This past Friday I had the pleasure of attending my first live full contact muay thai event organized by Take On Productions. Upon arriving at the event with my wife I checked in and received my media badge which was all access. After a few minutes wandering aimlessly I bumped into fight photographer Bauzen who was not only kind enough to give me a crash course in fight photography but also directed me to a spot where I could set up shop and take pictures. Before going into the fights I want to acknowledge that the atmosphere was electric and was unlike anything I had ever seen at any other type of local event. To say it was comparable to Fight Club or Kickboxer would be cliché and silly but that vibe is only comparable one that comes to mind.

Here were the fights we got to see at the event.

The opening bout between Akeal Hinds and Patrick Narain was action packed and was a great way to start the evening.Check out some great pics from their fight

As the night progressed I got to see some phenomenal displays of muay thai technique. I enjoyed every fight and definitely had some favorites. The first being the fight between Greg Lachaga and Youyung Cho which was fast paced and hard hitting. Lachaga had some impressive striking and was very aggressive. Cho was just as ready to engage and exhibited a willingness to exchange which was amazing given the viciousness of Lachaga’s offense. Here are some pictures from that fight but I can tell you that they don’t do these amazing competitors justice. Lachaga definitely made me a fan even though he was on the losing end of the encounter

The other fight I wanted to mention was the fight between Ciaran McAllister and Lacey Maloney which I really enjoyed. Maloney is trained by Kru Phil Nurse from the Wat which I am sure many of you have seen on the Ultimate Fighter or cornering some of your favorite mixed martial artists. Ciaran McAllister seemed the favorite as Ole chants filled the arena when his name was announced. Both fighters met in the center of the ring and exchanged blows at a feverish pace which made for some tough photos but made for an awesome slugfest. McAllister flipped the switch in the second round and really took it to Maloney. I think I enjoyed this match so much because of the tenacity of Maloney and the willingness to leave it in the ring. A stellar effort from both of these awesome fighters. Here are some photos of their match.

I would like to say that the entire card from start to finish was exciting. Time went by fast and I honestly wanted to see more fights. During my time at the event though I learned three very important things.

Bring extra batteries for your camera
Extra memory cards too.
Ring location is crucial for great photos.

Here are the full results for the card.

Akeal Hinds def. Patrick Narain-Decision
Bruce Osorio def. DK Youn- Decision
Juan Rosario def. Eric Gasper-Decision
Youyoung Cho def. Greg Lachaga-Decision
Brian Hansen def. Jens Piciri-Decision
Ciaran McAllister def. Lacey Maloney-Decision
Dan Matala def. Joe Hernandez-Decision
Victor Romero def. Frank Marshall-Decision
Ruby Felix def., Khris Collins –Decision

Title Fight

Rami Ibrahim def. Philippe Allaire Landreville-Decision

I took over 300 pictures and I honestly feel they did not do the event justice. Take On Productions had an excellent event and I personally want to thanks Eddie Cuello for inviting us to event. I also want to personally thanks Bauzen for making my wife and I feel welcome. I said it on twitter and want reiterate it here that Bauzen is a class act and great ambassador for the sport of Muay Thai.

If you want to learn more about Take On Productions events visit their site here.

The talented staff of Muay Thai is Life did a fantastic job of covering the event and should definitely be checked out. Click here to visit

And finally you can follow Take On Productions and Muay Thai Is Life on Facebook .

I look forward to covering and seeing more local muay thai events.The sport has made a fan out of me.