Joey Payeur
In just over five weeks, Saturday night is going to be alright for fighting.
The Couchiching Arena will be the venue for Combat Culture’s “Throwdown at the Duke” Muay Thai amateur kickboxing event on July 9, sanctioned by the World Kickboxing Federation.
Combat Culture co-founder Dave Zuniga of Winnipeg admitted he’s walking a tightrope bringing the first fight card in recent memory in this area to a place which has not hosted this particular brand of martial arts before.
“We did an event in Kenora in March and had over 600 people come out,” noted Zuniga, who helped start the Combat Culture promotion in 2013.
“A councillor from Couchiching approached me and asked if we would do an event out there,” he added.
“I thought it would be an OK idea to try and see how it goes, but it’s a bit of a risk [in terms of profitability],” Zuniga conceded.
“The most expensive thing [for the promotion] is the hotels because with no local fighters, everyone needs a hotel room,” he explained.
“There is also no fan base established there yet.”
But in Kenora, Zuniga said they had people come watch from Fort Frances, Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Sioux Narrows, Red Lake, and even Thunder Bay.
“And we hope to keep that same fan base and that a lot [who] went to the Kenora event will come down to this one,” he remarked.
Zuniga, who also owns Nak Muay in Winnipeg, said “Throwdown at the Duke” is part of the Throwdown Fight Series that started with the Kenora event.
“It’s only our fifth event we’ve done since we started Combat Culture because match-making is tough,” he noted.
“You might have 10 or 12 fights planned for a card, but then you get some fighters who pull out at the last minute, some who can’t make weight, and some who just get scared,” he said.
“I would be happy if we can get [at least] eight,” Zuniga remarked. “That’s a good number for the crowd because you don’t want them sitting there all night.
“We had 10 fights in Kenora and it lasted about three-and-a-half hours.”
Muay Thai kickboxing differs from the western-style kickboxing that’s more commonly done in North America.
Along with the normal punching and kicking, Muay Thai outfits their combatants with elbow pads, and allows for elbow strikes to the head (the use of headgear is optional depending on a fighter’s experience level) and knee blows to the body.
Fights usually consist of three two-minute rounds, with a panel of ringside judges scoring the bout.
The main event at “Throwdown at The Duke,” however, will be a five-round rumble for the women’s lightweight championship (138-pound) between Winnipeg fighters Halley MacMillan and Amber Berg.
This will be the first main event bout for both the 21-year-old MacMillan, who fights out of the Nak Muay Gym, and the 30-year-old Berg, a member of the Peg’s Double Dragon Gym.
“It’s very exciting and means a lot in terms of what I’ve accomplished because of training every day,” said MacMillan, who did taekwondo as a child before dropping out and then eventually turning to Muay Thai a year-and-a-half ago.
“I joined originally just as a fitness-based activity,” she recalled. “I didn’t know a lot about Muay Thai.
“But I met some great people at the gym, and Dave said I should try and fight one time.”
That initial foray into the ring ended with MacMillan knocking her opponent out with a thunderous kick to the head in the first two minutes.
“Ever since, I’ve been hooked,” she beamed.
MacMillan said Muay Thai is growing in popularity in Canada.
“It’s a great way to get in shape and anyone can join, young or old,” she remarked.
“I’ve actually travelled to Thailand to learn more about it and it’s evolved into a beautiful sport.”
There is nothing beautiful about what MacMillan has planned for Berg in July, although the younger fighter knows her more experienced foe must be taken seriously.
“[Berg] has been to Thailand before herself to train and fight, and being that she’s from the Double Dragon, I’m giving her respect,” said MacMillan, whose career record is 4-2, with at least one more fight scheduled before coming here.
“She [Berg] also is more of the Thai style of fighter and I respect that style and technique so much more,” MacMillan added.
“It’s hard to find people that fight that style.”
Berg, whose record stands at 5-6, won her first bout five years ago by technical knockout.
“I like the hard work, the push, the training, the focus,” said Berg, who called the two-and-a-half months spent training and fighting in Thailand one of the best experiences of her life.
“I’ll go wherever there’s a fight for me.
“Double Dragon is the only gym in Canada I’ve ever trained at,” she added.
“My coach knows so many things and you never stop learning, and it feels like family.”
The fight should be an electric affair as both MacMillan and Berg pride themselves on their aggression.
“I’m pretty go, go, go, go,” noted Berg. “I don’t know how to take my foot off the pedal.”
The pair each will be travelling through this area for the first time.
“I’m excited to check it out,” said MacMillan. “I love going to the lake and getting out of the city.”
After getting early acceptance to nursing school, MacMillan knows her regular fighting days may be numbered.
“Once I start school, I won’t have a lot of time to train,” she conceded.
“If this is my last fight for maybe the next year, I want to bring home the win.”
Tickets cost $25 each, which can be purchased at the C.C. Complex and the Couchiching band office.
VIP tables for 10 people on the front row also are available for $500.
Anyone from outside the local area wanting tickets can contact Zuniga at 1-204-998-3309 and pay by e-mail money transfer.
Doors open at 5 p.m., with the first fight set for 6 p.m.
