John Wayne Parr has opened up about his remarkable experience of fighting on the King of Thailand’s birthday.
In his astonishing career, ‘The Gunslinger’ cemented his status as one of the greatest Muay Thai practitioners of all time. Through hard work and dedication, the legend mesmerized fans with his all-action style, en route to winning ten world championships.
During his time in the sport, the Australian made many an incredible memory. Parr once sparred Joe Rogan and even made it to the final of The Contender: Asia.
But perhaps his most spectacular night came when he defeated an all-time great in enemy territory.
WOW: John Wayne Parr calls out one of the greatest fighters of all time for a spar… ‘It would be cool’
John Wayne Parr went on an epic three-year winning streak on the King of Thailand’s birthday
On December 5, 2000, John Wayne Parr defeated Orono in a magnificent performance on the King of Thailand’s birthday.
The accomplishment was truly special for the Australian, who has fond memories of what that iconic celebration is really like.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, he reminisced: “The King’s birthday is insane. It’s hard to comprehend the amount of people. It’s not just a Muay Thai event, it’s a celebration of the King and the history of the country.
“It’s a festival where everyone gets together and celebrates as a community. There are fireworks and everyone gets given a yellow candle in the crowd. Everyone lights a candle at the same time and sings Happy Birthday to the King. The Thai national anthem is sung, and then the festival begins.
“Sometimes, you have to park your car and then walk 20-30 minutes to the tent where everyone is getting changed and warming up.
“For the first year, there was no catwalk, so we had to get a police escort from the changing rooms and weave our way through the crowd to get through to the ring — absolutely amazing.
“I was very lucky to do that four different years. I lost the first one because I was a little bit nervous, and the Thai I was fighting was pretty cool.
“I ended up winning the next three years in a row. I won in 1999, I won the IMF world title against Orono in 2000, and then in 2001, I had to fight two times in one night, fighting a Thai and then fighting a gentleman from Portugal, winning both and winning an entry into another eight-man tournament in France. So, the King’s birthday is amazing.”
John Wayne Parr reveals what really happened when he sparred Georges St-Pierre
With such an incredible arsenal of strikes, Parr earned the respect of combat sports athletes around the world.
Ahead of his showdown with Johny Hendricks, Georges St-Pierre invited the master of the art of eight limbs over to his gym to do some training.
The pair went head-to-head in a battle of two of the best martial artists to have ever walked the face of the Earth.
In his interview with Bloody Elbow, Parr revealed what really happened when he sparred St-Pierre.