On December 1^st, 2007, “Lethal” Lah Thao (FYI, he isn’t a big fan of that nickname) and his team received celebrity treatment including their flight, hotel, and car all paid for.  For what you ask? The fight of his career: the Ring of Fire: Undisputed, located in Colorado.

As 5,000 + fans cheered on, his wife, Shirley and high school coach, Ray Yeager, watched in despair as Lah finds himself in a dilemma. With no seemingly way out of a Kimura hold from his opponent, Christian Allen, Lah's arm seconds away from snapping, he figures that he has three choices; tap, snap, or nap! “Every few seconds I was going in and out of consciousness, thinking to myself all the encouraging words my family back home had said, ‘Lah you better not come back home without the title!’ But more importantly, I looked to my wife who was in my corner cheering me on as I was seconds away from giving up.”

With the ROF (Ring of Fire) Feather-Weight belt on the line, what did he do? Read on my friends.

At a mere 28 years old, he is an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter, full time Wausau School District Teacher, head trainer/teacher and owner of Rising Son MMA Gym, father, husband, student and friend. Whew! Think you can handle his life?

As I enter his gym for the interview, I see a man dressed in sweats and tennis shoes cleaning and tidying the gym. “Hey there, you must be Lah.” I say as I put my hand out for a handshake. He was a little shorter than I had expected, but was SUPER nice and seemed to be in a great mood during the 2 hours of the interview & photo shoot. We were later joined by his younger brother and also an MMA fighter, Sam Thao. As Lah gave me a quick tour of the gym before we started, I found out that his father actually had a huge role in putting his gym together. “Oh man, if it wasn’t for my father putting in countless hours in planning and putting this gym together, we wouldn’t even be here.” Family plays a huge role in Lah’s life. Born to a Hmong father and Caucasian mother, it wasn’t always easy growing up.

“I didn’t want to pick sides. I wanted to be friends with everybody. Why did I have to pick?” He says. “It’s kinda hard when you’re half White and half Hmong. Sometimes the Hmong kids would be like, ‘You’re not Hmong, go play with the White kids!’ White kids would be like, ‘You’re one of them! Go play with them!’” Luckily for Lah, he found his balance and outlet through mixed martial arts and wrestling. “I eventually got noticed because people knew I was good at what I did.” Friends always asked him to join their gang to help protect them. But it was staying in sports that kept him humble and on the right path.



With his skills set, Lah began teaching at a young age. His name kept growing in the community and eventually he ended up teaching classes in his basement! With the help of his family and support from the community, Lah now has Rising Son MMA where he teaches his classes.

So what’s a typical day like for him?

It is roughly 7:00 A.M. by the time Lah is ready for his work day. After making sure his daughter arrives to school at 8:00 A.M., Lah makes his way to the EEA (Excel, Enrich & Achieve) Learning Academy where he is a full time teacher. The academy itself is an outlet for students in the Wausau Public School area who have not found success in a traditional setting. When he's not busy being a full time teacher, father, or working on his Masters of Science in At-Risk Education from Marian University in Fond du Lac, WI, Lah Thao is the lead instructor as well as owner of Rising Son MMA. With ages ranging from 6 on up and classes ranging from Taekwondo to Judo to a Submission Grappling Class, Rising Son MMA is a mixed martial arts studio located in Wausau, WI. It teaches more than 50 students per week. Classes begin at 5:30 pm every week day and private classes (when offered) are held on weekends.



When I asked Lah what his motivation is to stay so focused, he replied, “The main man! Jesus! All the amount of training I put myself through will never amount up to what he went through. Whether you believe in it or not, think of it as a folktale.” He says. “The inspiration behind it is undeniable.” He also added that next in line are his wife, family & students. His wife has been to every one of his fights and never leaves his corner. “She’s my source of motivation and technique. Who better to put in your corner and look to when you’re pinned down and need something to fight for?” Aside from his wife and family, “The biggest, most fulfilling things are not winning titles and matches. It’s about changing people. ‘Hey Lah, my life is changing!’ These are the words I love to hear from my students. In a sense, everyday you’re fighting! When you’re living life, is your mind thinking straight? At the store? With friends? If you don’t train your mind, you’re going to fall for those temptations and travel on the wrong road. It’s harder to be a fighter in life, than it is in the ring! When you become a better person out there, you’re a better fighter in the ring.”

I think to myself, “…and this guy is a MMA fighter?! I love it!” So now the big question everyone wants answered…when’s the next fight? “I really hope to put in a fight by the end of the year, if not, then early next year.” Unfortunately, until his knee fully recovers from surgery, he’ll keep busy with teaching at the gym and at school. Lucky for you, that’s not going to stop him from training! “A small team I put together including my brother Sam, is actually going to Thailand this summer to train in Muay Thai! We’re all really excited and I hope to gain lots of experience through this.”

“We really want to make it to the WEC (World Extreme Cage Fighting). We have lots of people backing us up and my brother [Sam] almost made it! We’re hoping to make it within the next 5 years or so.” Lucky for the Rising Son team, UFC is thinking about promoting in Wisconsin!



“Is there anything else you want to add or anyone you would like to thank?” I ask. “Big thanks to HmongAthletes.com for looking us up; my wife and family for letting me do what I do. And I want to thank all my brothers for everything.  And one last thing, ‘Fear no man. Only God can destroy the soul.’”

Oh yeah, you didn’t think I’d forget, did you? So what did Lah end up doing in the biggest fight of his career?  “I chose option d.” Lah didn’t give up, he kept fighting! He managed to free himself from the Kimura hold, reversed it & broke his opponent’s arm, winning the match and title!