Northwest FightScene - Cultural Event 2008

Cultural Event 2008 - April 26th, 2008

Gary and Carol Milgard Family Hope Center - Lakewood, Washington

Photos by Mike Renouard

On Saturday, April 26th, the United South East Asian Cultural Association (USEACA) presented "Cultural Event 2008" - an evening of Pradal Serey/Muay Thai boxing, and traditional dancing from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Korea. The event, the first such one for the association, celebrated the beauty of traditional South East Asian lifestyle, dance, and martial arts in grand style. After a sweet rendition of the National Anthem, the night started off with a number of beautiful dance performances from such groups as the Kinnaly Dance Troupe, the Thailand Cultural Group, and the Khmer Classical Dance Group of Tacoma.

It was then time for 12 Muay Thai bouts which were all sanctioned by the International Muay Thai League. A number of great schools and clubs from around the Northwest brought fighters including Full Circle Fight Club (Bremerton), Team Quest (Portland), Total Confidence (Bellingham), Kalahi Martial Arts (Mt Vernon), Lotus Kickboxing (Spokane), Big Foot Gym (Eugene), Chai Sai Muay Thai (Tacoma), Marty Robertson's Kickboxing (Tacoma), Brian Johnson's Kickboxing (Olympia), Sedro Wooley Martial Arts, Winlock Martial Arts, SS Pradal Serey Gym (Olympia), Sith R Lee, Evolution Martial Arts, and Master John's Muay Thai.

Every bout was excellent but it was the main event that was definitely the fight of the night. Mark Hoppis, representing the Full Circle Fight Club, caught SS Pradal Serey Gym's Andrew Compton with a tremendous right kick to the head midway through the first round that dropped Compton to the canvas. It appeared that it might be an early finish for Compton, but the fighter was able to get past the 8-count and make it through the round. At the start of the second, Compton came out the aggressor with a flurry of punches that staggered Hoppis and brought the crowd to its feet. From that point, it was a high-paced war for the next two rounds, with both fighters trading and landing punches, kicks, and knees. In the end, the judges determined Hoppis to be the more effective of the two and he earned the unanimous decision victory.

The evening was a great success and fun for the whole family. Besides the fights and dance, there was traditional Cambodian food as well as more standard western fare. A group of three masseuses also dished out some traditional massage for those interested. Local clothing company Crusade had a booth set up and donated some of their cool shirts for a raffle giveaway.

For more info on the USEACA, visit myspace.com/useaca

Bout 1 - Exhibition

Pyboon Krongmuang (SS Pradal Serey Gym) vs Julian Faraian (Kalahi Martial Arts)