As the name indicates, “Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA” is a training camp situated in the Bangtao area of Phuket, Thailand. They provide classes in Muay Thai, MMA, and related disciplines such as BJJ and wrestling. They offer strength & conditioning classes as well.
The gym was founded in 2021–2022 (official opening April 2022) by Andrew Wood, Alex Schild, and the Hickman brothers George and Frank. The four had previously worked together for several years at Tiger Muay Thai. The gym is currently being managed by Will Elliott.
Will used to manage Tiger Muay Thai, and following that he was working as the manager for Evolve MMA in Singapore. He’s very good at networking and has been able to bring a who’s who list of Muay Thai and MMA legends to the camp to give seminars. A few examples would be GSP, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Buakaw Banchamek.
Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA Location
The gym is located in the Bang Tao area of Phuket – which is on the of the mid-Northeast coast of the island (Cherngtalay / Choeng Thale, Thalang District). It’s about 25 minutes from the airport, and the gym itself is approximately 450m from the beach, so you can walk there in about 5-10 minutes.
The Bangtao area is a lot more laid back than the busier, more developed areas further South like Patong, Kata, Karon etc.
Trainers and Fighters
The owners work as coaches here. The Hickman brothers teach MMA and Wrestling, Alex Schild teaches BJJ, and Andrew Wood runs strength & conditioning classes.
As you would expect, the Muay Thai is primarily taught by a stacked team of Thai fighters, with two standouts being Lerdsila and Yodwicha.
Lerdsila (Chumpairtour) is a phenomenal 3x Rajadamnern and WMC champion who is known for his evasive fighting style.
Yodwicha (Por Boonsit) is a master of the clinch who has won the prestigious “fighter of the year award”, as well as several titles from top stadiums and organizations (Rajadamnern, Lumpinee, Omnoi, WBC etc.)
The head Muay Thai trainer is Ajarn Wat (Nattawat Johphromma). He’s a former S1 champion, but he’s best known for his viral training videos where he encourages his students to punch and knee him in his stomach during padwork rounds. He’s 50+ years old as well, but you’d never know it based on his appearance and athleticism.
Michael Savvas is Ajarn Wat’s long term student who is now training and fighting out of Bangtao Muay Thai. The two met at the Petchyindee gym in Bangkok, and made the move down to Bangtao together. Michael Savvas is a WBC Muay Thai champion who is currently competing in RWS (Rajadamnern World Series).
Loma Lookboonmee (the first Thai to make it to the UFC) also trains and fights out of Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA.
Brad Riddell is another UFC veteran who trains at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA. He trains students there as well.
Nico Carrillo, who at the time of this writing is the the ONE FC interim middleweight champion, has also been training at this gym.
Training Info and Prices
Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA offers classes in Muay thai, wrestling, BJJ, Western boxing, kickboxing, fitness and S&C (strength and conditioning), as well as yoga. They basically have classes running all day, typically with a break mid-afternoon then picking back up at around 4pm.
They accommodate all skill and experience levels (they even offer a Muay Thai class specifically for beginners), and they have a variety of pricing tiers based on which classes you’re interested in.
Since pricing and promotions frequently change, you can get their current pricing details from their website here: Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA.
Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA Facility
The facility seems to be top notch. There are 5 workout spaces (2 Muay Thai areas, 2 MMA/BJJ areas and 1 strength and conditioning area). They also have ice baths and a restaurant called “Ringside Cafe” on site which has all sorts of healthy options. They do meal plans there as well.
Music For Your Training
The songs are also available on Youtube and Apple Music
