Alpha8 Thai Boxing

Some moments deserve reflection, even if they’re shared a little later than planned.

Today, we’d like to recognize Connor Parys and the incredible journey he has taken over the past two years.

When Connor first walked through our doors, he had never trained in martial arts. He dedicated himself to learning the fundamentals, patiently building a strong foundation one technique at a time. At that stage, we never imagined he would one day step into the ring as a competitor.

But Connor’s passion for Muay Thai quickly became undeniable. He absorbed every piece of coaching, welcomed every correction, and constantly sought opportunities to improve. His work ethic, humility, and determination set him apart.

This past year, Connor began competing and proved he had earned his place at the TBA-SA Muay Thai Nationals in Iowa.

His first elimination bout matched him against a very skilled and aggressive opponent. Although Connor wasn’t able to fight the way he had wanted, what stood out most wasn’t the result—it was his resilience. His opponent relentlessly attacked with powerful knees in an attempt to end the fight early, but Connor refused to be broken. He never went down, answered every bell, and demonstrated the heart and toughness that define a true martial artist.

While the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for, competition is about far more than wins and losses. Every fight offers lessons, opportunities to grow, and a clearer path forward. We’ll take those lessons back into training and continue building for what’s next.

Connor, we couldn’t be prouder of you. Your dedication, courage, and willingness to embrace the process embody everything Alpha8 stands for. This is only the beginning of your journey.

Finally, thank you to our incredible Alpha8 family—our teammates who gave their time for extra private training sessions, those who helped prepare Connor throughout camp, and everyone who supported him from near and far. Whether you traveled to Iowa or cheered him on through the livestream, your encouragement meant more than you know.

One team. One family. One journey.

🥊 Congratulations, Connor. The future is bright, and we’re excited to continue walking this path with you.

A new class offering is coming soon at Alpha8 Thai Boxing, focused on the art of Muay Boran. This program will provide students with a deeper understanding of its rich history, foundational techniques, and how this ancient style of Thai fighting translates into modern-day Muay Thai practice.

Stay tuned for additional details as we prepare to launch this exciting new training opportunity.

Video courtesy of Bobbie Brown🙏🏻☺️

Kids had a great time last working on teeps to knees and controlling their range. We loved their energy and enthusiasm!

Video courtesy of Bobbie Brown - thank you for capturing the moments so creatively 🙏🏻😊🔥

Today was a fantastic day for Alpha8 at the MDL event in Dallas. We are super proud of Ivan and Jackson, both who had been training hard these past many months.

Ivan started off with two back-to-back bouts, working footwork, timing, executing combinations, staying controlled and finding opportunities to score. His third bout came at the end of the event at the request of another fighter who needed a matchup, and of course Ivan will never say “no” 🤣 he stepped up to a third bout and did a great job 👏🏼

This was Jackson’s first fight experience, and he did a fantastic job with his movement, finding opportunities to score, staying active, working his range, and executing combos. Jackson improved each round, making adjustments after receiving feedback from Kru V. We are so proud of Jackson, great work! 👏🏼💪🏼⭐️

There will be more events this year, and we are excited to see what is next for these fighters!

And a shout out to our Alpha8 family, who always step up to help our fighters trains for these events. Thank you all for your support and encouragement you give to the fighters! 🙏🏻🥊🔥

A few weeks ago, Ms. Milan participated in the TBA-SA Technical Sparring event in OKC.

She works hard in classes and fight camps, and also put in extra work with the Alpha8 coaches on her own time to prepare for this event.

All her hard work paid off. She fought three bouts, with her receiving feedback from the coaches and putting it into practice each round.

The judges gave her great scores and amazing feedback on her technique, as well as provided tips to think about “what’s next,” all designed to help her increase her fight IQ while in a controlled environment.

We are so proud of Milan and cannot wait to see what’s next for her 💪🏾🥊💥

And thank you to the Alpha8 family who helped Milan train for this event. You can push yourself in the gym, but nothing compares to a room full of people pushing with you. Team Alpha8 rocks!!! 🙏🏻💪🏼💪🏾🔥🥊

Yesterday, we had two fighters compete at IKF in Duncanville, TX.

Ivan kicked off the day with a semi-final win in the first bout of the day.

Connor came in and dug out a gritty win despite a hard groin shot in the second round. The Energizer Bunny got back to his feet, finished the round then battled to win the third.

To finish off the day, Ivan fought a good battle for the championship belt and came away with a win.

Both fighters did a fantastic job, we are so proud of them! 💪🥊💥

A huge shoutout to the Alpha8 community who supports, cheers and helps prepare our fighters for their battles. We are grateful for your support 🙏