Waikato-based Michael ‘The Machine’ Isaac New Zealand’s welterweight king

Michael Isaac (front with belt) emerged victorious in a bout for the history books at the King in the Ring 8-Man Series welterweight tournament at Eventfinda Stadium on Saturday night. Photo / Core MMA

Michael “The Machine” Isaac, training out of Hamilton-based House of Pain, at Core MMA, emerged victorious in a bout for the history books at the King in the Ring 8-Man Series welterweight tournament at Eventfinda Stadium on June 8 – nine and a half rounds in one night.

The 26-year-old drainage surveyor, originally from Whakatāne, is a Nak Muay - a practitioner of Muay Thai - trained by Ethan Shepp.

Isaac has previously claimed the WKA and IKBF New Zealand Championship belts and after three hard fights and an extension round in the finale, he was crowned the King in the Ring champion via split decision over Daniel Ruwanga.

“It meant a lot. I’ve watched King in the Ring for about nine years on TV,” Isaac said.

“I remember thinking this is amazing, these guys are all fighting three times in one night. You don’t hear about that. King in the Ring has built a name for itself and now it’s on free-to-air TV.

“To be on the show, it sounds cheesy, but it was a childhood accomplishment – like a young kid growing up to become a police officer. I’m on track towards completing my goals.”

City Kickboxing’s Talor Wetere was his first opponent.

“In a tournament, you fight each fight as if it’s your last fight. I did that for all three. In the first one, I burned a lot of energy and did what I had to, to get the win. If you start thinking about the next fight, then you’re not really doing it right,” Isaac said.

In the semifinals, Isaac had a dominant stoppage victory against Kane Baigent in the middle of the third round before heading into the final against Ruwanga.

Between each fight, Isaac had around 35 minutes to recover and prepare.

“In the last fight, I gave everything that was left in my soul. I dug very deep. I was put down in the first round, so I had to claw my way back. Then I won the next two rounds – which made the fight a draw – because he took the first round 10-8 and I took the next two, 10-9,” Isaac said.

“I won in the fourth round, an extension round. If you go to an extension round, they only score that because the rest are null and void. I left everything I had out there.

“I’d like to thank my coach Ethan Shepp, all the team at House of Pain and Core MMA and my sponsors Klean Kut Barber and Primal Supplements.”

Shepp said Isaac’s performance “epitomised the essence of what we strive for in our training”.

Isaac started Muay Thai as a teenager but didn’t take competitions seriously until he turned 20.

He is a regular on the local kickboxing and Muay Thai tournament circuits and has co-headlined the prominent Knees of Fury show – his favourite show to be part of.

He was nicknamed “The Machine” after his first New Zealand title in 2019.

“I fought for the North Island title one week and then three weeks later I got offered a New Zealand title fight. I took the fight and ended up winning. I won the North Island title and the New Zealand title within three weeks,” he said.

“I had a really high work rate in both fights, so my coach said, ‘we’ll call you the machine’ and it stuck after that.

“They were both five-round title fights. I went on a big spree and later that year I won a South Pacific title.”

The next step for Isaac is to rest his body before preparing for international opponents and opportunities.

Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZME in 2020.