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Best of BKK Muay Thai: fights you missed, fights coming up: vol 6 (April, 2021) (Patreon)

Published:

2021-04-09 08:09:56

Edited:

2021-04-09 08:11:24

Imported:

2021-08

Content

Our Note: With the passionate support we've gotten from patrons we are always looking to find ways to give everyone better, in-depth content, and also to help support others who are passionate in their work in Muay Thai. As a continued experiment we've starting this "Bangkok Muay Thai" column, written by Phan Kế Sơn who covers Bangkok Stadium Muay Thai on Twitter (follow him for the latest of what's happening in the stadia, and highlights: @MTLevG). We want you to be able to jump right into the best fights that recently happened, and be able to look forward to what to watch coming up, giving everyone a better sense of the divisions and top talents. This Patreon does a lot to record the legacy of Muay Thai, but that legacy will not survive unless people enjoy today's stadium Muay Thai as well. Let us know if this is something you enjoy! It's free for everyone, patrons and non-patrons alike.

See the best fights you missed
See where to watch the best upcoming fights
Learn about the best fighters in the best divisions
Up to date Pound for Pound best in Thailand rankings

This calendar tells you when up coming shows are happening, and how to watch them.

Just below and at the bottom of this article you'll see all the links to the fights, and at bottom read how you can watch the best BKK stadium Muay Thai from where you are.

Volume 6 | 29-2-21 to 31-03-21 (back), 7-04-21 forward

Introduction:

Welcome! In this article, I will discuss a few of my favorite fights and favorite matchups of March, and the fights I look forward to the most in the upcoming month. Though, throughout the course of March, the Muay Thai scene has almost come back in full swing, as consequence, I will not be able to cover all of my favorite fights, not even close.

Links:

Last article’s anticipated fights recommendations:

Looking back:

Looking Forward (fight referred to):

Looking back (all fight linked at the end):

1. Mohawk Tded99 vs Chokdee Nuicafeboran | 119 lbs | 17 Mar.

First up, an early Fight of the Year candidate between young rising star Mohawk Tded99 and seasoned veteran Chokdee Nuicafeboran.

Starting with 20-year-old Mohawk (โมฮ๊อค ทีเด็ด99) from Surat Thani. He is currently a rising star, formerly of Petsimuen gym, and now training out of the Tded99 gym. As of this fight, he was on a 4-1 run, with his only loss coming by KO against Samuenthep Por.Petsiri (Parnthep V.K.Khaoyai). Though he is a rising star, Mohawk has a lot of experience for his age, as he has fought the high rankers of his division ever since he was at 105 lbs in late 2017, but has never been able to break through to the top level.

Mohawk is a tall and long technical knee pressure fighter. He is very well-rounded, good with all weapons. He usually initiates the exchanges, with a high march into the pocket, which is good for checking any kicks and throwing his long knees while he is coming in, but leaves him completely open to crosses down the middle. He would throw his long knees, strong teeps, and kicks to push his opponents away from him and eventually trap them in clinch. Once he is in the clinch, he likes to use sharp high knees to the ribs and head.

Mohawk’s defense is much less developed than his offense. His checks at distance and mid-range are very efficient, his knee defense in the clinch is impeccable as he hooks his opponents leg with his own to stop knees. Though, his weakest defensive point, and the one that often loses him fights is his defense against straight punches. He does have above average defense against hooks through frames but the way he fights leaves him too open for crosses.

On the other hand, 28-year-old Chokdee (โชคดี หนุ่ยกาแฟโบราณ) from Kalasin, training out of P.K.Saenchai Gym is a seasoned veteran, admittedly far past his peak which was from 2015 to 2017, and later a short resurgence in 2018. At his best, he was considered among some of the most exciting lighter top fighters of his generation: Wanchalong, Jomhod, Satanfah, Chokpreecha. As of this fight against Mohawk, Chokdee had been knocked out in his latest fight by an exciting rising star in Ekwayu. He had won two fights in a row prior to that. Despite his form and age, he is still more than capable of going toe-to-toe against the high rankers of his weight range (118-122 lbs).

