One of our sporting pioneers has been recognsied in the King's Birthday Honours list, with combat sports legend Sifu Phillip Lam made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
The name might not ring many bells for some, but to those inside martial arts, he's the godfather.
Without Lam and his teaching of nearly 50 years quite simply there would be no Israel Adesanya.
"It's an honour to still be alive at the same time as the guy who started it all for all of us," Adesanya said.
Lam, 78, immigrated here from China in 1975, setting up a kung fu gym. He helped pioneer muay thai kick boxing in New Zealand, starting the renowned City Lee Gar in Auckland city.
Students of the man known as Ghost Fist went on to fight, coach and mentor generations of kick boxers, and now mixed martial artists.
Former champions Lolo Heimuli and Wayne Vaega were among his original pupils in the late 1970s and early 80s.
Lam was one of the first to bring kick boxers from Thailand to New Zealand and one of the first to take young Kiwis to China and other parts of Asia to learn their craft.
Heumuli went on to coach champion kick boxers and boxers like Shane Cameron, while Ray Sefo, Mark Hunt and Jason Suttie all either came through Lam or his disciples.
Lam said he’s been teaching for 49 years
"Not any of my students go outside to make trouble."
All his pupils, former and current, came together in the Lee Gar gym to honour Lam and celebrate his honour.
Eugene Bareman, a former pupil now a world renowned MMA coach with City Kickboxing, said a lot of fighters came from rough starts in life.
"They went to people like Sifu Lam to get a new start, learn discipline, and change our lives."
Suttie, a former kickboxing world champion and now a trainer and promoter, said they all wouldn’t be doing what they’re doing today without Lam.
Vaega said Lam had a saying that once you're a student under him you're a student and friend for life.
"That's what we've became."
Tony Angelov, a former fighter, now runs the Lee Gar gym, and said "to see all the people he's influenced, what a big impact it's had on people's lives, is huge".
And Adesanya, arguably the the most famous of the next generation from the Sifu Lam fighting family tree, said without him, he wouldn't be where he is now.
"None of us would be where we're at."
SHARE ME