Coach Gina Reyes, Coach Dave Nielsen, & Irene Patricia Estrada (SMBA class of 2010) 
The ring at 4th & B Downtown San Diego Since I am one of the few individuals in SMBA V who is interested in getting into the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) industry, I thought I would shed some light on this particularly rapid growing sport. In terms of its popularity in San Diego, there has been an increasing number of gyms that are competing against one another with each gym's main focus being that of Mixed Martial Arts.Some disciplines in MMA include Brazilian Ju jit su, Muay Thai, Judo, and Greco Roman wrestling... just to name a few.
One of the more popular disciplines that I will focus on is Muay Thai.
What is Muay Thai? Literal translation- “Boxing Thai” Muay Thai serves as an essential part of the history of Thailand. For centuries the Thais were forced to defend their country and themselves from threatening powers trying to capture their land. They adopted and soon mastered a form of hand-to-hand combat, which today is known as Muay Thai. Over a period of time, it became custom for Thai males to train in this martial art as a right of passage into manhood. It was also adopted into military training and went on to become the national sport of the country. Muay Thai to some is considered one of the most devastating martial arts disciplines. It is often referred to as the “science of eight limbs” because it concentrates on eight points of contact which includes elbows, knees, hands, kicks, and shins.
One of the more popular disciplines that I will focus on is Muay Thai.
What is Muay Thai? Literal translation- “Boxing Thai” Muay Thai serves as an essential part of the history of Thailand. For centuries the Thais were forced to defend their country and themselves from threatening powers trying to capture their land. They adopted and soon mastered a form of hand-to-hand combat, which today is known as Muay Thai. Over a period of time, it became custom for Thai males to train in this martial art as a right of passage into manhood. It was also adopted into military training and went on to become the national sport of the country. Muay Thai to some is considered one of the most devastating martial arts disciplines. It is often referred to as the “science of eight limbs” because it concentrates on eight points of contact which includes elbows, knees, hands, kicks, and shins.
On Saturday July 25, 2009 Battle of Comicon was held at 4th and B in Downtown San Diego. On this night,five Muay Thai fights took place with the last fight being the Main Event for the California IKF (International Kickboxing Federation) cruiserweight title.
It was a huge night for American Boxing Gym because head coach Dave Nielsen was going up against the current cruiserweight champion Derek "the Tornado" Galanis. For those of you who have never experience these events, fight night atmosphere is always exciting and most fights leading up to the main event are filled with some good and aggressive technique. It is also amazing to see the diversity of fight fans and the increasing numbers of attendees.There were different representatives from gyms around San Diego and not to mention some of those who traveled from different states to attend this event.
It was no surprise that there was a good amount of American Boxing supporters at the fight, myself being one of them. As a person who trains and has stepped into the ring as a contender, I felt a roller coaster of emotions that would have probably been intensified if I myself would have stepped into the ring that night. But I had the utmost confidence, that Dave Nielsen was going to take the title away from Derek “the Tornado” Galanis.It was only a minute or two in the first round when Dave Nielsen saw an opening and landed a left hook on Galanis not only once but twice, which made "the Tornado" immediately fall to the ground.
The referee called it and the results- Dave Nielsen won by TKO (Technical Knock Out)!
This was a definite victory for American Boxing MMA and Fitness center (ABF)! I’ve been training at ABF for the past three years and in my opinion, it is one of the few gyms here in San Diego where the trainers take their time to help develop not only a fighter but also their members.If you have aspirations to start training in Mixed Martial Arts and/or compete you should check out their website http://www.americanboxing.net/ and get trained by the new IKF cruiserweight champion Dave Nielsen.
As an added bonus for ALL YOU LADIES, who want to train...Learn from the reality TV Show FIGHT GIRLS star: Head female Muay Thai Coach Gina Reyes. She is one of the fiercest female Muay Thai fighters out there in the industry! I’ve had the pleasure to know and train beside her for the past couple of years... she is definitely a Wonder Woman!
Once again congratulations to AMERICAN BOXING!
I'll have more fight night stories to come...
~Irene Patricia Estrada, SMBA Class of 2010
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