Master Toddy. Thohsaphol Sitiwatjana was born May 4, 1953 and attended Laselle school and graduated from Patumwan Technology . Having a Police Chief as a father and born into a middleclass background fighting Muay Thai was not generally accepted as a middle class sport and only for the poor, yet the young Thahsaphol could not be deterred fighting in bareknuckle championships and amateur Muay Thai fights as much as he could. He trained under the legendary Grand Master Ajarn Seri Ramaruud, Grand Master Ajarn Sanong Rakwanid, and Grand Master Ajarn Pansak Ratanaprasit who trained the Master of the now famous Tony Jaa who starred in the hit movie Ong Bak. A trainer of over 40 world champions, Master Toddy has always been known to strive for the best. Being a trainer and coach in Thailand, Master Toddy had the opportunity to train in both Muay Thai and Taekwondo at the same school. Not only was he exposed to these martial arts, he was also able to learn from champions of other styles who were housed in the same school. At a very early age he had the opportunity to teach along side his Master where he learnt to adapt his training style to various students’ capabilities and strengths.
It was an unusual, but very helpful, means of learning the art of martial arts.At the age of 20, Master Toddy wanted to do something adventurous. Landing a part in the James Bond Movie ‘Man with the Golden Gun’ which was filmed mostly in Thailand using the Island of Phi Phi in the Southern Phuket province. But to get this part the young Master Toddy had to fight 6 Chinese champion martial arts experts from the team who starred in Bruce Lee movies having beaten 4 of them and the other two withdrawing Toddy got the part.
He headed out to England shortly afterwards. Making his home in Manchester, Master Toddy opened the first Muay Thai School in England. The school gained notoriety as the trainer began to produce world champions. Students from as far as 200 miles away would drive just to attend one of Master Toddy's Muay Thai classes. In England, Master Toddy was known as the father of Muay Thai. His fighters were distinguished champions, and his promotions were always organized and professional. Even now Master Toddy is still known as the number one trainer and promoter in England, being the first to air a live TV promotion back to Thailand.
After spending 16 years in the UK and Ireland, Master Toddy decided to make his mark in the United States. He packed up his training gear and headed out to Las Vegas, Nevada, continuing his streak as a world-class trainer. In his first two years, Master Toddy trained 4 world champions by himself. Wanting to achieve the best in Muay Thai training, Master Toddy recruited top-notch fighters from Thailand to form the Champion Instructor Team.
In addition to training students, the art of Muay Thai, Master Toddy has also done stunt work for movies such as Austin Powers, etc. He has choreographed fight scenes for various TV programs, and trained famous stars. The Secret Service and Special Forces have even enlisted Master Toddy's help in training their members.
Confident with the vast expertise of the other masters, he has trained, Master Toddy sharpens the Muay Thai techniques learned by the students. He is also responsible for the psychological strength unique among his fighters. His champions fight with tremendous heart, Master Toddy looking for and reinforcing the various talents of each individual fighter. Included in the list of over 40 world champions trained by Master Toddy are Maurice Smith, Dale "Apollo" Cook, Ronnie Green, Lisa Howarth, Kash "The Flash" Gill, Kiyotaka Kato, and Howard Brown. Of the new generation of fighters in America, Melchor Menor, Ben Garcia, Kit Cope, Shannon Singleton, Gina Corano, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture and Angela Rivera rule the ring.
Here are just some of Master Toddy’s achievements to date; • Starred in the Movie James Bond ‘Man with the Golden Gun’ • Co-wrote, co-directed and starred in the hit reality TV show ‘FIGHT GIRLS’ as shown on Oxygen Network previously owned by Oprah Winfrey • Is now creating his own reality TV show called ‘TUFF GIRLS’. • Trained UFC and MMA superstars such as Hall of Famer ‘Randy the Natural Couture’, Tito Ortiz, Stephan Bonnar, Forest Griffin, Phil Baroni, Bob Sapp, etc. • Trained Gina Corano to become the first International Woman’s World Muay Thai Champion. • Helped set up more than 300 Muay Thai gyms/schools worldwide • Is one of directors on the board for the Muay Thai International Association (MTIA)
Master Toddy is a trainer of Muay Thai fighters. He also has performed and choreographed martial arts scenes in movies.[1] He is the lead instructor for the Fight Girls series.
Chris Marafuentes