INTERVIEW WITH MEHDI ZATOUT, COACH, FIGHTER, CHAMPION, MANAGER OF VENUM GYM PATTAYA, THE MAN WITH MANY HATS

INTERVIEW WITH MEHDI ZATOUT, COACH, FIGHTER, CHAMPION, MANAGER OF VENUM GYM PATTAYA, THE MAN WITH MANY HATS!

By Serge TRÉFEU (2026)

Serge TRÉFEU: Hello Mehdi, how are you?

Mehdi ZATOUT: I’m fine, Serge, thank you

Seventeen years ago, we did an interview together for Siamfightmag about your boxing career. You had just won the French championship title. Since then, you’ve had many fights and won several titles. Can you give us a recap of your impressive fighting career?

Yes, it’s been a while (laughs)… Well, I really started as an amateur. I had a lot of fights in that category, more than fifty in Muay Thai.

Then, as a professional, I competed in the Île-de-France and French championships, which I won several times.

In 2009, I won the WMC European championship belt against an Englishman. Then, in 2013, I won the ISKA world title against a Thai fighter whom I beat by knockout, and I also won the WBC world belt by defeating the great Thai champion Singmanee Kaewsamrit.

My last title, I won it in 2022 at Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok, the WBC Diamond World Championship

How many professional fights have you had?

Around a hundred fights

You hung up your gloves for a while, then you came back to the ring?

Actually, in 2013, when I arrived in Thailand to settle down, I decided to end my career and focus on business. In France, fighting didn’t really allow you to make a living or prepare for retirement.

But in Thailand, it was difficult, and I had to put the gloves back on and fight again in Europe. I had some very tough fights. I remember facing Fabio Pinca, Houcine Bennoui, Liam Harrison, Yetkin Ozkul… I also fought in stadiums in Thailand…

After that, you took a break from your career for a few years?

Yes, and I got back in the ring in 2018, directly with the ONE Championship organization. It was the most interesting and exciting thing for me, with fights in small-glove MMA. Since I had good boxing skills, that type of fight suited me well

Have you faced some big names at ONE?

Yes, like the Thai champions Nong-O, Tukkatatong, and Capitan, but also Victor Pinto. I had my last ONE fight in 2022 against an American, whom I knocked out in the first round

In 2022, at Rajadamnern Stadium, you won the WBC Diamond World Championship?

A title I’m very proud of, which I won against the Thai fighter Sansiri, a great champion!

How old were you when you won that title?

I was 40…

Winning a Muay Thai world title at 40 years is truly an incredible achievement. So, you’ve finally decided to hang up your gloves?

Nope (laughs)… ONE offered me one last challenge, a Boxing match. It was a dream come true for me to fight in a Boxing match…

You’d never fought in Boxing before?

No, never. However, I’d done a lot of sparring with professional boxers in France. I’ve always worked hard on my boxing with my coach, Abdel Bedour, and of course, Kamel Jemel.

So I followed a specific boxing training program for this exciting challenge. I fought in Qatar, in a cage, with 10 oz gloves, which was quite unusual for a boxing match. It was a three-round fight against an English professional boxer, undefeated in nine fights. I won the match on points. It’s a great memory!

Can you tell us about your rise as an entrepreneur and boxing manager in Thailand?

It really happened step by step. I had a vision and a plan to succeed in making a living in Thailand. It’s not easy to develop a business there, especially in the boxing world. But I wanted to earn a living doing something I love, so it had to be in this field

You wanted to be a coach, open a boxing camp?

At first, I wanted to open a boxing equipment store. Since I’ve worked in clothing production since I was young, I love anything related to creativity and design.

Six months after moving to Thailand, I was sponsored by Venum. They helped me a lot in my early days. Because I often gave my feedback on equipment and clothing, the head of Venum, Franck Dupuis, offered me a full-time position in Thailand to develop the brand.

It was something completely new for me, but I jumped at this great opportunity. It provided real security for my family, with a monthly salary in Thailand

So the head of Venum offered you the management of a boxing camp in Pattaya?

No, initially there wasn’t a boxing camp in 2013, just a sports equipment store that I opened under my own name, carrying several brands. Since I was sponsored by Venum as an athlete, I sold their products and gave my opinion on them.

The brand’s owner liked this and then trusted me enough to offer me a position. The beginnings were very difficult in Thailand, as I was a foreigner selling boxing equipment facing strong local competition.

