Who Are the Final Four Fighters in the Semi Finals of the Contender Asia?

In a surprise knockout, Soren Mongkontong lost his fight against Dzhabar Askerov in episode 12 of The Contender Asia. Mongkontong was the favorite to be the last Muay Thai fighter to go through to the semi-finals, but his hopes were dashed when he was knocked out in the first round by Askerov. Knockouts in Muay Thai fights are very rare and this was a shocker. Askerov hit Mongkontong once with a strong right hook and knocked him down. When he got up, it was obvious the punch had rattled him as he was staggering and looking dizzy. Within less than a minute, Dzhabar came at him again and this time, with another punch, he knocked him down and also knocked him out. When he came around, it was to the knowledge that Dzhabar Askerov was the winner of the fight, and the last Muay Thai fighter to go through to the semi-final round.

The final four fighters in The Contender Asia semi-finals are:

Sean Wright - From Scotland, Sean Wright has been training in Muay Thai gyms in Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand. He's had some very successful Muay Thai fights in Thailand and, even though he was the last fighter picked for a team in the first episode of The Contender Asia, he's shown everyone he really is a world class fighter.

John Wayne Parr - Probably the most famous farang (Western) Muay Thai fighter in the world, John Wayne Parr had an amazing fight against Zidov Dominik, to get through to the semi-finals. From Australia, John Wayne began fighting Muay Thai at the age of 11, and eventually moved to Thailand where he has lived and trained on and off for many years. He's also an instructor at a top Australian Muay Thai gym. Along with Yodsaenklai of Thailand, he is expected to end up in the finale fight.

Yodsaenklai - Thai fighter Yodsaenklai is the favorite to win The Contender Asia's first season final fight. He fought the other fighter from Thailand, Naruepol, to end up in the semi-finals. He has already beaten John Wayne Parr once, in 2005, to win the World Muay Thai 154lb division title so, in a finale fight between him and Parr, he is likely to be the favorite to win.

Dzhabar Askerov - currently lives in the United Arab Emirates and won his way into the semi-finals by knocking out Soren Mongkontong. He has trained in Russia and, although not the best fighter technically, he definitely dishes out some strong punches. If his fight against Mongkontong is anything to go by, his semi-finals fight could have some surprises.

With these four fighters in The Contender Asia's final four, the semi-finals should be thrilling to watch. They will be played out in the next episode of The Contender Asia, with the finale held in Singapore on April 12^th. This is The Contender Asia's first season, but with such an exciting line up for the final four, this Muay Thai reality show is likely to be around for a long time.