i just caught the premiere episode of the contender:asia and i am seriously blown away. is it just my ignorance, or did no one else know that all this was taking place in singapore and i had no idea at all?!
for the sake of clueless people like myself, the contender:asia takes place in singapore and is all about muay thai. 16 muay thai fighters from all over the world battle it out to be crowned the muay thai fighter of the world. each week two fighters tough it out in the ring, loser goes home.. the works.
first episode saw trevor smandych from canada going up against naruepol of thailand in the ring. personally, it was painfully clear that naruepol was vastly superior in skill. he was completely unfazed and totally calm while seemingly able to deftly avoid trevor's attacks. he didnt even seem to try very hard. but hey, what do i know about muay thai right? needless to say, naruepol had an easy victory that left me salivating for more. i just dont get the pants, does he have to pull it up so high? sheesh.
singapore's representative is muay thai fighter zach who took a hard spill in the first episode after he got tripped up in a sprint. im so completely into this show that i was so ready to buy tickets to catch the finales. until i realised that i was already 6 days too late! augh!
anyway, aside from the fact that jaymee ong is really lousy as a host, its muay thai plus drama and good queue music. sweaty men and six packs in the ring? you have got to check this show out.
warning: do not visit the contender:asia website unless fully prepared for major spoilers. it takes the excitement out of the fights. but detailed episode guides are provided and really help if u need to catch up.