym and conducted my first ever group discussion with a team of fighters from The Shack System while attending an Iron Eagle striking seminar featuring one of my favorite muay thai fighters Nick "The Golden Boy" Chasteen, hosted at The Submission Factory in Los Angeles.  A special thank you to guests Rusty Shackelford, Issac Enriquez, Jesse Valasquez, Albert Fuentes and Erica Fortes for openly sharing their thoughts and opinions on the podcast! Subscribe, review and share this podcast via: iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play (Android) Read the full podcast post, see all the related images and leave comments, questions or suggestions at teepthis.com/podcasts or send an email to [email protected] Live well, laugh often, love much and train hard.  Sawadee krap.