Wiz Khalifa could also be finest identified for making hits, however John Wooden thinks the rapper might make some noise within the Muay Thai ring, too. After working with Khalifa in coaching, the revered MMA coach believes newbie or regional opponents might have a tough night time if “Wiz the fighter” ever decides to lace up for actual.
“I’ve had a couple of classes with Wiz Khalifa and man that man is legit,” Wooden stated throughout an look with House of Struggle’s Jake Noecker. “If he decides to tackle some newbie or regional fights that dude goes to kick some critical ass.”
Wooden’s opinion carries weight in MMA circles. The Syndicate MMA owner and head coach has labored with UFC champions together with Merab Dvalishvili and Zhang Weili, whereas his Las Vegas fitness center has lengthy housed high-level UFC expertise.
Wiz Khalifa In Muay Thai
Wiz Khalifa has spent years coaching Muay Thai, and the footage has gone properly past a star attempting pads for a viral clip. His lengthy body, kicking vary and luxury switching between punches, knees and kicks have been seen in classes shared on-line.
His work with Superlek Kiatmoo9 has introduced essentially the most consideration. In 2022, Superlek met Wiz Khalifa throughout a U.S. seminar tour alongside Muay Thai icon Saenchai, and the Thai star got here away impressed by what he noticed.
“He got here to study Muay Thai with me on the seminar. I taught him a couple of of my strategies,” Superlek stated. “His fundamentals are good as a result of he workouts recurrently. He’s additionally a fan of Muay Thai and used to observe this sport.”
Superlek stated Khalifa’s stance and attacking selections confirmed he might struggle, including that the rapper was “not an extraordinary newbie.” On the time, Superlek had 132 skilled wins and 4 Muay Thai world titles on his resume.
The connection continued in 2023, when Khalifa skilled with Superlek at Unbreakable Fitness center in Los Angeles. The session included work on boxing-to-knee mixtures, elbow strikes, clinch positions and escaping a caught kick. Khalifa later traveled to Phuket, Thailand, the place he skilled and sparred with Superlek at AKA Thailand. Superlek was then the ONE flyweight kickboxing champion and ONE bantamweight Muay Thai champion, so the session gave Khalifa time with one of many sport’s prime lively opponents.
A regional Muay Thai contest can be the smart first step if he selected that route. It will reveal how his method holds up when an opponent fires again with intent, and whether or not the rapper can preserve the identical calm he has proven in coaching. For now, Khalifa has no introduced struggle, however Wooden and Superlek have each seen sufficient to counsel that “Wiz the fighter” is greater than a enjoyable thought.
