Kian 'Karnage' Pham

New Sponsorship with Advanced Fight Gear

KP — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:33:35 +0000

I am very happy to announce that the team at Advanced Fight Gear will be sponsoring me and will be helping me out with all my fight gear equipment. They specialize in all the necessary equipment I need and I’m happy that their high quality products will meet my intense training needs.

I’m excited to join the Advanced Fight Gear team which already has the likes of Champion MMA fighter Dylan “The Villain” Andrews and very thankful for their support.

Check out their website here: http://www.advancedfightgear.com/
Check out their Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/AdvancedFightGear

CFC21 Preparation Update

KP — Wed, 02 May 2012 00:05:43 +0000

Been quite some time I’ve posted an entry on here. Have been busy with a lot of other stuff earlier in the year, and the training camp for this upcoming fight has kept me busy too, so haven’t had much time to write on here. Thought I’d give a bit of an update on how things were going for my CFC 21 fight while I had a few moments to spare.

A bit over 2 weeks till my fight on may 18th and training camp couldn’t be going any better. All aspects of my game are solid and am confident my skills and all the hard effort from this camp will raise my hand in victory. The last stretch is always the hardest, so I’m still in for a tough time for a bit longer. Hopefully things continue to go as great as they have been, and I notch my 3rd win in a row. Talk again soon!

Interview with MMA Downunder

KP — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:21:08 +0000

MMA Downunder asked for me for an interview for a fighter profile feature they had for their site. Below is the excerpt of the main interview. Thanks MMA Downunder for doing the feature on me.

1) Where are you originally from and where did you grow up?

- I was born in Vietnam and my family moved to Australia as refugees when I was one. I grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney but pretty much spent most of my life living in the western suburbs of Sydney.

2) Why did you first get into martial arts and how old were you?

- My first exposure to martial arts was when I was 15 yrs old (which is 17 yrs ago – man i’m an old fart. haha). I did Wushu which is basically Chinese Kung Fu. The story behind that was that back in the 90s I was a huge Jet Li fan and I had a friend who knew a Master who actually trained with Jet Li back in China and were friends, so that basically got me to do it. I only did it for two years though. Fast forward to 2006 and that’s when I started my first BJJ class which was when the real path to MMA started. So you can say I was a late bloomer.

3) Were you ever good at other sports?

- I don’t think there was a sport that I haven’t done. Unless it was water related (because I suck at water sports, haha) then I was pretty good. I played rugby league and basketball since I was young which I was pretty good at. I’m actually really good at ping pong – no it’s not an Asian joke. True story. Along the way I’ve played volleyball, soccer, golf… enjoy rock climbing. I think it’s just the competitive juices in me and always wanted to compete at something.

4) Who were your heroes growing up and who are the people that inspire you today?

- Growing up the person that inspired me the most was Michael Jordan. I was and still am a huge basketball fan and growing up, Michael Jordan was the pinnacle of greatness. It wasn’t just what he did on the basketball court, but the level of competitiveness in him, is what drove him to be great. And that’s probably where I’ve gotten all the competitiveness in me. He was the ultimate sportsperson.

Today, the people that inspire me the most is no one famous, rather just your average person out there striving to better themselves and achieve their goals. Whenever I hear stories of achievement no matter how big or small, it inspires me as well because I believe that we should continue to better ourselves on a continual basis and achieving things we set out to do is evidence of this which should be inspiring to anyone.

5) What keeps you motivated to train?

- Continuing to better myself in what I do. I’ve always been an advocate of the notion that if you’re going to do something, then you should do it right. I’ve got at least a few years left in me and I’m learning more and more every day. Knowing that I am far from perfect, yet willing to strive to be better in every aspect of the game keeps me motivated. When I hang up the gloves, I want to be able to say I gave it my best shot and put in 100%.

6) Do you ever have self-doubt when it comes to fighting and if so, how do you manage it?

- Of course. That’s part and parcel with pre-fight nerves. Part of you tries to convince you that you might not be prepared for your opponent or you left a stone unturned. But that’s where the mental aspect of this sport comes into it. You need to be able to remind yourself of all the hard training you’ve done to prepare yourself for that fight. And that’s why a good training camp where you’re pushed to your limits is important. Good training partners too. You get tried and tested during your camp and get sent to hell and back and when you come out on the other end of that, you know you’re ready. And so you gotta keep reminding yourself of that whenever the feelings of self-doubt come up.

7) What is your most memorable win?

