Yarborough falls short in return
On most days, Shawn Yarborough can be found at the Throwdown Training Center in southwest Las Vegas, helping UFC stars such as Frank Mir and Forrest Griffin hone their striking skills.
But on Saturday, Yarborough took time out from his busy coaching schedule to test his own striking skills on a kick-boxing card in The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Yarborough, a former U.S. Muay Thai champion, lost a unanimous decision to former K-1 world champ Pavel Turuk.
Turuk (21-4, nine knockouts), from Belarus, was the aggressor in the five-round light heavyweight bout. He landed a barrage of kicks that left a huge red welt on the back of Yarborough's left leg and also connected with several hard rights as he outscored Yarborough 52-44 on all three scorecards.
"I waited too much, and it just didn't work out for me the way it should've," said Yarborough (13-4-1, 11 KOs). "It's my fault. My corner was telling me to go. I just need to listen to my corner.
"He threw some good kicks and he threw some good combos, but I contributed because I waited. It was his night."
In the main event, former two-time world champion Cameroonian kick-boxer Alain Ngalani (27-7-1, 23 KOs) beat Bosnian Dzevad Poturak (47-17-1, 30 KOs) for the International Kickboxing Association super heavyweight championship by a disqualification at 2:06 of the first round. The bout was stopped because of a foul by Poturak, who punched Ngalani on the back of his head when he was down.
Yarborough, head Muay Thai coach at Throwdown, has mentored Mir, Griffin, Gilbert Yvel, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Brandon Vera and many other mixed martial arts fighters since he started working at the gym in 2006.
"I train them for their stand-up, their Muay Thai. Punching and kicking, knees and elbows, and clinch work," he said. "I help sharpen them up on their feet, so they're striking like a striker."
Yarborough, 36, has practiced Muay Thai for 15 years -- the past five as a professional -- and coached it for 13.
He was born and raised in Norfolk, Va., where he would sometimes box in the backyard with family members and friends from his neighborhood. But those sparring sessions didn't last long.
"I was creaming my friends and my cousins to the point where nobody wanted to box me," he said. "It wouldn't last more than a round."
Despite his early success in a combat sport, Yarborough didn't get involved with martial arts until a serious back injury ended his junior college football career.
While recovering at home, Yarborough saw a TV commercial for a local Muay Thai gym that caught his eye.
"My instructor from Virginia Beach was driving some kicks into a bag and punching and kneeing, and I said, 'That's what I want to do,' " he said.
■ NOTES -- Boxing legend Roberto Duran was in attendance. In the semi-main event, three-time world heavyweight champion Dzianis Hancharonak (9-0, nine KOs) knocked out reigning world heavyweight champ Sergiano Cairo (43-7) in the third round. ... In another heavyweight matchup, Las Vegan Chidi Njokuani (10-1) earned a unanimous decision over Mexico's Edwin Aguilar (22-17). Kim Couture protege Sophie Bagherdai (6-1) beat Jessica Bartness (5-3) by unanimous decision in a women's lightweight bout.
