In a true blending of cultures, a Mexican martial arts fighter used a Muay Thai seminar held in Whitehorse last weekend to prepare for a fight in Thailand. 

Maximiliano Morin was one of the fighters attending a seminar hosted by Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Jesse Boldt at Eight Days Martial Arts in Whitehorse. 

Morin, 31, has been fighting for 14 years and has won two MMA bouts. 

He just received his Permanent Residency (PR) and is planning on applying for Canadian citizenship. 

Morin originally came to the Yukon for work. 

He earned a scholarship in New Brunswick that included boxing. 

His career has included amateur and pro fights in boxing, jiu jitsu, MMA, kickboxing, and wrestling. 

Morin said he learned quite a bit from the seminar. 

“He (Boldt) was teaching a lot of techniques from the point of view of a short fighter. I’m a short fighter. So I need all these techniques that he showed. That’s gonna be a good part of my future arsenal.” 

Morin is planning on going to fight in Thailand in MMA. He will be gone from Nov. 26 to Jan. 11. 

“I would like to have at least two fights. One in kickboxing and one in MMA.”

“I feel like it’s going to be a great experience. It’s something that I have always wanted to do ever since I was a kid.” 

When he was younger, Morin was heavily influenced by the Street Fighter 2 video game. 

“I started playing Street Fighter 2 and I remember whenever you chose a character, he would fly to other countries and he would fight other people from all over the world. So I wanted to do that.” 

Morin has fought in the U.S, Canada, and Mexico. 

“Now I want to fight in Asia.” 

Another one of Morin’s influences is T.J. Dillashaw, who he follows because they are both short fighters. 

“I copy most of the moves that he does.” 

At the Eight Days seminar, Morin was especially influenced by Boldt’s final technique, which involved a combination of punches and kicks. 

“He showed it and I am grateful for that. He’s a great teacher.”