Originally Posted by patiwat
Some other tidbits.
- Muay Thai doesn't get the viewership in Thailand that PRIDE or K-1 get. During the Muay Thai broadcasts, you'll see commercials for fertilizer, mens underwear, pickup trucks, foot cream, and other products that aim more for the rural viewership. It's not really considered a "premium" sport.
- You rarely see Bangkokians and Thai-Chinese fighting too often. The sport is dominated by people from the rural South and Isaan (the Northeast). Bua Khao is from Surin in the Northeast. Some people will claim that there are regional styles, but I think that's more based on regional stereotypes (Southerners being more aggressive, Isaan people having more heart, etc.).
- Muay Thai fighters get interesting awards for fighting technique or for taking damage. During the big shows, there will be special awards for Mae Mai Muay Thai (แม่ไม้มวยไทย; old school Muay Thai) moves that are difficult to land, like reverse elbows (sok klab), spinning back kicks (jarakhay faad haang), roundhouse kicks to the neck (tae kaan khor). Fighters are also paid for bleeding, by the stitch.
- Muay Thai fighters fight a lot and start really young. It's not common to have >100 fights by the time you're 22, if they survive that long. The minimum age for the major stadiums (Lumpini and Rajdamnern) is 15.
- Other well known stadiums include the Omnoi, Channel 7, and Siam stadiums.
- Muay Thai fighters don't get paid that much. You're considered an A-level draw if you get 100,000 THB (about US$3,000) a fight.
- Muay Thai fighters often get paid in gold. At the ends of big fights, you'll see them get gold chains. The chains are measured in baht weights, with 1 baht being equal to about 15 grams. At the end of the Isuzu D-Max tournament, the winner got gold chains weighing 80 baht (that's over a kilogram!).
- A Muay Thai fighter with excellent punching is usually recruited into western boxing. Khaosai Galaxy, Olympic gold medal winner Somrak Khamsing, and multiple time champ Sot Chitlada all fought Muay Thai before western boxing.
- Their last names are almost never their real last names, but the name of their gyms. So Khaosai Galaxy fought for Galaxy gym, Bua Khao fights for Por Pramuk gym, etc.
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