Roots 23: Simmer Down Line Up

The Action kicks off this Saturday, August 12th at the Melbourne Pavillion. Roots 23: Simmer Down starts with an amazing line up.

“This Roots card is very, very solid,” promoter Sy Nadji said. “There are some fights in there that are beyond what should be on a Roots card. But when you've got that thick and chunkier Rebellion card, you have to do what you can to get your friends on.”

Bout 1: Ryan Torrelli vs Jordan Stewart at 63.5kg

Jordan Stewart trained by Philip Lai out of Victoria, is a Muay Thai Victoria veteran.

“He got to the point he got nominated for Roots,” Nadji said.

Now he’ll have to stand up to the nomination. He takes on Ryan Torelli who is 0-1 as a pro.

This bout will see two young guns dueling it out.

Bout 2: Jackson Koopmans vs Cam Dunlop at 72.5kg

An active athlete Dunlop has been in the game for many years. He’s trained regularly and now takes on Koopman.

 “Dunlop has been training for a long time but has missed a lot of opportunities,” Nadji said.

 His opponent Jackson Koopman is coming into the bout 0-1 as a pro fighter.

 Koopman works out of WFC Chirniside with Daniel Den Braber an experienced hand in the game.

Bout 3: Dassakorn Saton vs Mark Standing at 65kg

 Fighting out of the famed 8 Blade Warriors gym Dassadkorn Saton works with Superboy and Dom

“Saton had a lot of fights on the Muay Thai Victoria series as well,” Nadji said.

The athlete turned 18 recently. He can fight professionally. Of Thai descent, Saton came into the sport in Australia.

His opponent Mark Standing is out of Solace Muay Thai and trained by Spiro Darzanos. Standing went 4-0 as an amateur and moving into the professional ranks.

“He’s a short stocky knockout machine,” Nadji said. “Saton is taller and more classic style This is going to be a tremendous fight.”

Bout 4: Zac La Sala vs Andoni Uhila at 68kg

Rematches are a chance to show improvements. Lasala and Uhila battled before. Lasala took the win and went professional.

“All of his seven or eight amateurs were in one year,” Nadji said.

Lasala stayed busy under Benny White from Unite Gym.

Uhilia kept active as well. He fought several times after his bout with Lasala. Now he’s making his pro debut.

“Uhila a bit more heavy handed. Lasala got more of that kicking and clinching style,” Nadji said.

Will it be repeat or revenge?

Bout 5: Matt Packer vs Brock Rowley at 61kg

The action starts thick as Canberra takes on Melbourne. Both athletes appeared on Roots before. Matt Packer took on Chris Close on Roots 22. Packer shipped in the shots to take a points win. The Supafight athlete is a regular on the Melbourne scene.

“A lot of these guys are coming through our Muay Thai Victoria program,” Nadji said. “And I've seen multiple of his bouts. From his first fight all the way up.”

Packer fought in Thailand. He trained out of the famed Tor Sangtiennoi gym.

Brock Rowley is a student of the hard knocks. He trains out of Muay U in Canberra.

“Brock impressed me,” Nadji said.

Rowley fought Daniel Wen. He defeated his opponent with Southpaw power and precision.

Bout 6: Lola Noiraud vs Nongbee PTJ at 59kg

Internet sensation Nongbee flies down to Melbourne. The Thai fighter stepped into the ring as a referee. Now she’s going in as an athlete.

Noiraud is making her pro debut. She’s cracked out experience on the Muay Thai Victoria circuit.

“Nongbee will have the experience but Noiraud is tough,” Nadji said.

What happens when virality meets real life?

Bout 7: Ben Killian vs Jesse Scherger at 65kg

Training with Rebellion alumni Cory Dean, Killian is a familiar face on Roots. He recently fought in Thailand at Rajadamnern. Now he's back to prove a point.

Scherger is known on Roots as well. He fought Connor Goodman in the Roots 8 Man tournament. Tall and lanky he’ll be a test for Killian.

“Scherger will be good if he sticks it out,” Nadji said.

 Will he be able to stick it out with Killian?

 Bout 8: Somsurat Rangkla vs Shuk Yee Ho at 50kg

Melbourne Thai favorite Somsurat Rangkla is no stranger to Rebellion. First serving as an athlete and then as a referee. Rangkla injured her knee and retired. She’s returned with a hunger for action.

She’ll take on Shuk Yee Ho of PTJ Muay Thai in Sydney. Ho is an elbow zombie. With trainers like Singnoom and Palungchok, Ho is looking to slice up her competition.

 Bout 9: Jason Huynh vs Cale Wild at 56kg

Some people have goals. Cale Wild is one of them. He hits his target when he attacks Jason Huynh.

“Cale's always said, his dream is to be on Roots and Rebellion,” Nadji said. “I was stoked to finally be able to match him.”

 The tall Wild is lean with a lot of amateur fights.

 Jason Huynh is a stylist. He was very effective against his last opponent Kevin Lu. He cut Lu and cruised to a points victory.

Bout 10: Tome Kokarevski vs Juan Giudici at 72.5kg

Kokaresvski is a seasoned veteran.

He used to fight on the Rebellion cards and he made a comeback of late,” Nadji said. “He’s an ex Tae Kwon do player so you’ll see the random axe kick come out.”

Giudici is no stranger to fighting. He’s spent a long time in Thailand. He fought out of the famed FA Group in Bangkok. He walked forward to fight against athletes at Superchamp, Max Muay Thai, Rajadamnern, and in Isaan.

 Giudici is as tough as a truck stop sirloin steak. Can Kokaresvski cut him up?