Same Last Name?
Yoddecha Sityodtong. Chatri Sityodtong. Daorung Sityodtong. Saknarong Sityodtong. Yodsanan Sityodtong. Kongtoranee Sityodtong. Yodteera Sityodtong.
Are these guys brothers or something? The mystery is solved for you below!
In Thailand, when a fighter achieves an expert level of proficiency (ie. essentially when you are good enough to represent the gym professionally as a fighter), the gym's name is bestowed upon you as an honor. In other words, when you achieve "black belt" status (there are no belts in Muay Thai, but it is just an analogy), then the Grandmaster gives you the honor of using the gym name as your last name. It is a rite of passage in Thailand. Of course, there is a lot of weight when you compete because you are fighting for the honor of the gym!
At Evolve, all of our Muay Thai Instructors hail from the legendary Sityodtong Gym in Pattaya, Thailand. Hence, they all use the last name, Sityodtong. If you look at professional fighters from other gyms in Thailand, they all share the same last name too. For example, Yodsaenklai Fairtex is from the Fairtex Gym in Thailand. Or if you look at Buakaw Por Pramuk - he is from the Por Pramuk Camp. Or Rambo Por Ruam Rudee - he is from the Por Ruam Rudee Gym in Thailand. In Thailand, you can immediately tell where a fighter is from by just reading his last name (in addition to his style of fighting too, of course)!
Sityodtong Gym has produced the most number of World Champions in the history of Muay Thai. Kru Yodtong Senanan is the Kru and owner of the legendary Sityodtong Gym in Thailand. He is Thailand's most famous Grandmaster of Muay Thai and is a national icon in Thailand. He is widely regarded as the Grandfather of modern Muay Thai. Most recently, the Royal Family of Thailand awarded him the prestigious Lifetime Master Achievement Award for being one of the most influential Grandmasters of Muay Thai in the history of Thailand. Some of his accomplishments include producing the most number of World Champions in the history of Muay Thai, leading the Thailand National Team to numerous championships, developing revolutionary techniques in Muay Thai, and much more. Kru Yodtong has more than 55 years of experience in Muay Thai as a professional fighter, a trainer of World Champions, and a Grandmaster.
So for all the Muay Thai Instructors at Evolve, it is an honor to be able to use Sityodtong as their last name. It is also a huge responsibility because their job is to carry on the legacy of Sityodtong in the ring and with the students at Evolve. Their passion and love is Muay Thai. You can be assured that you are getting the very best Muay Thai training in the world because they are simply teaching you what the legendary Kru Yodtong has taught them all of their lives.
So now you know why all of them have the same last name! And no, they do not have the same mom and dad! But they are definitely brothers in spirit from their shared background at Sityodtong Camp in Thailand.
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