Jesse and Roman Concepcion pose for a photo with their gold and silver medals at the TBA Muay Thai Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa that was held on June 18 to 22.
Contributed photo
JESSE and Roman Concepcion continue to thrive in the world of Muay Thai, earning gold and silver medals, respectively, at the TBA Muay Thai Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa in June.
Jesse Concepcion claimed the TBA Muay Thai Classic Class B Feather Catch Weight championship title.
Initially, this was supposed to be Jesse’s last time competing in the C class. However, since his gym does not like having two fighters in the same bracket, his coaches decided to bump him up to Class B, believing he could handle it.
“And I trusted them. I won’t lie — I was nervous because moving up means going against fighters with more experience,” Jesse said in an interview with Variety.
“During my championship match, I faced an opponent with an undefeated record of 5-0. Walking into the ring, I felt…different. It wasn’t a bad feeling — just something I can’t really describe. I kept praying until the ref said, ‘Fight!’ ” shared Jesse.
His opponent was good, and Jesse believed he was edged out in the first round — but he wanted that belt more. By Round 2, “I had it all figured out, found my rhythm, and secured the win with a TKO,” he said.
As for Roman’s championship match, it was a little rough. He began the day unable to drink water to cut weight, and when he was finally able to eat, he felt sick — or maybe stressed.
“Either way, I knew I had to push through. Even though I didn’t feel my best, I was ready,” said Roman.
Unfortunately, during the match, “My opponent caught me with a solid liver shot that dropped me — and I couldn’t get back up in time,” he recalled.
“Of course, I was a little sad about it, but that’s part of being a fighter. You’re never guaranteed a win — it’s always a 50/50 chance when you step into the ring.”
Jesse added, “Even though the final didn’t go my way, I’m proud I took out the biggest guy in our bracket earlier in the tournament and brought home a silver medal. That still feels like a win to me.”
“Bringing home the belt this time makes my goal of reaching ONE Championship feel even more real. I’ve always believed I had it in me, but in my past fights — no matter how hard I tried — I didn’t feel fully ready to take on those kinds of challenges,” said Jesse.
“Now, being surrounded by teammates who have the same drive and mindset has made a huge difference. Whether someone at our gym fights or not, everyone is there to truly learn, improve, and push themselves in the sport. That’s why this belt means so much to me — it’s a reflection of the hard work we’ve all put in together,” he added.
As for Roman, “Bringing home silver from TBA still feels like a win. Like I said, I don’t look at my championship match as a complete loss because I took out the biggest guy in our bracket to get there. Honestly, if my opponent hadn’t landed that liver shot, and we kept going, I believe that belt would’ve been mine. But that’s the fight game — it’s a lesson learned, not a setback. If anything, it’s made me even more determined to chase another title match and come back stronger.”
Competing in one of the biggest Muay Thai events in the country, the brothers were more than ecstatic.
“It’s really cool! Since it’s a national tournament, there are so many people from all over who come to compete. The best part is knowing you’re fighting for a belt — it makes it feel even more exciting and rewarding,” said Jesse.
“I really like it. It’s a long weekend because it’s tournament-style with brackets, so you fight more than once if you keep winning. But it’s fun being there, competing, and seeing so many fighters from all over the country,” added Roman.
After their success at the Pan-American Championships back in February, Jesse and Roman’s parents made a huge decision: to move to a new state so their sons could train at a gym known for producing champions. They officially started training there on April 28.
“Moving to a new state and joining a different gym completely changed everything for me. Our old coach always said he was the best — and maybe he was for Bellevue, Washington — but our coach now is an active world champion,” said Roman.
As brothers who share the same passion for the sport, their unwavering support for each other continues to be a driving force.
“We both have the same goal — to make it to ONE Championship — and that’s what drives us every day. When we train, we always push ourselves to go hard,” said Jesse.
While they do not spar with each other due to the power difference, their contrasting fighting styles lead to constant conversations about strategies and improvement.
“We always talk about what it would be like to make it to ONE and how much it would mean to be the first fighters from Saipan to get there. That’s a huge source of motivation for both of us. It pushes us to stay focused, train harder, and keep leveling up together,” Jesse said.