Australia is building international stars. David Pennimpede is one of those lights in the sky.
He’s shining on November 18th when he takes on Josh Hill at Rebellion 30.
Starting Young And Moving To Canberra
Pennimpede began as a young boy. He started in his hometown outside of Sydney.
“My mom started me in kickboxing. It was a fitness martial art,” he said.
He grafted away for six years until he moved to South Australia. It was there that he made the transition to Muaythai. There were a few athletes competing.
“Eventually I got approached if I wanted to fight. I had my first five over in South Australia,” Pennimpede said.
The South of Australia wasn’t for Pennimpede though. He went back to his hometown where he picked up his career. Then he settled on Muay U in Canberra with Kieran Walsh.
He moved to the capital city in 2020. The world was locked down. When the world opened back up, so did the opportunities.
“I started to take on some big fights,” he said.
Dropping weight
While taking on bigger fights, Pennimpede began to drop weight. He campaigned heavier. He fought Luca Sitmonchai on Rebellion at 76kg. He battled former Rajadamnern belt holder Kompetchlek Fairtex at 75kg.
Now he’s dropping down to 72.
“I was making weight like pretty comfortably at 76. I had a few fights here where I made weight pretty well under,” he said.
The change happened along with the structure of his training. Before Muay U, Pennimpede worked as a carpenter. Now he works out of the gym full time.
“I am in the gym a lot more and a different environment with a different training schedule. My body composition changed.”
The caliber of his opponents continues to rise.
He took on Yousseff Boughanem, Dedrit, Beckham, Eddie Abasolo, and other international talent.
Taking on these athletes taught Pennimpede a lot. It can be boiled down to understanding timing.
“Knowing when to go, knowing when to sit back, and knowing when to play the game,” Pennimpede said.
These fights lifted up his level.
A Simple Game Plan – Fight
He’s firmly established himself on the international stage and he plans on staying at this level. His plans for Rebellion 30 are a bit different though.
“We don’t use the word game plan. The reason is your opponent may present something different and all of a sudden you get a bit stuck. You need to bring out what you do well and kind of stop what they are going to do,” Pennimpede said.
Pennimpede is learning how to adapt his styles and tactics with trainers like Kru San and Pond. Both are Sitmonchai alumni. Pennimpede is surrounded by other talent like Max Vicker and Josh Tonna.
The Fight At Rebellion
Surrounded by a strong community in Canberra, Pennimpede wants to build more.
Rebellion gives him that opportunity, and he wants to maximize that.
“I want to put on a good show for the fans, for the promoter,” he said.
He’ll be in for a show when he takes on Hill. The two were former stablemates at Kiatphonthip gym. Now they face off.
“He presents lots of challenges. He moves well. It's nothing so different that I haven't seen before,” Pennimpede said. “He's fought in Thailand. He's fought all over Europe. He's had lots of different looks from lots of different opponents and different styles in Europe and Thailand."
Rebellion flying in European talent is part of what makes the show so valuable. And as an experienced veteran of Rebellion, Pennimpede watches each show.
“I'm tuning into every Rebellion. So that speaks volumes of what Sy Nadji (the promoter) is doing and what he's producing,” Pennimpede said.
