Born into a family of Bangkok entrepreneurs, Che Chengsupanimit’s journey to the Thai national wrestling team wasn’t a predetermined path. In fact, he spent the better half of his childhood not even knowing what wrestling was. To this day, Che remains the only member of his family to wrestle; he’s the family’s only athlete. This is a stark contrast to the Lehigh Valley wrestling families that Che would face in his teens. In the Chengsupanimit household, education was a top priority. The family often had to scrimp and save to cover tuition fees for their sons, so it was an odd set of circumstances when education paved the way for Che to strap on a singlet.
Che had the quintessential middle-class Bangkok upbringing. Early morning traffic jams on his way to international school, paired with long days jam-packed with studying. His parents did a good job of ensuring he and his brother got enough free time, but there weren’t many options for sports growing up. His parents worked full-time, and while they didn’t emphasize athletics, his family taught him work ethic and responsibility⏤two skills he brought to the mats. His parents split when he was little, so he lived with his mom before leaving for boarding school at age 12. His mom, aware of the difficulties her kids would face if educated in Thailand, made the ultimate sacrifice for Che’s future.
Arriving in Deerfield, Massachusetts, wasn’t much of a culture shock for Che. He grew up speaking English, watching English-language TV shows, and reading English books. Although he doesn’t remember the reasoning behind it, he and his brother even grew up speaking English to each other. There was obviously still an adjustment period, especially when it came to the weather. The winters (no surprise) took the most getting used to. For the most part, Che made friends easily. His willingness to learn and humble attitude were assets to him during this time.
In ninth grade, Che had to choose an elective. Little did he know that the choice he was about to make would shift the course of his entire future. Oddly enough, wrestling wasn’t even his first choice, as he recalls, “My friends actually begged me to give it a try.”
By this point, his family life was far from perfect. He had, for the most part, stopped talking to his dad. His studies felt like they were weighing him down, with life slipping through his fingers. He was alone, in America, doing what he was supposed to do, but as Che remembers it, “I felt like my life was not mine at all.” Maybe it was something he just had to go through⏤part of growing up. But when he finally made the choice to start wrestling, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“Wrestling was the first thing that felt like it was completely my choice.”
It made him feel more powerful, capable, and in control of his own life. The experience was very liberating for the Thai teen. Wrestling was not in his DNA, nor was it something he was exposed to as a child. It was his, and his alone.
“‘So that means you’re going to get more responsibility, but with that responsibility comes this feeling of being capable. But how am I supposed to be an adult if I don’t feel capable?’ If I had to try to articulate the internal dialogue and the part of the teenage angst, that’s what it was. It was like a yearning to be a more capable man than what I had displayed as a kid. Especially when my dad was out of the picture, in my head, I was like, I’ve got to grow up now.”
Che admits that, as a child, he never felt like an athlete. Though he always had a strong work ethic and put effort into improving in other sports, it wasn’t until he discovered wrestling that he was able to unlock his athletic potential. “With wrestling, when I put the work in, I could really see how fast I was improving. With all its physical and mental demands, it was one of those super honest sports where you get what you put in.”
As life would have it, Che would soon discover what ‘culture shock’ meant. Oddly enough, it happened in Thailand. It wasn’t what he expected when his coach recommended training in the off-season. All he was thinking about was winning a state title, and training in the off-season was the way to do it. His mom, always looking out for him, wanted him home during the summers to focus on his Thai language skills. So, wanting to support her son’s newfound passion, she made a few phone calls and secured him a spot to train with the Thai national wrestling team. The only problem was that he had to move to the countryside.
“I had massive anxiety over it. I had never lived in the countryside before. I had to learn how to wash my clothes by hand in a bucket. We were sleeping like 10 kids to a room. I was the only one on the team who spoke English, and most of the kids spoke Isaan, not Thai.”
It was a life-changing experience for Che, one he will never forget. These summers spent training on the national team, being completely stripped of his comforts, entirely on his own, ended up being pivotal to his success as a college wrestler. Looking back, Che thinks that he probably would have said no if he thought about it. But that’s what makes Che so special as a wrestler and entrepreneur: always ready to dive into the deep end. He placed third in the country and, the year after that, came in second. Finances were tight for his family, so Che had to start working more and didn’t return to Thailand for nearly four years.
