Muay Thai’s Very Own X-Man: Eddie “Silk E Smooth” Abasolo

In 2008 at the Warriors gym in Vallejo, California, Eddie Abasolo began his journey to becoming the “Silk E Smooth” fighter that he is now, however, it would be years before he would develop his slick head movement and distinctive chic Muay Thai style. Oftentimes he entered the gym inebriated or high and left with a bloody nose from sparring with his peers. “It didn’t feel like training without having a bloody nose everyday,” he explained. “My first goal was to learn how to protect myself.” 

Abasolo recalls being able to predict and see strikes coming, but instead of keeping his eyes open, he would close them and narrowly manage to move out of the way.  “I had a really bad flinch response,” he stated. Only once he learned how to control his head movement along with developing “strong eyes” did Abasolo earn the fight moniker Silk E Smooth. “The way I’m able to relate it in my own mind is to the X-men… I saw it as a superpower,” he said in our interview. 

Abasolo during his One Championship debut. Photo taken by One Championship.

Abasolo went to work practicing the basics and became a student of the sport. His coach at the time would assign weekly homework where Abasolo would study the greats of the Golden Era of Muay Thai, one of them being his current trainer Jongsanan “The Woodenman” Fairtex. During the process, he fell in love with the sport and hasn’t looked back. 

What is truly special about his connection to Muay Thai is what has come out of it beyond the belts: the wisdom he has gained, the people he has met, and the places it has taken him.

Muay Thai has taught him what it means to follow your dreams and that doing so is no easy endeavor. “It’s not a walk in the park… I try and do what I do 100%... everything that I do,” he said. The veteran fighter has battled through many adversities. When he lost a World Title bout during his amateur career, he tore his PCL, a major knee injury, and shortly thereafter had a falling out with one of his coaches. Through it all, he had his family who have proved to be the backbone of his career. “I really want to teach my kids to follow your dreams and do what you love,” Abasolo explained. They inspire and motivate him to be better than great. “I don’t want to be just a great fighter, I want to put a chapter in the book.”

Having said that, the 36-year-old has begun to realize that he is an influential figure in the Muay Thai world. “God works in mysterious ways,” Abasolo stated. When he feels stagnant or lackluster, he finds himself coming across a message or a person that tells him the impact that he has made on them and it rekindles his fire. “I know God wouldn’t have taken me this far to fail,” he said. Abasolo has poured his heart and soul into the sport and it has reciprocated his efforts. 

It has taken him to places he has never thought he would have been. “There would be no reason for me to go to Singapore. There would be no reason for me to go to London or Ireland… Muay Thai is the reason I’ve been able to see these places firsthand,” he said delicately, as if it was still just a dream to him.

Abasolo recently suffered a loss in his One Championship debut, but the world is holding its breath, eager for Silk E Smooth’s return to the ring.

Written by: Dashiell Chaiyasen | Header Photo by: One Championship