The land below the wind has seen tremendous growth in martial arts lately. Sabah is already the home of Jesselton Fight League for MMA and for Brazilian JiuJitSu the 5th instalment of Borneo Headhunters just concluded last 5-6 Dec. As for MuayThai, the growth is spur by Dihnar. Under the leadership of Tuan Hj Nazri, the CEO, D1FC has been a powerhouse of MuayThai event in Sabah. ( read about Dihnar in my previous blog post here ). recently in Nov, the 1st Sabah Inter-District MuayThai tournament was held in Kota Kinabalu.

Come this 12 Dec 2015, hungry MuayThai fans will again be served with a another Muaythai promotions – Dynamite Naksoo Asia Fight Tour. Happening in Sandakan at the Sports Complex. To get the crowds coming in usually it’s easy to just held it where the population is , which for Sabah is at the capital Kota Kinabalu. To have this event in Sandakan goes to show the willingness of the promoter to grow the sports in the east coast of Sabah. It’s good to see that organiser does not only think about easily selling tickets but also at same time invest their hard work and passion at a place where there’s potential for growth.

Dynamite Naksoo Asia Fight Tour will see many great match up between local Sabahan & foreigners. There’s Superfight, Super4 ladies, OCPD Cup & President Cup up for grab, there’s even a Superfight Kids!

Warriors of Borneo will be rooting for Mardeana, a local Sabahan whom is no stranger in MuayThai. Fighting in D1FC and also an active MMA fighters. Deana will face Citra from Indonesia. Deana has a day time job at Dihnar but at night she turns into a fighting machine, sweating it out in drills and sparring to sharpen her skills, under the watchful eyes of Bow Sueilek.

Always cheerful around friends and most times the one that makes everyone laugh, she is also passionate about food, health food. Watching her own diet and getting her friends to eat healthily too. But when she steps in the ring, you can expect a fearless and relentless fighting machine that will bring her best into every fight

Watch out!….Mardeana ready to bring it on this 12 DEC 2015
Fight cards

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Dynamite Naksoo Asian Tour is the brainchild of Dennis O’Dea of Dynamite MuayThai from Australia. Warriors of Borneo have the opportunity to do a email interview with him to get to know him more and to also understand the objective behind this tournament.

Tell me about Dynamite? It’s not just a fight gym right? You do a lot of MuayThai promotions too? When did you start Dynamite and what is the main objective

“Dynamite” was given to me by my parents when I was a kid. Since then I have kept this name and used it throughout my life and fight career. It is a representation of me in all that I do in this industry, hence I named my gym “Dynamite Muay Thai” and my show “Dynamite Naksoo” promotions.

My gym is located in central Melbourne city business district, Australia, is not only a fight gym – it is also a family gym, a place where friendly people with the love of Muay Thai congregate as we all have the same passion, values and camaraderie; together we strive for our goals, assist each other and spend time as a family. Dynamite Muay Thai may not be the largest scaled gym, we do in fact have one of the largest fight teams in Melbourne. Whether their goal is fitness or to fight we emphasize on team work, respect as our core values. I am a perfectionist so we drill a lot on “ring craft”– we welcome everyone who shares the same objectives as us.
The objective behind Dynamite Naksoo promotions is rooted from the same beliefs as when I started my gym – Dynamite Muay Thai. My partner, Lily, who is also a promoter, was my driving force to initiate Dynamite Naksoo promotions from Melbourne, Australia to across South-East Asia and possibly towards Europe. 

Dynamite MuayThai, a melting pot of race and people from different background coming together for the love of martial arts and fitness

 

It began from her questioning why female fighters are so scarce in fight promotions; it got me thinking about ‘fairness’ in any fight game. Muay Thai is a male dominate sport; rarely do we see fight shows promoting nearly main event female fights, let a one female only fight card.

This is one of the reasons behind why I began Dynamite Naksoo Muay Thai Fight tour – I wish to create the platform to bridge fighters etc to cross borders without boundaries, provide a fair centre ring for talented fighters to show case their hard work at a place with a crowd who shares their passion and express their love of Muay Thai. This centre stage will not be limited to only one place – but be linked with multiple places, provide an equal opportunity for fighters to cross over to countries, even continents.

Tell me about yourself…your fight career, family life and as a coach.
And also tell me about your involvement in martial arts,.. when did it start & how?