- My most memorable win would have to be against Tyson Kroehn at CFC15 in 2010. I was coming off 4 consecutive losses and It was a tough fight and I really had to dig deep to get that win. Tyson pushed me very hard and I can honestly remember somewhere in that 3rd round I questioned myself if I was able to keep going and pull out the win. I nearly mentally gave up, but thanks to my coach Luke Pezzutti, he was in my ear and telling me to dig deep, and when I finally got the finish, it was so much relief. And on top of that it was nice to be winning again.

8 ) Do you plan to stay at Flyweight in the future?

- Flyweight is where I’m going to stay. I’ve only had one fight at flyweight prior to this, and all the rest before were at Bantamweight and the size difference was really becoming an issue. I’ve had enough fights under my belt to not take just any fight for the sake of it anymore, so will just stay as a flyweight which is where I belong and make a case of being a dominant force at this weight.

9) What do you enjoy doing away from fighting?

- I still love playing basketball. Am still a huge rugby league fan, so watching that is a must. Still love my video games. And like to drop into the cinema every now and then.

10) Are you a goal setter and if so what are some short and long term
career goals?

- MMA wise, my goal is to be the best flyweight in Australia, and eventually be the CFC Flyweight champion. If I can eventually get a fight in the UFC now since they have a flyweight class, that would be great too, but not looking too far ahead with that. If I keep winning my fights, then doors will open.

Is there anyone you would like to thank?

- I’d like to give huge thanks to my coach and personal friend, Luke Pezzutti. He has transformed me as a fighter at such a scale that I owe everything I know to him. I’d also like to thank everyone at Lion’s Den Academy who have been my training partners and friends as well. Even though I walk into that cage alone, this is definitely a team sport. And lastly I have to say thanks to my wonderful girlfriend who supports my dreams and puts up with all my shit.

MMA News Asia Podcast Interview #2

KP — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:25:05 +0000

So it’s been more than two months since I’ve given any updates and that mainly has to do with some injuries, holiday season and travelling. But I’m back into everything and that means even some time to stop by MMA News Asia to do another podcast interview to update on the last few months and what lies ahead for me in the next few months. I’ll be doing an official post soon about my future plans too.

Listen to the full podcast here:

The original MMA News Asia article can be found here too - Australia’s ‘Number One Flyweight MMA Warrior’ Kian ‘Karnage’ Pham is back.

MMA News Asia Podcast Interview

KP — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 01:18:05 +0000

Yesterday I did a podcast interview with MMA News Asia where they were interested to get a very candid and personal history about myself and get some insight into the life and mind of an MMA fighter. We discussed my humble beginnings in MMA, about how and when I started training; the joys of winning and the challenges of losing; what I have planned for the future; some discussion on next week’s CFC 19 event and a lot of other bits and pieces.

Listen to the full interview directly below here:

MMA News Asia will continue to present news about MMA in the region and I have been asked to be a guest whenever I can so if you’re interested in signing up to the podcast, then you can do so here via the numerous feeds which include iTunes:
http://www.podbean.com/podcast-add-to-podcatcher?feedurl=http://mmanewsasia.podbean.com/feed

Here is MMA News Asia’s actual post on their site too: Interview With Kian Pham – Cage Fighting Championship Fighter.

Injured: Out of Allegiance 4

KP — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:15:43 +0000

Unfortunately due to a rib injury, I’ve had to pull out of my fight on Allegiance 4 which was scheduled to occur in 11 or so days. I spent most of last night contemplating and pondering and running all the possible scenarios in my head as to what to do. My decision to pull out of the fight wasn’t easy. The initial incident occurred last week and I gave myself some rest and the best chance I could in the hope that it wasn’t anything serious and the fight could go on but during a very light warm-up roll last night I felt my rib pop – and after sitting on the side of the mat for 20 mins thinking about other things it could be, realized that the fight was not going to happen because it felt the same as the last time I hurt my rib.

I don’t know if it was disbelief or me trying to search for a hopeful scenarios before I reached the acceptance stage. Even when I got home and after messaging the promoter and even sending a message to my opponent to express my apologies I still searched for avenues to fight. But in the end, what weighed it up for me was the potential additional damage I might end up doing to myself in the event of a bad outcome. The fact that last time I injured my ribs, I didn’t listen to my body and came back after 5 weeks (out of a prescribed 8 weeks) and ended up severely tearing my rib cartilage worse and was out for 3 more months. So with that experience and that lessoned learned, I think that’s what’s helping me feel more at ease with this disappointing outcome. But man am I feeling shattered at the moment to be so close to the fight and to get injured like this. And out of all things, the ribs – which take forever to heal…

So my guess is I’ll be out of action for another 8 weeks again which is going to really suck because it really sucked last time. This will probably lead into Christmas and NYE so might even be 10-12 weeks off. All that great conditioning and fitness is gonna be down the drain and will require very hard work to get back. I have to try and keep active somehow but need to make sure I heal right too.

