Alain Sylvestre on Wild Boars

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

The winner of “The Contender” will be also be going home $150,000 US richer, this will be the biggest payout any of these fighters have ever earned. There will be 15 episodes all shot on location in Singapore.

the 16 contestans are :

WILD BOARS
Rafik Bakkouri - Leader [France]
Naruepol [Thailand]
Bruce "The Preacher" Macfie [Australia]
David Pacquette [United Kingdom]
Alain Sylvestre [Canada]
Zidov "Akuma" Dominik [Croatia]
Joakim "Yukay" Karisson [Sweden]
Sean Wright [Scotland]

TIGER KINGS
John Wayne Parr - Leader [Australia]
Yodsanklai "The Hero" [Thailand]
Soren Mongkontong [Australia]
Jose "Pitu" Sans [Spain]
Dzabhar Askerov [United Arab Emirates]
James Martinez [United States of America]
Kim Khan Zaki "Zig Zach" [Singapore]
Trevor "TNT" Smandych [Canada]

Alain Sylvestre lose on XFA-Vegas

The inaugural XFA (www.xfalive.com) event at was held March 24th at the the Las Vegas Hilton promoted by Reis Sports Entertainment.

The main event featured mixed martial arts veteran and Ultimate Fighter alum, Mike Whitehead vs. Ethen Cox. Whitehead, who’s known for his skills on the ground, had no problem adjusting to the striking-only competition of the XFA. Whitehead controlled all three rounds and won a unanimous decision while displaying flying knees and heavy hands in the fight.

In other action:

  • 155lb- Marcy Menchacha over Ray Cole via TKO round 2
  • 205lb- Mike Seal over London Pray via KO round 1
  • 110lb- Amy Davis over Van Do via unanimous decision. Davis controlled the pace of the fight and dominated Do for the full 3 rounds
  • 155lb- Mark Holst over Kevin Ross 1st round TKO. Holst landed an overhand right and finished with body shots and head shots before the refere stopped the fight.
  • 155lb- James Cook over Michael Corleone via unanimous decision in a stand up war. Cook was dominant throughout the fight.
  • 175lb- Sean “TNT” Yarborough over Alain Sylvestre via KO. Sean had the KO of the night with a 1st round, picture perfect head kick to Sylvestre’s temple.
  • HVY- Brain Hume over Dan Evenson via unanimous decision. Hume controlled this fight the whole 3 rounds, scoring one knock down via high kick in round 2.
  • 115lb- Catia Vitoria over Fight Girls alum Michelle Waterson via unanimous decision. Many in the crowd thought this was the “fight of the night” as both women went at for the full three rounds. Great showing by both fighters.

About Reis Sports Entertainment

Reis Sports Entertainment, LLC (RSE) is a Professional Martial Arts Promoter licensed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. RSE created the sports brand, the Xtreme Fighting Association TM (XFA) which will be holding a series of events in Las Vegas, Nevada. The XFA’s next event “XFA 2″ will be held May 31st, 2008, at the Las Vegas Cox Pavilion.

Shawn Yarborough vs Alain Sylvestre (Middleweight Bout)

Saturday, March 22, 2008

  • Round 1: Shawn comes out with a nice combo. He comes with a nice leg kick and they both start to trade. Shawn takes Alain down with a low leg kick. Alain is pushing the action but yarborough is getting the better of the stand up. Shawn lands a knee to the head. Shawn comes in with a nice combo and then drops Sylvestre with a huge head kick. The fight is over. All 5 of Shawn’s wins have came via KO now.
  • Round 2:
  • Round 3:
  • Final Result: Shawn Yarborough wins via TKO (head kick) at 2:40 in the 1st round.

Alain on The Contender Asia - Episode 5

Friday, February 22, 2008

Episode five featured a match between Soren Mongkontong and Alain Sylvestre. A brutal encounter which Soren won after the fight was stopped due to a cut to Alain's eye. Was a very interesting match to watch - after watchin this fight I became an instant fan of Soren's fighting style, which is very traditional with heavy use of knees / elbows. This match was a good reminder of the damage that can be caused by the eight point fighting style of Muay Thai.

