This is Chan Rathana, my boxing and marital arts teacher here in Cambodia. He just did something that takes a whole lot of guts – stepping into the octagon to fight another man in a MMA bout - and ended up with the glory. Only 36 hours before this photo was taken, Rathana did battle with fellow Cambodian countrymen Samang “Ironfist” Dun, beating him when he landed a couple of sizzling punches at the very end of the first round.
That was on Saturday night, in front of thousands at a very well organized and run One FC sanctioned MMA match at Naga World in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. On Monday when I took this photo, Rathana was already back to work, training foreign and Khmer beginners at his art, a little more subdued than normal and with a nice bruise on his check but no worse for wear. With a work ethic like that, it’s no wonder why we won.
That was on Saturday night, in front of thousands at a very well organized and run One FC sanctioned MMA match at Naga World in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. On Monday when I took this photo, Rathana was already back to work, training foreign and Khmer beginners at his art, a little more subdued than normal and with a nice bruise on his check but no worse for wear. With a work ethic like that, it’s no wonder why we won.
Rathana is the owner and teacher at Selapak, a cultural center in the heart of Phnom Penh. Next door to Selapak is a rowdy Irish bar that often spills over, downstairs a space to teach traditional Khmer dance, and upstairs, the gym. It’s ridiculously small by western standards, really the long, narrow upstairs room of an apartment with a high ceiling; two heavy bags swinging, a shoebox ring where you are always in kicking distance of your opponent, and a big mirror along one side of the matts, which have sporadic hidden trapdoors where it is only bar concrete and an occasional metal anchor where you can catch your foot if you’re not careful. There is no AC in the stifling heat, a couple of ceiling fans whirling and the back door of the apartment – I mean, gym – opening up to a tiny balcony.
Selapak sees a steady stream of people training in Khun Khmer, or traditional Cambodian kick boxing, every evening at 6 and then 7 pm; Britts, Italians, a ton of Frenchmen (who add their own distinct cultural scent to the mix,) and a few young Cambodians looking to impress Rathana.
Selapak sees a steady stream of people training in Khun Khmer, or traditional Cambodian kick boxing, every evening at 6 and then 7 pm; Britts, Italians, a ton of Frenchmen (who add their own distinct cultural scent to the mix,) and a few young Cambodians looking to impress Rathana.
I started training here (and I use the word ‘training’ loosely) a couple of years ago when I lived in a rat hole apartment across the street. Since then, I’ve moved to nicer quarters, and even trained privately with a different instructor for all of last year, but even then, I had no idea he was a professional fighter in the international ranks.
His fight this past Saturday was a chance to avenge his only professional loss, a controversial decision given to Ironfist a year ago after Rathana stomped on his face. (Really, I didn’t know that kind of thing was discouraged?) My buddy Wicced who works for the Phnom Penh Post got us tickets, and when I showed up I had no idea Rathana was the main event.
His fight this past Saturday was a chance to avenge his only professional loss, a controversial decision given to Ironfist a year ago after Rathana stomped on his face. (Really, I didn’t know that kind of thing was discouraged?) My buddy Wicced who works for the Phnom Penh Post got us tickets, and when I showed up I had no idea Rathana was the main event.
To be honest, I had my doubts when the fight started as it looked like there was a lot more downstairs traditional dancing than upstairs fighting, but soon the fighters engaged with flurries of punches, lightning kicks, and grappling. Near the end of the first, Rathana found himself standing over Iron Fist, who threw a cobra-like straight kick at Rathana’s face from his prone position. The kick just barely and Rathana coiled, unloading a haymaker that traveled from his shoulder all the way down to Iron Fist’s head on the mat. He threw a couple other jarring shots before the ref jumped in to stop it.
Rathana now has an impressive 4-1 record in the professional One FC ranks with wins abroad in Thailand and Malaysia, and listed on Sherdog. Bigger opportunities are sure to come. He may not be sitting on top of the world just yet, but he’s sure the pride of his family, his country, Selapak, and his little neighborhood gym where it all started.
So when I brought in my Fuji instant camera and asked my friend Rathana to pose with his championship One FC trophies, these weird black brick looking things) he gladly obliged. But when I gave him the photo as a memento of his victory and asked him to hold it up, my voice still hoarse from cheering, he stood even taller.
-Norm :-)
So when I brought in my Fuji instant camera and asked my friend Rathana to pose with his championship One FC trophies, these weird black brick looking things) he gladly obliged. But when I gave him the photo as a memento of his victory and asked him to hold it up, my voice still hoarse from cheering, he stood even taller.
-Norm :-)
This is part of a series where I take approach a common but remarkable person in Cambodia and ask if I can take their photo. I do so but with a Fujifilm instant camera, so the photograph pops out and develops right on the spot. I then had them the photo, sometimes the only one they've ever owned. I then capture the moment by taking a digital photo of them holding their new gift.
You can search for more of these blogs by clicking on the 'Give A Photo' category to the right, or read more here: Can I Give You This Photo, Please?
You can search for more of these blogs by clicking on the 'Give A Photo' category to the right, or read more here: Can I Give You This Photo, Please?
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