Much has happened at our Logan Muay Thai Gym “TFC” since we started the company at the very end of 2014. There have been many ups, and of course a few downs, but it has been an amazing journey that we have loved every step of the way! For anyone interested, here is a brief history of TFC:
2008
1. TFC Owners Ben and James started Training at ironfist under Daniel Bell. Ben and James didn’t know each other until the met on their first night of training.
2008 – 2014
2. Both Ben and James competed in Muay Thai and MMA while training at ironfist. Ben accumulated several National and International titles, and both boys formed friendships with each other and many of the other students there that will last a lifetime.
2014 December
3. The gym that Ben and Jarvie had grown to love, closed its doors (since to re-open further north). The location of the Muay Thai gym in Rochedale went on to become a storage facility for one of TFC’s members and gym sponsor E&K plumbing.
2015 January
4. TFC opened the doors to a new facility to teach Muay Thai in Springwood, just one suburb over from the old Muay Thai gym in Rochedale. In the beginning, Ben and James had no signage or website, no padding, used equipment, no heavy bags. Just a big empty room with a boxing ring, and a few mats borrowed from a friend. The potential success of the gym was doubted by many when it opened, and both Ben and James were still working full-time jobs to financially sustain the gym and keep the doors open for the first 12 months.
2015 February
5. Ben fought for the WBC Muay Thai Australian title against Braid Jackson who had just fought against UFC champion Israel Adesanya. It was fitting that he was the first fighter to ever represent TFC. Ben won be the first-round knock-out.
2015 June
6. TFC introduced Boxing classes once per week. TFC at this point still had a sole focus of Muay Thai, and the addition of the boxing class to the schedule was a way of improving the punches of the Muay Thai fighters. This would soon change as the boxing become a strong focus at the springwood Muay Thai facility, and the boxing team would go on to become The Boxing Institute.
2015 July
7. Ben won WKBF World Title in Acacia Ridge against New Zealand’s Ziggy Croft by second-round KO. The TFC crowd in attendance just about lifted the roof off the Acacia Ridge Hotel with the noise they made in support of The Fight Centre’s Head Trainer.
2015 September
8. TFC hosted its first Muay Thai grading with a new system designed to allow students to progress as students and improve their overall Muay Thai knowledge and skill set. The confidence that the students received from attaining their grading were remarkable. The grading system was here to stay.
2015 November
9. Brenden Henwood took on the role as a head boxing coach for TFC as the team began to enter fighters in boxing tournaments. Most of the fighters competing were Muay Thai fighters with limited boxing experience jumping in for a bit of fun (and many did quite well), but as Brendan’s role as a head coach came to fruition, the TFC boxing team began to grow and turn into the specialised group of boxers that it is today.
2016 January
10. The addition of the Muay Thai for beginners program kicked off with great success. This allowed the trainers to run specialised classes which separated the beginner Muay Thai students from the more advanced Muay Thai students and fighters. The classes placed a much heavier emphasis on the basics of Muay Thai, and also incorporated Muay Thai for fitness drills, leaving the sparring and any heavier contact for designated timeslots.
2016 July
11. TFC started running Yoga sessions weekly in an effort to prove balance to the intensity of the Muay Thai and boxing classes. As these classes began to increase in popularity the schedule became busier, and the yoga classes had their own small supportive community within TFC.
2017 January
12. Morning Muay Thai classes on Monday and Friday run by Muay Thai champion and MMA fighter Raf Vilches were the first to be added to the morning schedule at TFC. When these classes first started they were attended by only 1 or 2 people, but over time they began to grow.
2017 October
13. Ben and James made the difficult decision to stop all yoga classes help at the springwood facility. As hard as it was to let down those who attended the yoga classes, it was obvious the Muay Thai and Boxing were becoming far too busy without using the extra floor-space required by the yoga classes. Fortunately, many of the Yogi’s decided to try their hand at a combat sport and loved it! Some even remain as current members today in a quest to perfect the art of Muay Thai and boxing.
2017 November
14. TFC head trainer Ben Johnston was voted as Queensland trainer of the year at the Australian Muay Thai Awards.
2017 December
15. It was obvious that the space of the watland street facility was no longer large enough to cater for people looking to train Muay Thai in springwood. It was a bitter-sweet farewell to the original TFC as the team decided it was time to move on to bigger and better things.
2018 January
16. TFC opened the doors to a new location less than 2km away. The new centre for training boxing and Muay Thai in slacks creek was far larger which allowed for more heavy bags, more mirrors, and more floor space, meaning the members could practice footwork and other drills freely. The new facility also saw the addition of showers, superior protective floor mats which allowed the students to practice a greater range of techniques safely.
2018 February
17. The class schedule expanded to include morning boxing classes and morning Muay Thai classes. Classes at 5 am and 6 am began raining daily catering to the busy lives of the people in Logan and South Brisbane.
2018 October
18. Head Trainer Ben Johnston won the WBC world title by round 4 knock-out. The first light heavyweight to win the prestigious title in 10 years.
2018 November
19. Head Trainer Ben Johnston was nominated for the fighter of the year award. Deservingly, Chadd Collins ultimately won the title at the Australian Muay Thai Awards.
2019 March
20. With the ever-increasing popularity of the Boxing classes and depth in the talent pool of the students at TFC expanding, the team decided to add in a 45min boxing classes at 5 pm every Monday – Thursday.
2019 September
21. Classes were all becoming busy with the Muay Thai and Boxing fighters continuing to succeed and generate passion and momentum throughout the other students. The fighters then began to stay and help with the beginner Muay Thai classes and a 9 am class was put into place to allow students more freedom with times to improve their technique.
2015 – Present
22. TFC wants to acknowledge all of the fighters that have represented the gym with pride to become world champions, international champions, national champions, state champions, the countless winners, and even the fighters that came out second best in their bouts. We also want to thank all of our members past and present who have attended a Muay Thai or a boxing class in slacks creek. TFC as a family has always relied on the people attending the gym, and those who have been a part of it have played a role in creating the force that it has become today.
Here are a few more memories from over the years…