Asian muscle mayhem attracts Canadian fighter Alain Sylvestre and Trevor Smandych

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

A reality show with blood, guts, heart-tugging drama and a dash of comedy is making waves in the Far East. Contender Asia, the Asian version of the American boxing reality show pits the thoughts and actions of 16 hand-picked Muay Thai fighters from around the world.

The show follows 16 aspiring kickboxers including two Canadians from training camp through an evolving series of outdoor challenges and real, sanctioned matches over 16 episodes. For the first eight episodes, the winner of the fight-of-the-week will be rewarded with a guaranteed spot in the Quarter Finals. After four weeks of these Quarter Finals, two weeks of Semi-Finals will follow. The total prize pool is US$250,000.

In the show’s last week, the final victor will claim the title of Contender Champion and the money prize. The two Canadians on the show are Trevor Smandych and Alain Sylvestre, the current holder of Canada’s Middleweight Muay Thai Championship title.

The Contender Asia website says Quebec-born Alain lives in Ottawa and trains at Ronin MMA. A hard worker, he puts a lot of heart into his fights and will be a tough opponent to wear down. Alain has fought at many international events around the world.

Trevor Smandych is one of the most outstanding fighters to emerge from Canada, with a raft of international titles under his belt. Entering the world of martial arts at 11 and training in traditional karate under renowned coach Mike Miles, Trevor switched to Muay Thai and kickboxing at 13, preferring the full contact form allowed in these disciplines. After winning his first fight at 16 against a much larger opponent, coach Miles gave Trevor the nickname ‘TNT’ for his sudden and often lethal explosions in the ring.

Trevor has represented Canada at the IFMA World Championships. Outside the ring, Trevor is an instructor whose technical accuracy and genuine nature makes him an excellent coach. His armory includes superb elbow and knee skills, and a deadly roundhouse kick. Trevor’s ambition is to be a Professional World Muay Thai Champion.

At a press conference held in Singapore recently, Riaz Mehta, the CEO of Imagine Omni Media and executive producer of Contender Asia, said: “We have established a new standard in Asian television and raised the bar in Asian productions based in Asia. Putting together this program, we’ve done an Asian first, it was made here, and it’s being distributed in the United States.”

Muscle and mayhem

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Reality shows don’t come with more blood, guts and testosterone – a good dosage of heart tugging drama and a dash of comedy to boot than The Contender Asia. The Asian version of the American boxing reality show is screened on AXN every Wednesday at 9pm.

Sylvester Stallone and former heavyweight champion, Sugar Ray Leonard, introduced viewers to The Contender format back in 2005. Mark “Survivor” Burnett, Stallone and DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg produced that boxing reality show, which captured the glory of the sport and its players in an engrossing 15-episode reality series.

With The Contender Asia, produced in Singapore by Imagine OmniMedia in association with Mark Burnett Productions, audiences will gain access to the thoughts and actions of 16 professional MuayThai fighters from around the world. The one who outlasts all other contenders earns himself a cash prize of USD$250,000 (RM950,000).

In the pilot episode which aired Jan 16, there was heart-wrenching drama when one contender accidentally tripped a fellow fighter causing the latter to hurt his shoulder and elbow.

The Contender Asia is Burnett’s first reality venture into Asia; there’s a possibility of The Apprentice Asia possibly happening in 2009. In October last year (a month after Contender Asia began filming in Singapore), Burnett signed a 10-year exclusive joint venture with Genting International to develop, produce and distribute game shows and reality television series in Asia. Contender Asia is not part of that deal.

At a press conference held in Singapore recently, Riaz Mehta, the CEO of Imagine OmniMedia and executive producer of Contender Asia, said: “We have established a new standard in Asian television and raised the bar in Asian productions based in Asia... Putting together this programme, we’ve done an Asian first – it was made here, and it’s being distributed in the United States.”

