Can someone explain professional Muay Thai?

grachuss · 03-21-2008, 02:51 AM

How does it work? Why does there seems to be 20+ belts? Are there that many promotions? Is K-1 the PRIDE of Muay Thai minus the elbows?

I ask because I've been training Muay Thai for about two months now and feel kind of silly still being ignorant on the subject.

Rebel_LioN · 03-21-2008, 02:01 PM

im no expert myself but, there are NUMEROUS, and i mean NUMEROUS organizations out there that put on muay thai shows, but almost none are as successful to the level of the UFC or PRIDE. which is why there are NUMEROUS belts from different organizations.

the only ones that are even accounted as great belts are belts achieved from Rajadamnern stadium in Thailand, Lumpinee stadium from Thailand, K-1 belts from Japan, and some from the Netherlands but im unsure of what they are called.

Rebel_LioN · 03-21-2008, 02:04 PM

not to mention the different styles of South East Asian martial arts account for even more belts in that style.

for example: PRADAL SEREY. another form of art that is similiar to muay thai have their own belts and organizations.

RudimarChute · 03-21-2008, 02:59 PM

WBC, Lumpini and Rajadamnern are the most prestigious right?

Wojna · 03-21-2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RudimarChute

WBC, Lumpini and Rajadamnern are the most prestigious right?

Lumpini and Rajadamnern for the lws for sure, big boys are stuck with the wbc.

patiwat · 03-21-2008, 04:23 PM

>Why does there seems to be 20+ belts?

Anybody can create a belt, but only a few have any prestige.

> Are there that many promotions?

Yup. Basically, anybody with connections can be a promoter. Lots of upcountry politicians/military mafia bosses are in the promotion business.

>Is K-1 the PRIDE of Muay Thai minus the elbows?

No. K-1 also doesn't allow knees from the Thai clinch. It only allows knees to the sides.

Plus, K-1 only has 2 weight divisions (Max and Open), whereas Muay Thai has as plenty, especially in the lower weight classes.

theblackknight · 03-21-2008, 04:25 PM

Lumpinee (up to 147lbs) and Rajadamnern (up to 160lbs) are the most pretigious, for the heavier weights the most prestigious are the WBC and WMC

patiwat · 05:01 PM

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.

blackstorm · 03-21-2008, 08:04 PM

K-1 is STAND UP FIGHTING. Its like MMA but for STAND UP. They have muay thai fighters, shootoboxing fghter, kickboxing, karate and more. They have a set up rules for the fights that are unique and not suppose to favor any style.

Gold Bond · 03-21-2008, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grachuss

How does it work? Why does there seems to be 20+ belts? Are there that many promotions? Is K-1 the PRIDE of Muay Thai minus the elbows?

I ask because I've been training Muay Thai for about two months now and feel kind of silly still being ignorant on the subject.

Let me break it down for you: There are like 20 + belts, and many promotions. K-1 is sort of the Pride of Muay Thai, but without elbows. I hope this helps.