Chokdee is a short stocky pressure puncher. His fighting style is fairly straightforward so there’s not much to say. He likes to move forward, throw big hooks, sometimes with the addition of uppercuts followed by leg kicks (or more punches), then clinch and elbow off of the opponent’s guard. Everything he throws, he throws with bad intentions.

On defense, there’s not much going on. Chokdee has decent checks when he does actually think to check, he is good at evading knees by turning in the clinch when there is space. Otherwise, he is an absolute tank with some of the best conditioning on the scene. He used to have an near-unbreakable chin as well but it’s not as good as it once was.

This fight was a guaranteed war from the get-go. A battle between strong pressure fighters, between a fighter from the North (Mohawk), and a fighter from the South (Chokdee). Despite Mohawk being the much fresher and younger fighter, Chokdee’s experience makes him a slight 11/8 favorite in this matchup.

2. Sakaengam Jitmuangnon vs Yodkla Por.Wisetgym | 110 lbs | 26 Mar.

Secondly, another war, this time between two young up-and-comers in Sakaengam Jitmuangnon and Yodkla Por.Wisetgym.

Sakaengam (สะแกงาม จิตรเมืองนนท์) is 20 years old from Phetchabun Province in Isan. As of this fight, he had just come back from a two-fight slump with an elbow KO against Petsarit Pimsrimuaythai in February. Prior to the two consecutive losses though, Sakaengam had impressively won the extremely strong 7th Maabin tournament (2020, 110 lbs), upsetting Petanuwat, Chaiyo, and most impressively, Banluerit Sitwatcharatchai who was on a hot 7-fight win streak in that run. He later KOd a resurging Seuayai Chor.Hapayak at Channel 7 Stadium 2 months after winning the tournament.

Sakaengam’s nickname is “Saeksan 2”. If this doesn’t already tell you all you have to know, Sakaengam always brings the fight to his opponent. He is a relatively big (for the division) relentless pressure puncher. Sakaengam has a quite unique style in the stadium scene, he likes to set up punch combinations with a cross to the body to move into the pocket - which is sometimes countered with a simple kick or knee, - then alternates between head and body for his hooks while swarming his opponent. Sakaengam is no less exciting in the clinch as he would always look for the elbows over the opponent’s guard (or shoulder if they are closer). He has decent knees and kicks, ugly technique but they serve their purpose.

On defense, Sakaengam is unsurprisingly not very responsible. He has a decent check, little to no knee defense, and little to no head movement aside from some slips. His chin is not unbreakable but still very hard to break. Sakaengam Achilles’ heel, though, is his stamina. Unfortunately, he isn’t always responsible with his stamina and fights at a constant high pace through 4 of the 5 rounds, which often leaves him exhausted in the last 2 rounds.

In contrast, Yodkla (ยอดกล้า พ.วิเศษยิมส์) is 17 years old from Uthai Thani Province in Central Thailand. He currently trains out of the Petyindee gym (Petyindee Academy). As of this fight, Yodkla was on a 6-2 run, beating some of the best 108-112ers of the Petyindee circuit, and only losing to rising star Waewow Wor.Wangprom. Nothing was even close to his latest performance though, just 21 days before this Sakaengam fight, a shocking upset over last year’s best young fighter, Rittidet Sitkrudet (went 6-0 and won Rajadamnern 105 lbs title in 2020).

Yodkla is a smart and aggressive technical southpaw fighter, proficient in all aspects of the game. At range, he has very fast kicks from both legs. He would throw his rear kick either before or after a small punch combination, and uses open-side matchups to great effect as he would target his opponent’s body with the rear kicks to move into close distance and clinch. He also uses his rear cross to the body to get into the pocket and clinch. Yodkla is very good within the clinch. He transitions positions incredibly well, to give himself space to elbow and knee, and he has great timing to trip his opponents when they knee him.

