Meet ‘Tiger Knee,’ A 13-Year-Old Fighter From Sheffield, UK
The Young Kid From Sheffield Wins His Second Title This Year
IFMA is the sole unified regulatory body for all Muay Thai governing bodies world wide and the title of IFMA World Champion is considered to be the ultimate title in Muay Thai – even greater than the coveted WMC (World Muaythai Council) World Championship title since you have to fight several fights over four to six days — and win them all to be crowned the champion.
Both amateur and experienced pro fighters participate at the IFMA European and World Championship tournaments.
Muay Thai is one of the only sports where tournaments are held with the participation of both amateur and professional fighters and everybody wants a piece of the action due to the respect and recognition attached to the IFMA titles.
At the Ni Yai Muay Thai Camp in Sheffield trains a young boy aged 13: his name is Ali Hussain, or Tiger Knee as his trainer, former world Kickboxing and Muay Thai champion Christian Di Paolo, has named him.
Christian started Ni Yai Muay Thai Camp in Sheffield back in 2013 and is a former student of the globally respected Mick Mullaney who runs one of the oldest and most successful gyms in the UK: Wicker Camp.
The Ni Yai Muay Thai Camp goes from strength to strength and recently welcomed home their student Ali Hussain who participated in the IFMA World Youth Championships in Malaysia. Ali won the IFMA European Championships in Turkey earlier this years being only 12 years old.
At the well run IFMA World Championships in Malaysia Ali once again reigned supreme by beating all his opponents. In the final he stopped his opponent after about a minute.