Fight #283 Kard Chuek (Sylvie's Commentary) - full fight

[Kevin writing]

We put all of Sylvie's fights up now with commentary on YouTube, you can see video of (practically) every single fight in her progressively historic career in this YouTube Playlist and you can view her detailed Complete Fight Record here. This is her 283rd fight (from July) as she presses toward 300 Muay Thai fights as a significant goal. She already is the female combat sport fighter with the most documented pro fights in history, regardless of sport, and sets the mark for the most fights in Thailand as a non-Thai. Her love and passion for the sport has played out in the rings of Thailand, mostly in the traditional ruleset.

This though is an Entertainment Muay Thai fight in the Kard Chuek ruleset, requested as 5 rounds. It's knockout (win) or nothing (draw), with rope wraps. As much as Sylvie has held the line against 3rd round Entertainment Muay Thai, in modified rules limiting clinch, she actualy has fought 17 times in Kard Chuek, broadcast on Thai television, a large number of televised appearances. This is her most recent fight for Siam Kard Chuek, a promotion she's grown close to.

In terms of fighting approach, Sylvie takes a similiar plan into Kard Chuek fights, in that she wants to pressure the fight space early, in a kind of persistance hunting, which will wear down the opponent's ruup (posture, poise), but in Kard Chuek because there are no "points" she doesn't have to worry about femeu fighters scoring with style and light strikes, building up a lead. It's the same process though. In trad fights you ward off those early point building attempts, but the end-game is the same, to diminish the ruup of your opponent and get to dominant fight-defining moments and positions. You can see the erosion progression pretty starkly in this fight, with her opponent showing lots of clean movement and pivoting early.

Sylvie points out in commentary her use of Sagat's snuffing Bramble Guard in this early pressure, which she learned in this session I believe: #60 Sagat Petchindee 3 - All the Strikes Tuned and Dangerous (101 min) watch it here, mixing it with elbow guards which are effective in Kard Chuek. All about eroding that space.

you can find all my photographs from the fight here

The Knockout

Just as a point of commentary, this was a very interesting fight in how much the referee protected her opponent from the KO in the 4th round. On one level its against the very spirit of the ruleset, its a KO or nothing promotion, and I'm not even sure how counts work in that ruleset. As a fighter and someone who cheers for her, this is frustrating because you want to fit the bill, take the challenge of the ruleset and produce the win it asks for. But on another level, upon reflection, it also feels entirely appropriate. Wins are great, but some things are bigger than wins, and the referee interuptions stopping Sylvie's clinch, protecting the health of her opponent made for a more interesting fight. Pornapha was able to weather a serious storm, probably the most difficult she has faced, and gather herself for a very nice 5th round of dignity and defense, and Sylvie couldn't push past all those barriers. In a certain sense, Entertainment Muay Thai has just been too thirsty of KOs, especially by Westerners in hyper-aggressive style, often with size advantages - it feels good to see the fight shaped in a very different way, even on an Entertainment promotion.

Also, this shaping of the fight against Sylvie's clinch is something she's very, very familiar with, for maybe the last 150 fights now, and it one reason she prefers to fight in festival fights where the clinch is reffed in a more traditional, narrative style. In the local stadia where Sylvie is known very quick clinch breaks became more and more common, even in trad rulesets, and a lot of her muay has been about working around that kind of shaping, keeping it persistant, trying to find those round and fight-defining moments. So this fight was a kind of exaggerated version of things Sylvie has been digesting for years now.

In the end her opponent's performance was wonder. She pushed through with the fortitude that makes up the art and sport. And Sylvie was given the opportunity to explore and exercise the Muay Khao artform as she's come to love it, to develop more skills and habits that make Muay Khao so potent. It was a win-win fight, in the truest sense.

I hope you enjoy the commentary by Sylvie. No fighter examines fights the way she does. She's not only a scholar of Muay Thai, in her study of the history & its legends, and the documentary work of the Muay Thai Library project, but you can hear her incredible perspective on the nature of fighting, as the most prolific Western Muay Thai fighter in the history of the sport. I learn from her, listening.

Thank you to everyone who supports Sylvie and makes her fighting possible through this patreon, and those who maybe even more importantly have offered supportive words and cheered her on though these years. The truth is that her incredible fight record and the Muay Thai Library have come through the passion of others in support.

See Sylvie's latest blog post The Primacy of Nature

Slow Pressure Fighting found in the MTL

Some of the sessions in the Muay Thai Library that deal with gradually increasing pressure fighting. My favorite is Dieselnoi below, as he's pictured as a very aggressive fighter, but he actually was a slow boil pressure fighter. Some of these pressure with low kicks, some with hands, some with defense and counter fighting. The sessions together help build a picture of Thailand's unique style of aggression.

#76 Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn 4 - How to Fight Tall (69 min) watch it here

There several sessions with the King of Knees in the Muay Thai Library, this is the fourth, but this is the first one where he gets the chance to teach a tall, long fighter like he was. If you are a tall fighter this is the session you don't want to miss. He is arguably the GOAT, an in this session he unfolds his entire fighting system of knee fighting pressure and distance control.

#150 Lamnammoon Sor Sumalee #2 - Muay Khao Timing (!), Space & Structure (1 hr, 42 min) watch it here

One of the least understood fighting styles in Muay Thai is Golden Age Muay Khao. One of the difficulties is learning how important timing and tempo is to the style. We explore with the Golden Age legend of knee fighting Lamnammoon in our 2nd session with him. Learn how dominance is imposed through pace, balance, protection and insisted but well-timed pressure.

#145 Thongchai Tor Silachai - Muay Maat & Low Kick Legend (96 min) watch it here

Rare and hard to find we finally get to film this incredible session with one of the very best who ever fight, the 2001 FOTY legend Thongchai. His is a prime example of extremely high level fighting out of a pressure low kick and heavy hands, clinch style. Just some of the most beautiful pressure muay ever. Study to see how this incredible fighter fought way up in such a victorious manner.

#143 Takrowlek Dejrat - Master of the Low Kick (90 min) watch it here 

One of the great low kicking fighters of the Golden Age teaches his squared up, pressuring, Muay Beuk fight philosophy which uses an extremely fast, vertical low kicking technique that keeps the opponent exactly where you want them. This punishing style, built on defense and ring control is extremely effective, using techniques that are not often taught. Study the low kick in a way you haven't seen before.

#134 Wangchannoi Sor Palangchai #3 - Powerful, Advancing Counterfighting (74 min) - watch it here, or podcast here

One of the most dangerous and feared fighters of the Golden Age unlocks the secrets of his style. It's how he counterfights but with constant pressure. See how to train it and produce the disruptive force of what I've come to call "depth charging". One of the best sessions in the Library.

#62 Rambaa Somdet 2 - His Stinging Attack (83 min) watch it here

Rambaa known for his stinging attack, teaches speed and precision in this more than hour long session. Thailand's first MMA world champion, Rambaa draws from various disciplines, fusing techniques together is still a very traditional, stadium-oriented Muay Thai. Here elbows from various angles, switching attacks, and balanced energy come together to produce high-tempo pressure on an opponent.