Yodkla is also very good on defense. Though he doesn’t check body kicks to his closed side much, he would take the damage and counter with his own body kick to his opponent’s open side. His knee defense is exceptionally good for someone with his level of experience.

This fight was also bound to be a war, both are aggressive fighters. Despite having just gone to war against Rittidet 21 days before, Yodkla was the slight favorite in this fight at 10/9.

3. Prajanchai P.K.Saenchai vs Ronachai Tor.Ramintra 2 | 124 lbs | 28 Mar.

Lastly for my favorite fights of the past month, a fight that would put an end to the discussion of who currently is the best fighter, not just at 122 lbs, but also arguably pound-for-pound, Prajanchai P.K.Saenchai vs Ronachai Tor.Ramintra.

There is no need of any introduction to Prajanchai (พระจันทร์ฉาย พี.เค.แสนชัยฯ). He was hailed as a prodigy when he was a young boy in the countryside. He was already fighting under OneSongchai at Rajadamnern Stadium when he was 13 years old. Despite having been at 118 to 122 lbs for the past 3 years, for this fight, he will be weighing in higher than he ever has in his stadium career, 124 lbs, while Ronachai missed weight by 2 lbs. As of this fight, Prajanchai had won 10 of his last 13 fights, with two losses, and a draw. His last fight was a win over Kompet Sitsarawatseua. Today, he is 25 and has fought at P.K.Saenchai for the bulk of his stadium career.

Prajanchai is one of the smartest technical fighters today. The first thing anyone will notice about him is his incredible hand speed. Prajanchai is a very good and very fast puncher, his combinations with mostly straight punches are incredible in any situation outside of the clinch. He is great at guard fighting and avoiding the clinch in this situation and can just as easily get out of a non-head lock clinch with elbows and position transitions. Besides his hands, Prajanchai has strong kicks, teeps, and knees from either leg and is quite proficient while exchanging in the clinch.

As for his defense, he has very good checks while backing up, his guard fighting serves as a great defensive tool as well as an offensive one. He also has decent head movement.

On the other hand, Ronachai (รณชัย ต.รามอินทรา) was my choice for last year’s Fighter of the Year. He went 5-1 (and avenged his only loss) with dominant performances against some of the best fighters at 122 lbs, one of the best divisions in the sport. He beat Petch, Kompet, Chailar, SaoEk, and Fahpennueng (HL). All of them were in strong form when Ronachai beat them. This would be his first fight of 2021.

Ronachai is a well-rounded southpaw defensive clincher, as such, I will start this breakdown on defense. Ronachai has amazing timing on his kick checks while moving backwards. He also has very good slips, especially against the ropes, and as he is mainly a clincher, his balance is amazing, and his knee defense in the clinch is nearly impenetrable. He is also very good at guard manipulation which helps with defending from elbows and punches. But, what makes him so dominant is his ‘ruup’, his ability to wear damage (not show that he is hurt), which is one of the most important factors of scoring in “real” Muay Thai rules.

Ronachai is also very well-rounded on offense, even despite his low offensive output. By far, his most prominent weapon are his kicks from either leg. He uses them very well to push his opponents around and score. He would initiate clinch exchanges with a cross to the body and then grab a body lock, or grab a body lock after his opponent punches or knees (Prajanchai is too short and too fast on counters, neither would ever work). Ronachai also has a decent jab and a good elbow in the clinch that he doesn’t utilize even close to enough.

This is a rematch, but last time Ronachai was coming off of a bad run. This time, both men are at their absolute peak, many fans say that they have never been better at any point in their careers. Prajanchai opened as a moderate favorite, but no one imagined the fight going the way that it did.

Looking forward (all fights linked at the end):

At the time of writing this, the local government has ordered a 2-week-closure of entertainment venues in 3 districts of Bangkok (Watthana, Khlong Toei, Bang Khae) from April 6 to April 19. None of the stadiums are in these districts but things may get worse, and if so, some of these fights may be cancelled.

