Video: Richardson Fights A Butterbean Wannabe In Koh Phi Phi!

I spent the first six weeks of 2020 in Thailand, and half of that time was devoted entirely to mixed martial arts (MMA) and Muay Thai training.

Two of those weeks were spent in the island paradise of Phuket at Tiger Muay Thai, one of the best MMA gyms on the planet. Once in Phuket, I met up with SB Nation video producer Case Harts, and we went to work on capturing the experience of training at an elite level in a foreign country.

| Watch Episode One HERE and Episode Two HERE and Episode Three HERE and Episode Four HERE! |

Over the course of three weeks, Case and I recorded a ton of footage. Primarily, the focus of all this recording was training and martial arts related. For the first two weeks, I trained at Tiger Muay Thai every day, experiencing as much as I could of what the massive facility and dozens of coaches offered. Then, we relocated to Bangkok, where I visited several different academies.

Let’s dig into the fifth episode:

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Episode Five: Likely the craziest experience of my entire six weeks in Thailand, I signed up for an officiated bar fight against a random tourist.

Behind-The-Scenes: First, allow me to explain how the Koh Phi Phi Reggae Bar system works.

The bar manager walks around and asks who wants to fight. I am the only volunteer to participate in the second fight of the night. As a result, the manager brings me into the ring, raises my hand in the air, and walks me around so that everyone can get a good look. Being 145 lbs. and less than intimidating, it doesn’t take long for an opponent to step up.

We are brought back to an open corner of the quickly filing bar and each given a pair of Muay Thai shorts. There is no contract to sign. Afterward, we climb into the ring, where our head gear, shin guards, and gloves still sit, warm and wet from recent use. Yes, this was at the end of January, already during the Coronavirus pandemic.

There is no pageantry nor warm up, no hand wraps or mouth guard. My only regret is not bringing my usual mouthpiece to the isle, but I truly didn’t think I was going to compete! I like to think I am pretty self-aware, but I really managed to dupe myself this time. Case acted as my primary cornerman, aided by any drunk tourist who wanted to put in his two cents.

The rules of the fight certainly made the situation trickier. When faced with a spastic opponent, I generally like to wrestle or evade until his energy runs out a bit. With one minute rounds — split up by a full three minutes of rest! — and no grappling allowed, neither tactic was available. Knees and elbows were not permitted either, so any clinch advantage was moot as well.

Watching the fight back for the first time, I don’t hate my performance as much as I thought I would. In truth, only one punch of his landed clean across the three minutes, an uppercut amidst the sea of overhands, and I wasn’t bothered by it. My showing was sloppier than I would’ve liked, but the rules and atmosphere encourage wildness, and I was a bit swept up in the moment.

It is a bar fight after all.

After my bout, I was genuinely impressed by some of the Muay Thai displayed later in the night. Some of those guys were in great shape and definitely more experienced than myself in Muay Thai! At least, that’s how I remember it, but perhaps the highs of victory and an alcohol bucket are blurring the specifics.

Either way, there’s still more to come, including commentated fight clips from the Reggae Bar, clinch training in Bangkok, and MMA trivia that punishes with the foul “King of Fruits” durian.

Stay tuned! If you enjoyed the video, please like it on YouTube and subscribe to the SBN MMA page!