Since taking up Muay Thai 17 years ago, Kyle Towler has built a winning career in the ring, ultimately with a desire to train and coach others to reach their potential.
Towler, who grew up in Brantford, played many sports in his youth until two injuries helped him assess his athletic path.
“I was involved in hockey [and] I used to love skateboarding. I ended up breaking both my ankles back-to-back, which caused me to have to stop skateboarding and playing hockey for a while. When I was about 19 years old, I was looking to get back into something that would challenge me, not only physically, but mentally as well. So, a friend of mine suggested that I check out the Caged Dragon, which I ended up joining. I was a member of that club for about 12 years…and trained with Todd [Whetter]. He’s very knowledgeable, leads high-energy classes, and has a fantastic facility,” he said.
Although Towler relished training and competing, it was other aspects of Muay Thai that drew him to the martial art.
“Since I started training in Muay Thai, I wanted to fight competitively…and when I did, I loved it. But what really made me fall in love with the martial art was the culture and the community [and] through Muay Thai I have met so many amazing people, learning a great deal in my travels as either a spectator, student, competitive athlete, and as a coach. Early on, Muay Thai was what I wanted to pursue and it was a community I wanted to be a part of. And now, I also get to contribute, sharing my knowledge with others as a coach,” he stated.
In 2010, Towler would compete in his first fight at the Warrior Muay Thai gym in Scarborough.
“It was a little nerve-racking. It was high energy, very back and forth [and] definitely not what I was expecting. After the fight my nerves were still riled up, and the adrenaline was so high [that] I was throwing up, but I was excited. I definitely knew I wanted to immediately get back in the ring and fight,” the fighter recalled. “I also knew I had to plan on how I could keep on competing. And I ended up competing in boxing and MMA too, but Muay Thai has always been my true love…and that’s what I’ve concentrated on [and] pursued for all these years.”
After competing in his first MMA fight in 2012, Towler would make the decision to focus on Muay Thai.
“About a month before the MMA fight, I was in North America’s largest Muay Thai tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. Unfortunately, I lost. I went back to the drawing board, much better prepared, and I had a fantastic showing in Detroit [which] was my one and only MMA fight…at the time I was also boxing and training in Jiu Jitsu too…so, as I was doing all this, and balancing full time work…so, I couldn’t pursue everything. I came to a realization that I needed to focus on one discipline and of course it was on Muay Thai,” he stated.
Through the years, Towler continued to compete, gaining a reputation for his grit and strength, and one career highlight came three years ago when he fought in Bangkok, Thailand.
“It was at a big outdoor festival with around 2000 fans. And it was a fantastic show. I came prepared, training with Dennis [Puric] of Soi Dogs MMA & Fitness and then with my team there in Thailand. I had a very good showing, and I ended up winning by knockout two minutes into the fight. But what made my time there so special was the experiencing the environment…they live and breathe Muay Thai in Thailand…and Bangkok is like the Mecca for the martial art [and] it’s where the heart and soul of Muay Thai is. It was just such an electric crowd, there was so much energy and passion from the community for Muay Thai was something I will never forget.”
Fast forward to the summer of 2025, Towler would compete in his last career fight at the 67-kilogram division title match at the Fairtex stadium championship in Thailand.
“I competed at the largest stadium in Chiang Mai, which is the second biggest city in Thailand. Fairtex is like a big brand when it comes to Muay Thai, like what Everlast is to boxing. My opponent ended up getting injured…so the card was changed at the last minute. They asked me if I wanted to fight the stadium champion [and] I took the opportunity. I trained very long and hard for this fight with Dennis…he’s one of the best athletes in the world, and one of the top strikers to ever come out of Canada. So, he had me dialed in, focused and prepared to go in and fight. Needless to say, I ended up winning in the third round via knockout. So that was definitely a huge highlight in my Muay Thai career,” the veteran fighter noted.
However, despite the signature win, Towler already knew his plans to step away from competitive fighting.
“Even before that fight, I had my mind made up. The reason was about eight months prior I had planned to go down to Thailand with the fight lined up…on that same mission…being my last fight. Unfortunately, I sustained a severe injury during training where I broke three of my ribs, which punctured my lung. It took me about six months to get my health back to 100%, and it was an absolutely punishing stretch,” he explained. “Six months before that injury, I went down there to Thailand in fantastic shape…during training, I unfortunately had a freak accident, blowing out my knee. So realistically, for over a year, I had this goal to go to Thailand in the best shape of my life, technically, physically and mentally, and…to put on a great show for the crowd, but those injuries kept coming. So, when I was told that my opponent got injured, I thought it was a sign that I was done. But then they gave me the shot at the title, and I knew I had to fight.”
