He might not be on the same skill level as Anderson Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua or Gina Carano, but Gabe Saporta is on a mission to master the beautiful art of muay Thai.
Saporta, 29, is the lead singer of dance-flavored pop punk outfit Cobra Starship. He recently decided that it was in his best interest to master this specific mixed martial art instead of other disciplines such as Judo, Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpo. And when you look at the 6’4” singer, it makes perfect sense. “I’m tall and lanky,” he says, “and a friend of mine told me that for my build, Thai Boxing is the best because it’ll help me coordinate all my lanky limbs.”
It will be years before the lanky vocalist acquires the skill set to compete in Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, assuming he decides to take it that far. For now, he’s taking baby steps at WAT Gym in the Chinatown district of Manhattan and trains under the tutelage of Kru Phil Nurse. Nurse is a British muy Thai fighter who held the European Light Welterweight Championship, the Double British Championship and the British All Styles Super Lightweight Championship until his retirement but is best-known Stateside for the role he played in the greasing controversy that erupted after St-Pierre vs. Penn II.
“I read this article about Georges St-Pierre, and they talk about how he walked into the WAT gym,” Saporta proudly says. “And I’m like, ‘Yo! That’s my gym!’”
Muay Thai isn’t the only thing the lanky vocalist has been turned onto lately. Saporta has become a fan of mixed martial arts, pointing to the DREAM bout between Eddie Alvarez and Norwegian sensation Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen as a personal favorite.
As he keeps a closer eye on the sport and remains diligent in the gym, the question remains: will Gabe Saporta be the next Anderson Silva? “Yeah, right,” he says with a laugh.
Well he told the “Snakes On A Plane” to “Bring It,” so anything could happen. Right? In any event, Cobra Starship’s third studio album “Hot Mess” drops on August 11 featuring the leadoff single “Good Girls Go Bad” with Leighton Meester from Gossip Girl.
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