On Saturday, November 6th American Top Team -Tracy traveled South to Madera for the fourth Muay Thai event held by Christopher Arias and Madera Martial Arts as well as the IKF Muay Thai organization. Seven athletes stepped on tye mats for a day of tough but fun competition.
The event was professionally run and ended on time. Two rings were utilized to keep the flow of fights moving.
First to go up was one of our first-timers in 15-year-old Cooper Sampson. Cooper displayed grace and skill in his match vs a very skilled opponent. this fight could have gone either way as the judges called it a Draw!!!
Next up was another one of our up-and-coming young men in 17-year-old Ben Watson. Ben put on a masterful performance of Muay Thai skill and defeated his opponent in two rounds to none match-up.
Erik Meza went next and had a very tough match versus a strong and aggressive opponent. Erik took the first loss as a fighter but learned a lot and will be back even better next time.
Up next was "Smooth" Chance Soltero in the adult 150lbs division. Chance outshined his opponent with slick footwork and better defense on his way to his second victory in a row to go 2-0.
Christian Orellana went up next with a dominating performance, pushing his record to 3-0.
Devin Bell took to the mats next and walked through his opponent with relative ease to go to 2-0.
Jerick Bali went next and had the toughest fight of the day for our team going up against a very aggressive opponent who would not back down. Jerick, unfortunately, injured his ankle in the first round but still managed to finish the match, dropping a close decision.
Billy James went next with a very stylish win over another skilled opponent. this match went back and forth for a while until Billy took over in the clinch with well-placed knees to coast to victory. 2-1