What can I say about myself? Well… I am a simple man with a big dream. Very competitive by nature, Dedication to perfection in everything I set out on doing. I am performance driven. I started my Martial Arts life when I was 7 years old. I have experienced many competitive sports including Karate, Boxing, Brazilian and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, American Kickboxing, Silat, Stick Fighting, CQC, Sanda and JKD to name a few and cross trained in many other various sports until I was introduced to Muay Thai. 

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Since then, there was no turning back. I trained hard and I competed in every opportunity that was available, even as a junior competitor fighting against older participants doubles my size and height. I managed my studies with my love of Muay Thai; even after school, when I joined the army, I still continued to use the skills and discipline I acquired over the years to become a leader and continued my path as a fighter in real life theatres of combat.
Training in Indonesia

Over the 20 years since I began as a fighter to an instructor and now a promoter – I have 109 fights, with 79 wins, 32 by the way of KO and 11 draw. I have achieved multiple Titles throughout the years. However, it was the losing fights that I treasured the most; because those experiences were what fuels me ambition to learning, to keep shaping my skills and keep my fighting spirit up. I am a fighter, and I will always keep on fighting!

My family has been supportive of my choice to make Muay Thai my life. My Mum, my Dad and of course my partner – Lily; that is why we began our gym 3 and a half years ago ‘Dynamite Muay Thai’ in the first place together. As my dream turned into reality, changes to my vision also grew. As an active fighter, I progressively challenged myself further by taking the role as an instructor; and aimed to convey the same ‘hope’ to my fellow students under my wing. I love my job, because I get to do what I love most; I love my life, because I am lucky enough to be supported by my loved ones. 

When was the first Dynamite fight being organise?

Dynamite Naksoo promotions began as a concept with my partner – Lily. Our very first show was a joint promotion with another fight promoter in Melbourne, Australia, back in 2014. That was my first experience to truly put on a ‘promoter’s hat’ and took the lead in running a professional event. There sure were a lot of things I learnt along the way; I took away very important skills and knowledge from that night.


Although, I have had experience for nearly 10 years of assisting with existing promoters to help run fight promotions; I can truly say the roles and responsibilities were versatile and most certainly much more demanding on a different level, compared to when I ran that first joint promotion as the big boss!

I read in your website that the Asian Tour was suppose to be in Indonesia…but there’s a lot of issue in MT now in Indonesia, can you help summaries what is happening there. And why it happens…and how can Malaysia avoid this.

Dynamite Naksoo Muay Thai Fight tour was originally planned to travel around Indonesia first off – by seeking out underground talent and showcasing them on our show, before branching out around South-East Asia. This was simply because my family background is Indonesian – what better way than to go back to begin my dream at the land of my family’s root?! There are a lot of hidden gyms and raw talent that I have met in Jakarta, let alone the other cities of Indonesia who don’ or simply can’t get the funding of exposure to compete at a high level.

However, there are lots of factors to take into considerations before a decision is made. Circumstances change and so do planning. So when the opportunity to work with my friend – Pak Muss from Boxxtomoi came up to introduce Dynamite Naksoo to Malaysia – I believe this was an opportunity to take a step closer in making my dream for Muay Thai and passionate fighters shine on this stage called “NAKSOO” that I built and them to carry on forward.


Though, the destination may have changed to Malaysia; I still wanted to live by my words – hence, I also invited talented fighters from Indonesia who caught my attention on my many talent search visits, like Citra in the Ladies Super 4 tournament and Juhedi fighting for the OCPD Cup at my next Dynamite Naksoo show on 12th December. All the fights will be action packed!!! 

In South East Asia…where do you see the standing of Malaysia in MuayThai?

The Muay Thai scene in Malaysia is one the most established I’ve seen amongst South- East Asia. There are many great talents, and I have been lucky enough to meet and corner a fair few at a handful of Malaysian Muay events in KL and Sabah this year. Tough new bloods, with no fear but passionate about MuayThai. I honour that fighting spirit; and it most certainly fits perfectly with my objective behind running Dynamite Naksoo promotions.

Dennis in Malaysia suporting D1FC





In a year how many events do you organise? Tell me about the other events that you have done.


This Dynamite Naksoo promotions happening in December at Sandakan is our 3rd NAKSOO Muay Thai Fight installment. We plan to have Dynamite Naksoo series running throughout the year at different parts across Asia. A part from running internationally, I aim to keep a good balance of building a stronger foundation of Dynamite Naksoo back in Melbourne, Australia – as this is the primarily the place where Dynamite Naksoo originates.

