Kevin Keegan
Every time Kevin Keegan comes to Tiger Muay Thai and MMA Training Camp Phuket, Thailand, the place just keeps on getting bigger and bigger – but the core has remained the same.
“I’ve come here at different levels of fitness. I go from fat to fit whenever I am over here,” the Irishman says. “There are no egos – just fun.”
Since April 2006, Keegan has been traveling to the island twice a year to “recharge his batteries” at TMT. The 41 year-old has seen the camp grow from humble beginnings with just two Muay Thai rings, to what it is today – seven rings, an MMA cage, an indoor MMA area, and a section for CrossFit style workouts.
“The camp has gotten a lot bigger but it’s still got that core atmosphere that keeps bringing me back. There’s a closeness with the trainers, they always make you feel welcomed here,” he says, “you learn something different from all of them.”
Working in the corporate world, Keegan is surrounded by cubicles, computers, and swivel chairs. The most exciting part of the day is lunchtime and the water cooler becomes the daytime social center. That life leaves Keegan, who currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, constantly coming back to Thailand to hit pads, spar with new friends, and get his aggression out while losing weight.
During his second and eighth trips to the camp, Keegan was able to lose 20-pounds (10 kg) each time in just under eight weeks. Both trips followed instances when he switched jobs in the corporate world.
“I’m not interested in doing two weeks in a luxury villa in Mauritius and sit on the beach. It’s not for me. I dont think thats particularly healthy actually,” he says, “From a training perspective I go back home and spar with my friends and just feels like I am at a whole different level.”
Each time Keegan came back, the facility kept expanding as did his network of friends from around the world. As he explains, there’s no shortage of people with which to spend time and lose yourself in training with.
“I don’t think I have met anybody I didn’t like here,” he says, “It’s an easy environment to come into and there’s a huge variety of things to do. There are no distractions and you can really push yourself and test your limits.”