Burnett, who flew down to Singapore from Los Angeles for the premiere of the series, seconded Riaz’s thought: “I think you will see a lot of people are surprised that you can shoot something and edit something entirely on location in Singapore, in this case, and it is exactly the same quality (as the American programme). I am not surprised. I think the talent here is equivalent to anywhere in the world. It’s only a matter of vision.”

Ricky Ow – general manager of SPE Networks, Asia, which owns AXN – put it in plainer words: “They’ll be shocked by the quality of this show.”

The idea for The Contender Asia with MuayThai as the fighting style started two years ago, and was fuelled by Burnett’s love for Asia.

“I really love the quality of MuayThai. When I was hanging out in Thailand, there’s nothing greater than watching a fight. There is this sense of history and respect for the inner spirit (in the game). When they take a moment before the fight, before the combat, to pray, it’s beautiful. It’s the inner journey. One thing that comes across in Contender Asia is the decency of the competitors. It’s combat is done in a very kind way, combat can be kind; there is a sense of pageantry. (But) it’s still a competition; they still want to be the best. And some – despite the sense of majesty – still succumb to their inner id, it’s about self-preservation. And other people take the moral high ground. (It’s all) good story telling.”

According to Burnett, good story telling begins with finding the right people. For Contender Asia, the 16 fighters were handpicked by Stephan Fox, who is vice-president and international co-ordinator for the World MuayThai Council in Thailand. Fox is also the series’ host, along with Jaymee Ong.

Fox said: “I picked them based on their ranking in the MuayThai Council and their personalities. This is a new learning experience for them and throughout there was great enthusiasm. They lived together and became friends. Yes, there were some heated moments but this is sports.” Fox hopes that the series may elevate the sport even further, and that it could be included in the Olympic games some day.

Singaporean Zaki, one of the fighters, described the bond he forged with the other contenders as thus: “A lot of respect went in that house.” Zaki is the contender who hurt himself in the first challenge. Although he wasn’t angry as accidents happen, this one was hard to weather and he confessed to having thoughts that the injury would ruin his chances in the competition.

It is these kinds of real emotional ups and downs that make The Contender Asia a prime candidate for popularity.

Burnett concluded: “ ... in the first episode where the guy tripped over and hurt his shoulder, think how much he had trained, he wants to win, he’s on international television and his parents and friends are watching. It’s a combat show and he falls over and dislocates his shoulder on the first day. Oh my god, you feel so much for this person. You can’t write this stuff. I mean you could write it but you don’t have to. Something always happens.”

The Contenders:

  • Yodsaenklai from Thailand holds the Thailand 154lb championship title.

  • Kim Khan Zaki from Singapore has 16 fights under his belt, 11 of which he has won.

  • Aussie John Wayne Parr has been involved in MuayThai since he was 11.

  • Naruepol Fairtex from Thailand has taken part in 110 fights.

  • Sean Wright from Scotland began his match-fighting career at the age of 18.

  • Canadian Trevor Smandych aims to be a Professional World Muaythai Champion one day.

  • Canadian Alain Sylvestre is the current holder of Canada’s Middleweight Muay Thai Championship title.

  • Bruce Macfie from Australia has 70 wins from 103 fights.

  • Russian-born Dzhabar Askerov now lives in United Arab Emirates and is described as a thinking man’s fighter.

  • American James Martinez has the reputation of being an explosive fighter.

  • Joakim Karlsson from Sweden came second in the IMA World MuayThai Championship in 2006.

  • Pitu Sans from Spain is the heaviest fighter at 72kg and he brings a Catalan flavour to the ring.

  • David Pacquette from England is a qualified martial arts instructor in MuayThai.

  • Rafik Bakkouri is the French MuayThai Champion and is known to be cold and clinical in the ring.

  • Soren Mongkontong is an Australian with a calm approach to the game.

  • Zidov Dominik from Switzerland - aka Akuma (which means “devil” in Japanese) is the dark horse of the contest.