It wasn’t until three years later, in 2016, that we decided to open a boxing camp with the Venum brand. I found a location with the champion Sudsakorn. It was a place run by some French people, where they played pétanque under a large dome

There was no boxing camp infrastructure?

No, there was practically nothing, just a large dome. We built and renovated everything. I really wanted to create a beautiful Venum Training camp to make a strong impact for the brand. So we opened this camp with champion Sudsakorn, and initially, it was intended solely for recreational boxing

So you weren’t aiming to train top-level competitors?

No, not at all. But ultimately, the recreational aspect wasn’t really working out, and in 2020, with Covid, things became even more complicated.

I then realized that the only way to survive was to work with talented boxers and propel them onto the Muay Thai media stage. I was already working with some good fighters like Samy Sana and Alaverdi Ramazanov.

This led me to create a real team of professional boxers. Gradually, I spotted young talent, and with passion, patience, and hard work, the results finally paid off!

When did you start working with the ONE Championship organization?

Just before Covid. I started boxing for them, and we had the first fights with Samy Sana. Then, I managed to sign Alaverdi, Fahdi Khaled, and several other fighters

What made the ONE management trust you to work with them continuously?

I think the ONE promoters appreciated my dedication and passion for the sport. It all happened very quickly, almost overnight. One day, a ONE matchmaker came to see me at the camp and introduced me to the organization’s main promoter, Chatri Sityodtong. He liked my work ethic.

Today, I share meals with Chatri, I’m often on the phone with him, and I’m very honored!

Now you have a great connection with ONE, which is currently the world’s largest kickboxing organization?

Exactly. I think it’s because I’m true to myself. I’m an honest person, I keep my word, and I try to be as responsible as possible towards my boxers

Which talented boxers have you been training since the beginning?

I’ve been training Nabil Anane since I opened the camp, because his father, Yayas, is a longtime friend. He let me take charge of his son’s career. Nabil was 12 years old when he came with me.

Initially, he trained at the Petchrungruang camp, before I opened the Venum Training Camp. A year after opening, he joined me. He learned the basics of Muay Thai from the Thais, but then I trained him further, teaching him footwork, boxing, change of guard… Despite his height, I managed to instill all these techniques in him

Do you have other boxers you took on when they were very young?

Yes, lots of others. Yonis, Nabil’s younger brother, now fights at ONE and is becoming increasingly well-known. I also have my nephew Yanis, who is very promising and already has around forty fights under his belt. And my son, of course, represents the new generation.

I have so many boxers now that I have trouble understanding how it all happened…

How many professional fighters do you have now?

We have 70 professional boxers on the team!

Has Venum Gym become bigger than the biggest camp in Pattaya, Fairtex Gym?

In terms of pro fighters, yes. I think we supply more boxers than they do

Are you in Bangkok every Friday at ONE Lumpinee?

Yes (laughs), it’s become my routine… and even on Saturdays!

Do you also have your boxers fight on the RWS circuit at Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok?

My boxers can fight on the RWS circuit; I leave the choice to the athlete. I try to proceed methodically. For example, a Muay Thai purist, a clincher, a Muay Khao (strong with knees), will be directed towards the RWS circuit.

On the other hand, a striker with a big heart will more likely be sent to ONE Championship

I get the impression that ONE is now returning to more technical Muay Thai matches, compared to fights where boxing was much more prominent?

It depends on the fights and the opponents. But the ONE Championship is still a very spectacular event to watch.

I know that in France, ONE is often criticized, but look, for the next ONE in March, tickets are selling for 15,000 baht (around €400) and it’s completely sold out!

In Japan, it’s even worse; tickets are selling for exorbitant prices. We would never have seen that in Europe or anywhere else. Thanks to ONE, Muay Thai is developing internationally.

Muay Thai has become globalized, especially thanks to ONE, but also thanks to RWS, which does tremendous work with his tournaments

Is it true that today, fighters like Nabil have purses that no great champion from the ’80s, ’90s, or 2000s could have ever earned?

Exactly!

It’s even hard to imagine boxers from those eras receiving such sums in Muay Thai

ONE fights are also very violent. Won’t fighters in this organization be able to have careers as long as those in traditional circuits?

Yes, Muay Thai is already a very demanding sport, but in ONE, it’s even more brutal. The impact on the body with MMA gloves is enormous.