For Towler, Muay Thai has given him a chance to challenge himself time and time again and develop into a successful leader with a team-first mentality.
“There are so many different layers to it, but Muay Thai has impacted me in so many areas of my life…and I have developed many skills from training and competing, including extreme levels of commitment and dedication. It’s hard for me to take no for an answer now, because I’ve seen the benefits of putting in the work: consistency, dedication and finding out what you can truly achieve. I’m very much a driver now in all aspects of my life, yet the other thing is teamwork and the collaboration involved, even though at the end of the day, you’re the one fighting in the ring, you’re still only as good as your team behind you,” he explained. “You’re cutting 15 to 20 pounds [and] at times… cutting weight in the sauna, or doing hill sprints, or you’re out doing hard sparring round after round. When you’re already tired [you realize] it’s those people behind you who believe in you and push you. Along with my passion for Muay Thai, I can definitely say several of those factors have helped me stay truly connected to the martial art, and that’s really had a beneficial impact on several areas of my life, especially on the leadership side of things.”
Nevertheless, a key learning transition for Towler came from leaving Caged Dragon and eventually discovering a new gym in 2022.
“Because of external factors, I decided to leave the Caged Dragon. That was tough for me, because Todd was my coach for so many years, and a great mentor. At that time, I was going through a divorce and left a job I had worked at for 15 years to jump into a new career. It was challenging, but when Soi Dogs opened up in Hamilton, it was exciting because Dennis was connected to it. I definitely wanted to be part of that gym. So, when I went for a class there, Dennis and I immediately hit it off,” he said. “He’s a genuine person and a fantastic coach, who is highly energetic while being very technical. So as soon as I started training with him, he started picking apart my entire game and reshaping how I should perform as an athlete and as a fighter. I’ve been very successful training under him [and he] has been a huge boost to my Muay Thai career, as well as in my life.”
After training there for some time, the fighter was ready to take on the role of trainer and coach.
“Dennis, along with the other gym owners, gave me an opportunity to be part of their team as a coach at Soi Dogs, after training at the gym after a year. I have learned so much there, and to get a chance to teach while contributing to the gym’s growth is an incredible feeling. The next step in my career is helping build the Muay Thai community, helping build my team and helping them become successful, and passing along my knowledge and my love for Muay Thai and the culture itself,” he noted. “I have discovered my purpose in helping people through my love of Muay Thai…becoming a coach, personal trainer, and life coach. It has always been in my nature to help build people up and help them realize their potential. Being able to do this on a daily basis is very fulfilling.”
After a short time removed from his last fight, Towler has been concentrating on coaching and training, helping develop champion-calibre talent.
“We have several athletes at our gym right now that I am helping develop. Nathan Cryer, he’s 10-0 [and] he’s a multiple Canadian champion. He’s a fantastic athlete [and] he’s like a brother to me. We also have Tyson Gibbons. He’s 11 years old [and] just got back from Abu Dhabi, representing Canada. He won his first belt and lost the second in the single-elimination tournament, but he had a fantastic showing. Being part of their development and getting to work alongside them has just been an absolutely amazing experience,” he noted.
However, after almost two decades practicing Muay Thai and competing, Towler sees a bright future for the sport in Canada.
“Muay Thai is growing rapidly across Canada [and] the scene out West is getting very big right now. Muay Thai is also very popular in Ontario…where there are events every other weekend around Toronto, and in northern and southern Ontario as well. We have a major governing body that’s holding shows consistently. These events are well run… [providing a] safe place for athletes to grow, develop and compete,” the Muay Thai champion noted. “When it comes to our gym, we’re sending teams to Abu Dhabi, to Thailand, and all over Europe to compete. And we see people like Dennis, who’s ranked as one of the top contenders in the world, along with Jonathan Di Bella, who’s from Montreal [and] currently holding the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world championship at his weight division. There’s another fighter out west by the name of Jacob Peacock…who’s a top athlete in the One FC division as well. So again, Canada is producing top athletes across multiple disciplines…and with all this talent and events going on, there is a very bright future for Muay Thai in Canada.”
