Singapore was the location to become more than a Contender - The form of martial art chosen? Muay Thai Boxing, an 8-point contact fight that tests the mind, body, heart and spirit. Muay Thai, otherwise known as the art of the 8 limbs, which originates from Thailand where it also is Thailand's national sport. 

We caught our first glimpse of all 16 contenders through the introductory montage of the show, all 16 who are winners and champions in their own right, so who will send the pretenders packing to become the ultimate Contender –Champion! 

The First Match: Trevor Smandych (Canada) faced Naruepol Fairtex (Thailand) in the first draw of the show. Trevor entered the arena to a cheering audience first before Naruepol came out flanked by his teammates. 

1st Round: At the sound of the bell, the punches started to fly thick and fast.Trevor threw in the first few punches as Naruepol went right to work with his flying kicks. At the end of the round, it seemed as tho Trevor had managed to throw in more than Naruepol had and this sent his team mates into cloud nine over Trevor's early gain in the fight. An upset on the cards perhaps? 

2nd Round: When the match starts, within seconds, Naruepol threw Trevor to the floor. This affected Trevor, as he lost his momentum from the first round. Right then, Naruepol threw a high kick aimed for Trevor's face, which Trevor just managed to partially block. They get stuck in a huddle and Naruepol managed to throw in more elbows into Trevor's torso. Naruepol’s round. 

3rd Round:  Naruepol was able to get a few early kicks in and we heard Conner man – John Wayne Parr shouting, "Pressure! Pressure! Pressure!" from the outside. Naruepol managed to throw him to the ground yet again. Trevor put on a brave fight, he seemed frustrated at his inability to match Naruepol's zest. 

4th round: As we moved into the 4th and final round, it was rather obvious that Naruepol had taken an obvious edge over Trevor, despite Trevor's efforts in the first round. Wayne tells Trevor to not let himself fall into Naruepol's game and to instead focus on his own. Things continued to remain bleak for Trevor as Wayne shouted "Pressure!" from the audience. He threw wild punches but missed by some margin. Towards the end of the match, Trevor began to look well and truly resigned as Naruepol threw in several kicks as Trevor backed away. 

The match ends with the audience cheering on for Naruepol as their winner.Fighters centre of the ring please - The winner of the match is from the blue corner…" Cheers for a worthy winner Naruepol, as Trevor quietly backed into his corner. 

Post fight interviews Naruepol explained that he was extremely happy that he was the first to win in this competition. He felt sorry for Trevor although he commended his spirit in putting up a strong fight against him.More next week……