Javier Mella, GU Muay Thai Alumni and Fight Convenor, spoke on his experiences and personal preparation around his participation in the upcoming Muay Thai Fight Night.
On 11 November, the first installment of the anticipated biannual Muay Thai Fight Night takes place in Glasgow University Union’s famous Debate Chamber. Separate from Glasgow Boxing Fight Night, this event features skilled fighters from universities across Scotland and Northern England, showcasing the technical prowess of Muay Thai Combat.
Javier Mella is a master’s student studying chemistry and Glasgow University Muay Thai’s Alumni and Fight Conveyor. Javier is fighting in the Muay Thai Fight Night. Fighting at 75kg and standing 5 feet and 6 inches tall, he prepares for his match-up against a yet-unknown challenger. The night will commence with 20-25 fights, to then be followed by four N-class matchups, which are five 1.5-minute long rounds with shin pads and no knees or elbows to the head. “This will hopefully be my first N-class fight after four years of training, so I’m really excited for it,” Javier said as he trains for the eleventh fight of his career.
In the build-up towards the night, the fighters have been pushing themselves through evening training sessions three times a week with a sparring session on a Saturday, which “works perfectly” around the fighters’ degrees.
The Glasgow University fighters have all been trained under the experienced guidance of Spencer Brown, a WBC (World Boxing Council) and ISKA (International Sports Kickboxing Association) European Champion, Tommy Young, and Martin McCann, all hoping to put on a show for the crowd watching from the stands.
With the popularity of Muay Thai increasing as the club pushes to be noticed as a BUCS sport, a large turnout is expected on the night. The pressure of the crowd will certainly have an impact on the fighters, some of whom will be making their inaugural appearances in the ring.
Javier spoke about his first fight during Freshers’ Week Fight Night in 2021. “I was feeling confident: I was ready, I was pumped, then I just remember looking out of the window and seeing all the people queueing, and my heart skipped a beat, ‘oh my God this is actually happening.’ Once I actually walked into the ring with my walkout song, that’s when I just focused on my walkout song and that got me back to earth, let’s put on a show for everyone.”
After the exhibition fights, the N-class fighters will take to the ring to compete against each other. With this experience comes confidence and showmanship of which Javier has previously shown, captivating his audiences.
“I like a bit of showboating, especially when I do my walkout I like to dance around. Also, the crowd screaming just gives you so much adrenaline and the more you fight, the more you become accustomed to that, it begins to feel like a second skin for you basically, and that’s what I love about it,” he said.
The Muay Thai Fight Night will certainly be a contest worth watching, a sport bathed in tradition and respect slowly becoming the focal point of the university year, and a huge night for the students fighting in it.
