Focus Mode: Adetayo ‘Sunchai’ Duroshola
Adetayo ‘Sunchai’ Duroshola is not your traditional combat sports practitioner. He is a businessman, entrepreneur, content creator, coach and champion Muay Thai fighter. On September 21st, he makes the first defense of his ROAR Combat League Southern Area Belt.
UK Fight Site caught up with the multi-talented Londoner to see how he got to where he is today and what the future holds.
Whilst it’s common for martial artists to have been training since childhood, Sunchai has gone a different route – he started when he was 29. Originally, Sunchai took up BJJ with no aims of competing, but rather to keep fit. After a few months, he transitioned to Muay Thai, and the fire was lit. Keeping fit was no longer an option. Sunchai signed up to step into the ring. The following years brought success, culminating in a title win at ROAR Combat League.
What makes Sunchai’s rise all the more remarkable is what surrounds his Muay Thai. Training 6 days a week usually means you wouldn’t have much time for anything else. However, Sunchai still finds time to run a successful cleaning business and promote his own clothing brand, including the famous ‘Sweeps R Us’ apparel. He also coaches at Fight Zone in Bethnal Green 2 evenings a week. If that’s not enough, the multitasking fighter creates a weekly online show – Fighter Friday – where he showcases other Muay Thai fighters. This dedication illustrates that, above all, Sunchai is not only a student of the sport, but it’s also in his blood.
Spending time with Sunchai, there is an air of freedom about him with regard to his Muay Thai career – he commented that if it ended tomorrow, he would hang up his gloves happy. The combination of starting late and genuinely loving Muay Thai has seemingly given Sunchai an attitude of being truly content with a kind of ‘free roll’ mentality. His body is not riddled with niggling injuries and the burden of personal pressure is alleviated, giving him a sense of scope to express himself in the ring and to reach his potential.
In terms of the ‘Sunchai’ pseudonym; it was born from Adetayo being influenced by the legendary Muay Thai fighter Saenchai. At the beginning of his fighting career, he wanted to make a name for himself quickly, but without a solid amateur martial background, it was always going to be a difficult task. However, when watching fights online Sunchai stumbled on the legendary Muay Thai fighter Saenchai and was blown away by his cartwheel kick. The next few hours saw him dissect the intricacies of said kick and come the next training session, he tried and landed on a surprised teammate. The coach with an accent shouted ‘Sunchai!!!’ The name stuck.
The next part of his journey sees Sunchai defend his Southern Area Belt against Kyle Willans at ROAR Combat League 15 on Saturday 21st September. For all the build-up and reaction, stay tuned to UK Fight Site. Expect fireworks….expect sweeps…. and expect cartwheel kicks!