1. Chujaroen Dabransarakham vs Petpanomrung Kiatmuu9 | 142 lbs | 9 Apr. in Songkhla

This is a fight everyone looks forward to, and it is mainly because it is the one-off Muay Thai return of kickboxing superstar Petpanomrung Kiatmuu9, his first fight in Thailand since 2017. He will be facing Chujaroen Dabransarakham.

27-year-old Chujaroen (ชูเจริญ ดาบรันสารคาม) from Maha Sarakham currently trains out of Dabransarakham gym in his home province, under Boxing and Muay Thai legend Veeraphol Sahaprom (Nakornluang). As of this fight, Chujaroen had seemingly regained form with 2 wins, over Nuenglanlek, Thananchai, and a draw against Rungkit in his latest fight.

Chujaroen is a big and strong knee clincher and kicker. Standing at 1m80, Chujaroen is massive for the division and incredibly strong. At long range, he is - for me - easily the best kicker in the division with Rungkit, and Petpanomrung now that he’s back. His rear kick to the body is incredibly powerful and surprisingly fast for a man his size. He uses it to push his opponents around and score. He usually grabs a body lock when his opponents over-extends, or he would initiate clinch exchanges with a 1-2 (jab-cross) then grab a body lock. In the clinch, he uses his strength to pull his opponent into advantageous positions for knees. He has decent teeps at distance as well though he doesn’t use them nearly as much as he could.

Chujaroen’s kick defense is impeccable, he times checks well and has great lean-backs. His composure is essentially unbreakable, and his knee defense is also very good. His head movement and guard fighting leaves much to be desired though.

Petpanomrung (เพชรพนมรุ้ง เกียรติหมู่ 9) is one of the most well-known kickboxers in the world, having dominated the 145 lbs division of GLORY for the past 3 years. His last fight in Muay Thai rules was in 2017, when Rambo Pet.Por.Tor.Tor knocked him out. GLORY subsequently banned him from competing in other promotions after, until a few months ago due to the Covid pandemic. Due to the amount of time he’s been out of competition, it’s hard to say how good he will be under Muay Thai rules, so I will break down his style from his last fights in Thailand around 2015-2016.

Petpanomrung is an incredibly well-rounded technician, out of the southpaw stance. As the true Kiatmuu9 fighter he is, Petch’s most prominent weapon is his rear kick, which is his swiss army knife. His kick could turn into a check as soon as retracted, or a knee shield, a teep, or used to launch off more body kicks, or even to enter the clinch. He kicks just as well with his front leg and teeps very well, either to get his opponent off him or to evade a shot. Petpanomrung is one of the few Nak Muay that truly have good boxing, a skill that he has developed tremendously throughout his time in kickboxing. He has very crisp straight punch combinations that can be used to enter the clinch, or a distancing tool. He is not bad in the clinch either but it’s impossible to know how he is now. Back in 2015 and 2016, he was very good at transitioning within the clinch, and occasionally threw very sharp knees, though rarely any elbows.

On defense, Petpanomrung has incredible timing on his checks and he would use his kicks to great effect on defense as well. He has great balance, ruup and was decent at defending knees and elbows in the clinch. His head movement has improved since his time in GLORY but the Muay Thai rules often change a fighter’s style.

Studying his fight against Kongsak in 2016 was a treat.

In this fight, Petpanomrung will be at a massive size disadvantage as he will give up 10 cm to Chujaroen. Though, Petpanomrung was one of the best technicians on the scene back in 2015-2016. He was once the embodiment of Lom Muay (beautiful boxing). Chujaroen will be an incredibly hard challenge, he is a big and strong clincher that even outmuscled Thananchai. But, Chujaroen has always had problems against southpaws, and due to Petpanomrung’s international dominance, he will probably be a moderate favorite (5/4 up to 5/3).

2. ET Tded99 vs Chalam Paranchai | 139.5 lbs | 11 Apr.

Secondly, a fight between two top 130 lbs fighters for the vacant 130 lbs Channel 7 Stadium title, ET Tded99 vs Chalam Paranchai.

