John Wayne Parr (JWP) is one of the best known Muay Thai fighters in the world. The Australian has had an illustrious career becoming a 10-time world champion and runner-up on The Contender Asia. Parr had thought about launching a career in MMA but after snapping one of his fingers in half while learning to grapple he got the idea to create a violent hybrid promotion called Caged Muay Thai (CMT). The promotion is now preparing for its 7th show on the 5th December having taken the fighting community by storm. JWP took some time out of training to talk to Fightstore Media about his upcoming fight against Cyrus Washington, his plans for Caged Muay Thai and he gave his thoughts on Irish Muay Thai.
Caged Muay Thai eliminates the ground game from MMA. It locks both fighters in a cage with MMA gloves and ensures lots of violence and carnage. There is a high volume of knockouts and it has been called ‘crazy’ by people such as Firas Zahabi, George St. Pierre’s trainer. “It’s everything MMA without the ground game or the stalling. If you fall down you are stood up straight away. If you are pressed against the fence and nothing is happening for more than three seconds, it is broken up. It’s still punches, kicks, knees and elbows like MMA, but a lot faster and violent,” said Parr. The rounds in CMT are 3 minutes long as opposed to 5 minutes in MMA.
On December 5th Parr will face off against Cyrus Washington (USA) in the headline fight of CMT 7. He comes into the fight off the back of a defeat to Cosmo Alexandre at Lions Fight 25 but remains confident in his preparation. “The very next day after fighting Cosmo in America I had to begin teaching seminars for the week. The day I arrived home in Australia I trained that afternoon. I haven’t lost any fitness and I feel stronger and faster now than before I fought Cosmo,” he said.
“Cyrus from what I can see is an amazing fighter with a full bag of tricks with his spins and back kicks. I think Cyrus is great for the cage because anything could come my way at anytime which makes it exciting for the crowd. But I am a pressure fighter and won’t be giving him much room to move. I plan to make it exciting and fast paced. I’m desperate for the win to make up for my loss in America,” he added.
The fight card for December 5th is full of international fighters. “We have the three Irish lads, three New Zealand fighters and Cyrus from USA so this is by far our biggest international card,” he said. JWP is also proud of having a ‘super strong undercard with many local and interstate fighters’. This will be the largest event in the promotions history and should attract a large audience from around the world.
In the future Parr can see CMT competing with MMA promotions on a larger scale. “I have had so many people that are huge MMA fans, but once they have seen CMT they are converted because in CMT the action is non-stop. You can also see what’s happening the whole time because it’s not just two blokes hugging on the ground. At this stage it’s still in its early days with this only being my 7th show. But hopefully some influential people see what we are trying to do and help take our business to the next level,” he said.
We asked Parr to give us his opinion on Irish Muay Thai. He said that he was ‘impressed’ by the standard of fighters. “Muay Thai is growing so fast all around the world so it’s great to see the standard grow in each country. I hope the Irish lads can impress while here in Oz.” Paddy Douglas, Mark Casserly and Sean Clancy will represent Ireland at Caged Muay Thai 7.
CMT is not for the faint-hearted and JWP offered some advice to any fighters interested in stepping into the cage. “Learn good footwork because you don’t want to be caught in the pocket. Also keep your hands up as much as possible. Getting hit in the face with those little gloves is no joke,” he said. CMT offers Muay Thai fighter a new pinnacle in their sport, it allows them to show off their skills on a big stage and make a name for themselves in the sport.
Wayne Parr came from humble beginnings to become one of the best fighters in the world. He shared the best advice that he received during his career with us. He was told not to ‘party away all his prize money drinking’. “You don’t need the fast cars and the latest toys. Save as much money as you can because being a fighter there is no retirement fund. Invest in bricks and mortar because there will be a day you won’t be able to fight anymore. I have been smart and saved. Now I own my own house and recently bought the building my gym is in. I’m paying the same as if I was renting, but the buildings are mine,” he said.
“The Gunslinger” had a message for his fans in Ireland and Europe. He joked that ‘Australians don’t drink Fosters’ and has hopes of returning in the future. “Last time I was there I done a bunch of seminars and everyone I met was super cool and the standard of Muay Thai was very impressive. Hopefully I’ll be back over that side of the world sooner rather than later, so we can do it all again.”
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