I have organized a fair few fights up to this point including a caged MMA fight – whether it was locally in Australia or international around Asia; I can proudly say it was all thanks to a whole big group of behind-the-scenes team that made every show possible. From my first joint promotion in Melbourne to introducing Dynamite Naksoo into Indonesia and now to Malaysia; the journey has been amazing! I only wish to see Dynamite Naksoo Muay Thai Fight series keep rising above to an even grander scale, showcase more talent and their love passion to the world!


This Asian Fight Tour, why do you choose to held it at Sandakan?

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I was lucky enough to meet a lot of great people, great fighters and learn from some of the best in the business including some who originate from Sandakan. They have always recommended Sandakan to be a great tourist place to visit; so why not start my Dynamite Naksoo – Asia Fight Tour at this beautiful place in Malaysia!

What do you aim to achieve from this Asia Fight Tour?

When I began this promotion – Dynamite NAKSOO; I always had this one objective:

“Provide a fair opportunity for ALL talented fighters to fight brightly and proudly on stage and to bridge the gap between countries giving fighters opportunities for growth and travel.”

Every fighter should be given a fair chance to shine brightly in a ring; show casing their hard work, endless injuries, blood, sweat and tears, and unconditional dedication was not put to waste. Their effort and their passion are and will be witnessed by a sea of audience – cheering and supporting them.

I want to be the bridge that breaches the gap between Australia and Asia, and eventually around the world. Dynamite Naksoo will provide opportunities for fighters with talent and an ambition. Whether I will fulfil this vision or not, I CAN only and WILL only continue to make Dynamite Naksoo bigger and better each step I take.


Which fight can fight fans expect to see plenty of action? And which fighter do you think will shine?


The highlight of this Dynamite Naksoo is definitely the Ladies Super 4 title fight @ 50kg. These four talented fighters are representatives of their countries – AUSTRALIA, MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE and INDONESIA. They are all uniquely skilled and are very passionate towards the sport of Muay Thai. Which works very nicely with our vision of Dynamite Naksoo of scouting and promoting emerging talent, in particular female fighters, around the world. Female fighters are still not highly regarded in the fighting scene, I want to change that. What better way than at my own show!


In addition, the OCPD Cup fight and President Cup fight are also highlighted fights of the night, featuring local fighters such as Saifullah Pon one of my favourites and Shah – I am looking forward to seeing them back in the ring for more action!!!

With his star students Yun Zia…will she emerge victorious? or will we see Mardena making a mark for herself

In your career as a coach, what is your greatest achievement to date?

I have been an instructor for over 10 years now. I believe my greatest achievement is to be able to see the fruits of my labor, continually pass on my knowledge and experience to pupils of the same passion as me, and to watch them grow and become talented fighters in this sport. Nothing beats seeing the next generation fighters develop and grow into a technical talented fighter!


In your career as a fight promoter, which events are u most happy or proud of?

I haven’t been a fight promoter for a long period of time. I have always chosen to take on a more assisting role in helping existing fight promoters with their shows; whether it is to seek out potential fighters to fill in the cards, match making, lending an extra hand during the show, hosting interstate/ international team etc. – I wanted to see what it is needed to be a ‘good’ fight promoter before stepping into such an important role.

Every event, whether it was with Dynamite NAKSOO or as an assisting role, I have always been very happy to be part of the show. I learnt from every experience and every show I get inspired; taking my friends for instance, Pak Haj and all involved parties in D1 – at their shows, I salute them for their awesome work in Malaysia; locally, my friend Mark “Hammer”, with Warriors Way promotions; let me say this, being a ‘good’ promoter is definitely not an easy job!

What makes you love Muaythai? Do u see it as the most effective martial arts in striking?

With MuayThai legend Saenchai

I love the fact that Muay Thai is much more than a sport. Muay Thai is a way of life, rich in culture, tradition and heritage. It teaches the importance of Respect, discipline and honour – the history and culture of how Muay Thai has been refined and passed down from master to student for generations. Useful for wellbeing and self defense, it was most importantly used for protection and preservation of King and Country.

The art is the most technically effective, practical modern day style that can be applied to combative sports as well as compliment any other martial art element.


All the knowledge I have acquired throughout the years, I wish to continually learn and pass down to my students and their pupils in the future; not only the practicality of Muay Thai but also the way of living as human beings.


Thank you Dennis for your time in answering the above questions.
Appreciate it very much.

warm regards


Wallace

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