Roi Et native ET (อีที ทีเด็ด99) has slightly declined in form since I last wrote about him in January. His last fight was on Deer Kiatpet’s Super Champ show against Felype Souza, where he lost a controversial decision that would’ve been a blowout for ET if it were under “real” (SAT) Muay Thai rules. Otherwise, he has gone 7-1 in his last 8 stadium fights, winning, and defending the 130 lbs Channel 7 Stadium title in this period, in which he had notable wins over Krobsut Fairtex, Tito Hoywanpotchana (KO), and Kompatak twice (KO). His only loss was against a massive Hercules Petsimuen who was only at 133 lbs at the time.

ET is an intelligent and exciting pressure knee fighter. He has an extensive arsenal of knees at his disposal. At distance, he would steadily move forward, pressuring his opponent and pushing them back with fast kicks and long knees to the body, which are his most frequently used weapons. He closes distance very well with these long knees, where he would clinch up with his opponent. Another common technique that ET uses to close distance is catching the kick then driving the opponent towards the ropes, then clinch up. But, the strike that he is most known for is his surprisingly accurate flying knee which is incredibly powerful and covers a great distance. The steady pressure approach of course changes when he is winning in the later rounds as he would start moving backwards.

ET’s defense is not great while pressuring but he still maintains discipline, he rarely over-extends with punches and checks well enough. While moving backwards though, his defense is very hard to break through as he checks very well, has great knee defense, and guard fighting. His head movement against punches is non-existent, but his chin is more than good enough to deal with punches.

27-year-old Chalam (ฉลาม พรัญชัย) is - in my opinion - currently the best 130 lbs fighter behind Lamnamoonlek Tded99. He is currently on a hot 4-fight win streak against some of the best fighters in the division, in View Petkhosol (twice), Chorfah, and Mongkolchai. He had been scheduled to fight Petphuthai Sitsarawatseua in Decemeber but he had a problem during camp so the fight was cancelled. As a result, Chalam has not fought in nearly 6 months.

Chalam is a smart technical knee specialist. On the outside, Chalam likes to use fast switch kicks and/or step-in kicks, often after chasing the opponent. He usually throws kicks in 2s or 3s, with both legs in each combination. He is adept at countering and intercepting his opponents as they move into his striking range, and does this exceptionally well with right kicks (out of the orthodox stance) and knees. He would often initiate clinch exchanges with step-in knees, feints. In the clinch, Chalam has the textbook Paranchai style. He is very smart in the clinch, spins his opponent to avoid knees and strike right after with sharp knees of his own. Additionally, Chalam is very good at guard fighting and has great transitions in the clinch which allows him control in the clinch against most opponents. Though, ET will have a distinct advantage in strength.

On defense, as Chalam almost always fights on the backfoot, he checks very well, even with the cross check against southpaw opponents. His clinch and knee defense in general are great, he has good head movement and can roll with the punches but is more vulnerable to straight punches as many fighters are.

This is again a fresh battle, a Channel 7 Stadium title fight between a Northern fighter (ET) and a Southern fighter (Chalam). ET will definitely have a physical advantage in this fight but it pales in comparison with Chalam’s experience and skill level. As such, Chalam will likely be a moderate favorite.

3. [Child fight] YodpetEk UFABoomdeksian vs Jojo Dejrat 4 | 62 lbs | 19 Apr.

This one may be slightly controversial as it always is when it comes to children fighting. It is a rematch between two of the top child fighters in the Northeastern region. It was a difficult choice between this fight and Jomhod vs Chokpanlan, alas, it is not often that I get to cover a top kids fight on a big show. YodpetEk UEFABoomdeksian and Jojo Dejrat will be fighting each other on the Suk Chefboontham show on April 19, for a massive sidebet of 1 million baht.

Starting with the child prodigy 11-year-old YodpetEk (ยอดเพชรเอก ยูฟ่าบูมเด็กเซียน) from Nong Bua Lamphu, training out of the Boomdeksian gym. He has long been one of the best young fighters in the countryside fight scene, touted as & future legend. Though, he’s fallen on hard times lately as I believe he is currently on a 2-fight losing streak (both against Lukrawpet), and has gone 5-4-1 in his last 10 fights. In this run, he initially won against Jojo, then lost the immediate rematch.

