About M-1

The cultural melting pot of Honolulu has always been a hotbed of martial arts knowledge from all over the world. It's no wonder that it was here that long-time friends and training partners Arthur Wong and Ivan Flores first trained together and knew that the fight game would become their life's passion. That was in 1994, and since then Arthur and Ivan have each gone on journeys that would culminate in the opening of M-1 Martial arts & Fitness. The wealth of training Arthur and Ivan have received over the years make M-1 one of the best professional fight gyms in Hawaii.

Instructors

Arthur Wong

Arthur's journey took him to Fairtex Muay Thai Fitness in San Francisco, home of some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts. For his 10-year stay there, Arthur had the fortune of training with the best Thai instructors in the country. Three years into his training, Arthur received certification to teach Muay Thai.

Trained mainly by Enn Fairtex, Arthur started his Fairtex training with Bunkerd Faphimai and also spent time with such names as Jongsanan "The Wooden Man" Fairtex, Ganyao "Dr. Knee" Fairtex, Coke Fairtex, and Nuengsiam "The Rock" Samphusri.

Arthur maintains an amateur record of 12-1 and a B-Class Semi-Pro record of 13-6-1. In 2007 Arthur fought in the WMC IFMA World Muay Thai Championships, an invitational tournament held in Thailand.

Ivan Flores

Meanwhile in Hawaii, Ivan began diversifying his skill on the ground with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Relson Gracie and submission grappling master Baret Yoshida. Ivan also continued his Muay Thai training at two-time gym of the year Kaewsamrit Gym in Bankok, Thailand. At Kaewsamrit Gym, Ivan trained alongside Lumpini and Raja Stadium champ Anuwat Kaewsamrit—two-time fighter of the year and considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in Thailand. All together, Ivan's got 15 years of Muay Thai experience.

To combine his stand-up and ground games, Ivan then spent time at AMC Kickboxing and Pankration—home of the legendary Matt "The Wizard" Hume. In his training, Ivan has also had the fortune to learn from MMA greats such as Wanderlei Silva, Josh Barnett, Akihiro Gono, Rumina Sato, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, Matt Hughes, and Renato "Charuto" Veressimo.

Teaching Philosophy

What you can expect out of M-1 is a disciplined, nurturing environment from qualified instructors who are truly concerned with your progress. Egos and bad attitudes are not welcome. Students have different goals in learning Muay Thai and we work with students to focus on strengths and achieve their goals:

• Increase cardio/burn fat
• Build lean muscle
• Learn proper technique
• Fight competitively

Student Testimonials

"I've had trainers that are only good at training beginners, and others that can only train people with experience. One absolute defining thing that makes Arthur a great trainer is that he has a unique talent in passing on years of knowledge, no matter what your experience level. Its also pretty rare to find a trainer that is able to teach based on fighting style and not a daily routine that he is used to doing. The truth is, after training with Arthur, I have never been in better physical and mental shape in 17 years of martial arts training."

Barry Domingo | Fighter & Mortgage Broker

"Arthur is a giving trainer, who only asks for effort in return. Not only is Arthur such an excellent trainer, he is also a student of the boxing game. This student has been studying this game and competing in it his whole life. His real life experience resonates in his training. Everything he teaches you, you will use. Whether it is in the ring competing or in a position where you have to defend yourself. If you want to understand how to hit and not be hit, call Arthur Wong."

Stan Young | Amateur Fighter & Student