John Wayne Parr takes on Yohan Lidon

The Gold Coast Bulletin Newspaper - February 03, 2014

John Wayne Parr vs Yohan Lidon
Celebrated muay thai champion John Wayne Parr has put his livelihood on the line for a shot at title glory.

The Gold Coast star will take on reigning World Middleweight Champion, Frenchman Yohan Lidon in Parr's own Caged Muay Thai event on March 1 at Logan Metro sports centre.

The 37-year-old is promoting the fight. Of the three previous fights Parr has run, two broke even and one ran at a loss of $20,00.

Parr said he was lucky enough to have some sponsors backing the venture.

'Even though I've lost money on one of my shows, I believe once people see my event, they will never look at combat sports the same', he said.

Parr has long been a fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC but said he though crowds became bored when fights went to the ground and as such, developed his own hybrid of Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts to better entertain crowds.

The father of two said he had to change his style for his clash against Lidon, and not only had to adopt a more active, defensive style of footwork but also incorporate a focus on kicks and knee strikes more so, as not to play to Lidon's boxing strength.

"I've been training since the first week of January", he said.

"He's got a higher ratio of knockouts than myself".

"He can't be underestimated, otherwise he's going to knock me out".