YodpetEk is a technical fighter with skills well beyond what someone his age should have. He has fast rear kicks, paired with good balance which allows him to check right after bringing the leg back. His style of kicking is reminiscent of the Kiatmuu9 style where they would use their kicks as a Swiss army knife, as in using a kick as offense and defense simultaneously, though YodpetEk’s knee shield is not very good yet. He has good fast punches, is an expert at manipulating his opponent’s balance, and is great at guard fighting. YodpetEk moves into the pocket very well and is an excellent clincher but has many issues against bigger clinchers, such as Lukrawpet who can relatively easily pull him into knees.

Defense is YodpetEk’s best area. His kicks serve him well to defend against counters and return kicks. He has great timing on checks at any distance, good punch and elbow defense due to guard manipulation and his clinch transitions and locks. But, he is one of the smaller fighters in his division, so he has been pushed around by the larger kids, such as the giant Lukrawpet.

On the other side, 11-year-old Jojo (โจโจ้ เดชรัตน์) is also one of the top fighters in the countryside and has also been on a rough run lately as he has lost twice to Lukrawpet, once to YodpetEk and once to his twin brother YodpetTho. He has had fights that he’s won in leading up to this one, but it’s hard to find countryside records. He beat YodpetEk late last year, and most recently, his bitter rival Lukrawpet in an exciting fight where he flipped the odds in the 4th round for a decision win. Ajarn Surat, a man who has trained countless elite fighters, said that Jojo is the only fighter he’s ever given the name “Dejrat'' to, stating that it was due to his determination, toughness, heart. No one before could live up to the name, even Jojo would sometimes switch back to the name “Jojo Sitajarntai” after losses.

Jojo is a technical pressure fighter. Despite this, he is not at all reckless as he does not sacrifice defense just to move forward and land. While moving forward, Jojo uses a high guard. He likes to start out steady pressure, prodding the opponent with teeps, front leg kicks, and jabs to the body to establish distance. As he gains his rhythm, he uses his rear kicks and teeps to the body to push the opponent around, often after feints where he’d pick his front leg up in checking position. Jojo counters everything with very fast kicks to the leg or body. He would throw a cross at the body or kick into the clinch, where he is quite good as he outclinched one of the biggest fighters in his division (Lukrawpet) in his previous fight. He is good at manipulating the course of the clinch and moving his opponent around in the clinch, guard fighting, and throwing his opponents off balance.

Jojo has an extensive defensive game despite his pressure heavy style. While building his pressure, his defense is impeccable, kicks would rarely get past his checks or his lean-backs (followed by a counter kick). While moving forward relentlessly, his kick defense is still good. His knee defense is great as well as he would spin the opponent in the clinch to avoid knees or raise his own leg to stop knees in a body lock clinch. Finally, his defense against punches is also quite good due to his tight guard and guard fighting but is quite vulnerable to counters when he opens up to attack. He mainly struggled against better technicians like YodpetEk and YodpetTho as Jojo could not break through their defense.

This will be their 4th fight, but it might as well be their 3rd as they initially fought when they were only 9 years old. YodpetEk is currently 2-1 over Jojo. Both are at the top of the countryside scene and many consider them to be future greats. I think YodpetEk will be a moderate favorite even though he’s had a rougher time as of late.

