What happens when fighting isn’t simply something you do—but something that has shaped your identity for more than two decades? In Part 2 of our visit to East Side Muay Thai in Virginia Beach, the Discover Virginia Podcast steps deeper into the world of a career fighter with Chase “The Weapon” Walden, a professional Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer with more than 21 years in combat sports. Chase’s career has taken him from becoming an amateur national champion to experiencing the reality of losing his professional debut, competing in Thailand, and stepping onto major international stages including GLORY Kickboxing. But some of Chase’s biggest accomplishments have happened outside of his own fights. Today, he serves as Head Coach of ISKA Team USA, where he has spent the last several years helping build the program from the ground up. Chase has taken American athletes to competitions around the world—including multiple trips to Thailand, Munich, and Vienna—and says the program has produced more than 100 gold medals under his leadership. His perspective on fighting also extends beyond the corner. Chase is an international A-class certified referee who has worked internationally and helped train and certify other officials, giving him a rare view of combat sports as a fighter, coach, and referee. But this conversation arrives at a very different moment in his life. After more than two decades of training and competition, Chase is dealing with a series of serious injuries to his right arm—including ligament and tendon damage, arthritis, bone spurs, and a previously fractured elbow. He sold his gym and had planned another trip to Thailand to fight, but his body forced him to reconsider what comes next. Now, approaching 40, Chase is balancing a completely different season of life: working as a barber’s apprentice during the day, training mornings and evenings, coaching at East Side Muay Thai, and taking the future of his own fighting career one day at a time. This isn’t just a conversation about winning fights. We get into the mindset of someone who has spent most of his life preparing for them—what losing teaches you, why fighters keep coming back, how fear changes with experience, what it means to coach someone into battle, and how you begin separating who you are from what you’ve spent your entire life doing. And perhaps the biggest question: When you’ve been a fighter for 21 years, who are you if you can’t fight anymore? This episode was filmed on location at East Side Muay Thai in Virginia Beach and continues our two-part look inside the gym. In Part 1, we sat down with East Side owner and head coach Kru Jose Aguirre to explore the history, traditions, championship culture, and respect at the heart of Muay Thai. In Part 2, we step inside the mind of the fighter. Guest Bio — Chase “The Weapon” Walden Chase “The Weapon” Walden is a professional Muay Thai fighter, kickboxer, coach, and international referee with more than 21 years of experience in combat sports. His career has taken him from becoming an amateur national champion to competing professionally, fighting in Thailand, and appearing on the GLORY Kickboxing stage. Today, Chase serves as Head Coach of ISKA Team USA, where he has helped build the program from the ground up and led American athletes to international competitions in Thailand, Munich, Vienna, and beyond. Under his leadership, the team has produced more than 100 gold medals. Chase is also an international A-class certified referee and has helped train and certify officials across multiple countries. In Virginia Beach, he continues to train and coach at East Side Muay Thai, working alongside Kru Jose Aguirre and helping develop the next generation of fighters. After more than two decades in the sport, Chase is now navigating one of the most challenging chapters of his career: balancing serious injuries, coaching, training, and the question of what comes next when fighting has been part of your identity for most of your life.