Ahhh… so depressing… But all I can so is believe things happen as they’re meant to and this is just another thing I have no control over so all I should do is just to move forward from here…

Fight Diary – The Lonely Road

KP — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:35:42 +0000

There are mornings where I wake up and head to the gym and it’s deserted. There’s times I need to squeeze in a bit more training and everyone else is done for the day or taking the day off. The nights and weekends where I just can’t do the things everyone else is doing. Or eat the things everyone else is eating. MmmMMm… food….

Sometimes the journey of fighting can be a lonely road. And this is probably not just limited to fighting, but for anyone who pursues a passion or a dream or just wants to reach their potential. There are days where it feels like all motivation has been zapped from your body and you’re trying to get to the end of the week, let alone the end goal which seems so far away. And sometimes compounded by the feeling that you’re the only one on this journey. But it should never get you down. It should never break your spirit.

I’ve had enough losses and negatives happen to know that the discipline and hard work is exactly what the doctor ordered, and I’ve had enough wins to know that it’ll all be worth it in the end. And as they say, you only get out as much as you put in. That’s with anything. The more you invest of yourself into something, the bigger the gratification in the end.

So yeah, on those early mornings when the only thing keeping me company in the gym is the sounds from the radio, or after the countless sessions which can take both a physical and mental toll, I remind myself that most of the moments of satisfaction and feelings of gratifications in my life, have come from doing things that even though different to what everyone else was doing, it was exactly what I wanted to be doing. A life you could look back on and say you did the things you wanted. You achieved the things you set out to. So knowing that as the end product, then the days where you’re feeling momentarily deflated seem so much easier to get through…

Allegiance 4: Lord of the Flies

KP — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:04:31 +0000

It is official. I will be fighting as the main event on Allegiance 4 on October 29th for what will be Australia’s first MMA Flyweight Title. The event will take place at Port Macquarie Panthers and my opponent will be Jarrett ‘Juarez’ Owen from Advance Martial Arts in QLD. Jarrett just came off a very impressive submission win over Mark O’Callaghan who I was scheduled to fight at CFC18 before O’Callaghan pulled out due to injury. So I think it is appropriate that I fight Jarrett for the number 1 spot in Aus at 57kg and lay claim to the title of Lord of the Flies.

I would like to thank the promoter of Allegiance, Jason Harris for giving me this opportunity and will make sure I bring everything I got and put on a good show. Everyone I’ve heard speak about the Allegiance show who has participated in one has said nothing but good things about the show, so I am excited to be fighting on such a top quality event.

There’s about 5 weeks to go, so it’s heads down, bums up if I want to keep that belt on this side of the NSW border. I will continue to post my fight diaries in the lead up and can’t wait till Oct 29th!

For more info on Allegiance visit: http://www.allegiancepromotions.com.au/

Behind the Scenes at CFC 18

KP — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 05:50:50 +0000

A friend of mine did a video of the night’s proceedings from behind the scenes at CFC 18. I think it’s a great video which gives an insight to what happens out back prior to the fight and afterwards for a fighter at a CFC event. I think most people don’t see this kind of stuff so it makes the video all the more interesting. View the video after the jump.

CFC 18 Victory

KP — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 03:44:01 +0000

So I won my fight last night at CFC 18 against Mike Lim via guillotine choke 1:35s into the first round. Firstly, I’d like to give big props to Mike who came in as a replacement as my two previous opponents pulled out. Mike showed great heart and really took the fight to me from the get go which surprised me. Fortunately for me, my hard work at training paid off and I was able to defuse the situation and finish the fight. That’s one thing you need for this sport, a big heart, and he definitely has a massive one and will only get better. I had a good chat to Mike after the fight and I wish him all the best in the future. You’re a warrior mate regardless of the result.

A big thanks to Luke Pezzutti who is a major part in my success and all the guys at the Lion’s Den Academy, whether you’ve been my sparring partners or just showing up at training and being a part of the good training atmosphere. Definitely the best bunch of guys and girls around and best gym to be a part of.

A big thank you to all my family, friends and fans who came to watch and support. Apologies for such a short fight but I have to take the wins however I can these days, so hopefully you can understand.

Also a thank you to my sponsors who helped me out for this fight. Please check out their sites if you’re in need of their stuff.

Reversal Australia (Fight Apparel)
All American EFX (Supplements)
Zeal Fightgear (Gloves)

Some pics from the fight…