Despite graduating at the top of his class, college in America almost didn’t happen. With little financial support from his dad, Che and his brother fought hard for scholarships—nearly impossible for international students like them. But fortune has always had a way of finding Che at just the right moment. A guidance counselor helped him secure a scholarship at Muhlenberg College, but it wasn’t enough to cover his expenses, even with a job. Fortunately, his tenacity as a high school wrestler did not go unnoticed. He caught a coach’s attention at Muhlenberg, who went out on a limb to secure him extra support. At what seemed like the final hour, a leadership scholarship came through. It was just enough to accept the offer from Muhlenberg College.
“It was a pretty big emotional roller coaster at the time.”
Located in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, Che’s new home was prime wrestling territory. Producing some of the best wrestlers in the country, it was a huge jump from high school wrestling. Che was now an NCAA Division III wrestler trying to make up for nearly a decade of lost time. It was one of the most humbling experiences of Che’s life, but it did not deter him, not even for a second.
Che finished college as a four-year starter who never lost a wrestle off. He had about 160 matches but admits he probably lost more than he won. Despite his hard-earned athleticism and exceptional drive, Che struggled in competition.
“Back then, the dialogue was that some people just perform better. It was either you have it, or you don’t. That was the saying I absolutely hated because that meant it was out of my control.”
It wasn’t until Che bought a book on mindset that things started to click. He began to understand why he was underperforming. These trials and tribulations would later serve as the foundation for Che’s coaching career. His extensive, multinational experience as a competitor, combined with his relentless drive to reach his full potential, lies at the core of his strength as a coach, and it’s what he’s bringing to the mats at Bangtao.
Upon graduation, Che’s focus shifted to making money. All wrestlers know⏤there’s no money in the sport. He owed his family a lot and needed to start helping out, so he did a year in corporate America before his visa ran out.
As Che recalls, “I appreciated the year I was there. It set a good professional standard: you’ve got to have this attention to detail, you’ve got to show up, and sometimes you’ve got to pull all-nighters. It’s all part of the process.”
It was the type of experience that gives a person tangible skills. Che knows he can hustle; he’s proven it now too. As he puts it, “It kind of set me up for life in a good way.”
Before leaving New York, Che connected with Bangtao’s head MMA coach, George Hickman. As Che recalls, “It was pretty random.” One of the guys on the national team met George at Tiger and said that there was a guy on the team who spoke English. From there, the pair kept in touch until Che returned to Thailand.
Freshly graduated with a B.A in Accounting and International Studies, Che knew he had to work but wasn’t ready to give up on wrestling. He started searching online and took any job he could, teaching himself as he went. Eventually, he found his footing in digital marketing and copywriting, successfully establishing himself in the industry.
George, then working at Tiger Muay Thai, had left Che an open invitation to visit him in Phuket. Originally the plan was to come for two weeks, but as soon as Che stepped off the plane and breathed that fresh ocean air, he realized this was where he wanted to be. He headed straight from the airport to Tiger, where George had him hit the mats. Che faced a UFC champ, and from there, it was just one good wrestler after another. Bear in mind that a year in corporate America, plus establishing himself as an entrepreneur, saw Che in the worst shape of his life, but he still had that tenacity from high school and that grit instilled in him since birth. He was disappointed in his performance but said to himself, “If I want to be the best wrestler I can be, I have to learn to take my beatings.”
George was so impressed by Che that he helped him get a sponsorship at Tiger. With the Olympics on the horizon, it was back to the grind. Che was training with all of the Bangtao founders and over time, they became close friends. In fact, when Che got the heartbreaking news that the Olympics were no longer in his future, it was Frank who reached out first. It was a tough time in Che’s life. His dad had been diagnosed with cancer, and as Che was working to repair their relationship, he watched as this Olympic dream slipped through his fingers on sheer technicality. It meant a lot to him to feel like a part of a team again and to know there were people out there who really had his back.
At this point in his career, he had literally zero coaching aspirations. However, with few options to stay active outside of competition, Che saw coaching as an opportunity to share his knowledge. Once Bangtao opened, he was on the ground, ready to help with everything from digital marketing to wrestling⏤he wanted to be there for his friends who had seen him through so much.
“It’s rare enough in life to see one person living their dream, so for there to be four people to be living their dreams and to see it in front of me, I was like, I want to support this dream and see where it can go.”
Teaching came naturally to Che, leading to his role as assistant wrestling coach at Bangtao, where he’s here to stay—now adding his many talents to the mix. Many people have stepped up to help, and Che, always humble and eager to grow, welcomed their support. He never felt the need to do everything alone, seeing help as a chance to learn and improve. This mindset makes him a great coach—he’s a true team player, and we’re lucky to have him at Bangtao.
You can join Che Chengsupanimit’s Fundamentals of Wrestling class every Monday and Friday, 9–10 AM at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA—perfect for all skill levels!