That’s why this discipline should be more recognized. ONE fighters should have a level of compensation comparable to that of athletes in the UFC or major boxing organizations

There are already some ONE stars earning substantial sums, like Tawanchai, Superlek, Rodtang, Superbon, Haggerty, and Stamp?

That’s true, but we’re still far from the purses of the UFC or boxing. However, we’re getting closer.

For example, Japanese kickboxing star Takeru Segawa received a purse of one million dollars for his fight against Superlek at ONE 165!

Rodtang, meanwhile, is now earning purses of $500,000, it’s incredible!

Is this starting to approach the purses of world Boxing champions?

We still have a long way to go. Last time, there was a comparison between the purses of UFC fighters and those of boxing champions.

They took the purses of the five UFC fighters in the main event, and combined, they reached about $6 million, but those five purses didn’t even surpass those of a single boxing star, who can earn between $10 and $15 million!

We’ll finish this interview, Mehdi, with a look at your protégé Nabil Anane’s upcoming fight. He’ll be facing Rambolek for the ONE world title. Can you tell us about it?

Yes, Nabil is defending his title. We won the interim ONE title last year against the Scotsman Nico Carrillo.

Then, Nabil faced Superlek for the ONE Muay Thai world title. Despite the minor incident with Superlek, who missed the 66.3 kg weight limit and was stripped of his title, the fight was changed to a three-round non-title bout. But officially, we still secured the ONE world title.

After that, Nabil had two more ONE non-title fights. When they offered us Rambolek, who had just beaten Abdulla Dayakaev (my fighter) with a body shot while losing the fight, we saw it as a great opportunity for revenge. So, for this match, the ONE world title will be at stake.

On the same evening, my other promising boxer, Asadula Imangazaliev, will also fight for the ONE world title in the -63.5 kg category against Nong O!

Will we ever have the chance to see Nabil or Asadula fight for an organization in France?

Listen, I’ll give you a little scoop: we’re in talks with Chatri, and things are looking very promising. It’s positive, and I think that this year, maybe towards the end of the year, ONE could come to Paris!

Thank you so much, Mehdi, and congratulations on everything you’ve created and accomplished in Thailand!

Thank you, Serge!

Team Venum Gym has become one of the most prolific training centers in Thailand for top-level professional fighters. Starting from scratch, self-made man Mehdi Zatout, a true maestro, has built a renowned camp. It initially attracted some of the best French fighters from top gyms such as Mahmoudi Gym with Elias Mahmoudi and Brice Delval, Phénix Gym with Samy Sana, and Nas-R-K Gym by Nasser Kacem with Karim Bennoui, Yohan Lidon, and now Antar Kacem, who has become one of the leading fighters in the ONE Championship.

Representatives from Team Bilos, such as Bobo Sacko and Mehdi Zeghdane, as well as Team Valente, can also be mentioned, not to mention other big names like former ring legend Kamel Jemel, champions Aziz Hlali, Adam Noi, and Bampara Kouyate, and Russian superstar Chingiz Allazov.

Thai stars Sudsakorn, Sittichai, Tawanchai, Wanmawin, Petpanomrung, and Por Tor Tor have also represented this prestigious team!

But Team Venum’s greatest strength lies in its international diversity. It brings together fighters from all over the world: Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, France, Tunisia, Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Brazil… All are looking to join the Venum circuit, drawn by Khru Mehdi Zatout’s exceptional connections and the professionalism of a highly competent coaching staff. Among them are renowned figures like Chris Forster and Dimitri Cerberes, as well as experienced Thai coaches.

Today, Team Venum boasts a veritable constellation of champions, including three major stars from the ONE Championship:

Nabil Anane, ONE Muay Thai champion, voted Best Non-Traditional Fighter of the Year 2025. He unfortunately lost his title to Rambolek, but this ring prodigy shouldn’t be long in reclaiming it.

The phenomenal Phetjeeja, ONE kickboxing champion in the -52 kg category, remains undefeated in the organization.

And the new ring prodigy, Asadula Imangazaliev, who just won the ONE Muay Thai world title by demolishing the legendary Nong-O in the first round!

Not to mention Iranian champion Sajad Sattari, who won the belt at the prestigious Rajadamnern Stadium in 2023, becoming the first Middle Eastern fighter to win a title at a major Bangkok stadium!