The first time I ever visited the famed Tristar Gym in Montreal it was to spend time with John ‘The Bull’ Makdessi, who was in training camp for his upcoming UFC fight against Pat Audinwood.
John had finished practising with his teammates and was now by himself drilling low kicks using a huge heavy bag. I had my camera lens to my eye and was following him as he moved when suddenly I heard someone yelling from maybe 20-30 feet away.
I looked up and saw a large man inside the boxing ring shouting at several fighters surrounding him. At first I didn’t know what to make of it. He seemed angry, but nobody with him seemed concerned. In fact it was the opposite…they were all laughing.
I asked John, “Who is that?”
“Oh,” John replied, “That’s the muay Thai Masta.”
The “muay Thai Masta” I came to find out was named Peter Sisomphou, a transplanted Thai who came to Canada (insert year here) and now shared his love of Thailand’s national sport with the eager young fighters within Tristars walls.
Peter shared his experience gained from over 400 fights in Thailand, but perhaps more importantly, he shared his tremendous heart with each and every person that he spent time with.
Here are his stories from the people who loved him.
Jeremy Rubin –