Again, the links to fights in the above article:

Links:

Last article’s anticipated fights recommendations:

Looking back:

Looking Forward (fight referred to):

April 2021 pound for pound rankings

10 - Jomhod EminentAir (จอมโหด อีมิเน้นท์แอร์) - 115 lbs (-)

9 - Phetphuthai Sitsarawatseua (เพชรภูไท ศิษย์สารวัตรเสือ) - 127 lbs (8)

8 - Chalam Paranchai (ฉลาม พรัญชัย) - 127 lbs (9)

7 - Tawanchai P.K.Saenchaigym (ตะวันฉาย พี.เค.แสนชัยมวยไทยยิม) - 143lbs (7)

6 - SaoEk Sitchefboontham (เสาเอก ศิษย์เชฟบุญธรรม) - 119lbs (3)
5 - Lamnamoonlek Tded99 (ลำน้ำมูลเล็ก ทีเด็ด99) - 132 lbs (6)

4 - Ronachai Tor.Ramintra (รณชัย ต.รามอินทรา) - 124lbs (1)

3 - Puenkon Tor.Surat (ปืนกล ต.สุรัตน์) - 123lbs (4)
2 - Kongklai Ennymuaythai (ก้องไกล เอ็นนี่มวยไทย) - 140lbs (2)

1 - Prajanchai P.K.Saenchaigym (พระจันทร์ฉาย พี.เค.แสนชัยมวยไทยยิม) - 124 lbs (-)

My criteria:

Results: most objective criteria, a fighter’s record
Performance: how a fighter won their fight(s)
Track record: recent past, quality of opposition
365-day period: P4P judges the activity of a fighter in a one-year period
Colored number in parentheses after each entry is their rank in the month previous

Capitan PetyindeeAcademy was last month’s number 5 and would’ve been number 2 if he beat Nuenglanlek, but after the draw, Sia Boat announced that he would no longer fight in stadium. Prajanchai moves from unranked to 1st after dominating the former number 1 Ronchai, who had held his position for over 5 months.

What is going on at Lumpinee Stadium?

So, just two months ago, it was announced that two historical boxing stadiums would be closed down, and the third could potentially be the world-famous Lumpinee Stadium (Ramintra, New Stadium). This rumor was exacerbated by an English article saying that the Lumpinee will (not “could”) be closing down to Muay Thai competition. Of course, this was obviously untrue and there were only brief discussions about this on stadium leadership’s part. This matter was resolved just a week later, it was decided that Lumpinee Stadium will return to running shows like normal in early March.

Just a few weeks later though, Lt. Gen. Suchart Daengprapai, also known as “Big Daeng”, the Nai/head of Lumpinee Stadium announced that, in an effort to weed out gambling from Thai society and from boxing, the stadium would no longer sell tickets to Thais and instead only serve foreigners (tourists). This came as a shock to the boxing industry and its fanbase, especially in these difficult times when the Thai tourism industry is essentially dead. The implications to the stadium would be massive as promoters would not put on shows where they could not turn a profit. But, strangely enough, you can clearly still hear gamblers on show since the decision was made.

Something I’ve noticed since the comeback of Lumpinee is that there hasn’t been a single title fight or defense. Not even fighters from promotions that have departed from Lumpinee Stadium - such as Capitan Petyindee and Chanalert Menayothin - have been stripped of their title.

Lastly, on a better, more optimistic note, “Big Daeng” very recently stated that Lumpinee Stadium may be open to female competition within two months. Though this is just in discussion for now and expectations should be tempered, opening up the biggest, most storied (by name only) venue in the sport to women would be huge.

Since the opening of Rajadamnern Stadium in 1945, and Lumpinee in 1956, women have not been allowed to approach or touch the ring in the two stadiums. Today, throughout Thailand, women have to enter the ring through the bottom rope. There is currently only one major women’s Muay Thai show that is broadcasted on TV, the Suk Petnil Lady Fighter show on Channel 5, which debuted on March 28.

- Phan Kế Sơn

This calendar tells you when upcoming shows are happening, and how to watch them.

How to watch Stadium (BKK) Muay Thai?

Some people find it hard to find a place to watch elite circuit fights and there are many reasons for this, whether it be the language barrier, significant time zone differences, difficulty following the sport or whatever else. In fact, it has never been easier to watch shows live than today. Currently, there are no shows behind paywall, and only one requires a VPN (Channel 7). Otherwise, the rest are all either on Facebook or Youtube (or adintrend).

The best free (no paywall) shows of the week are typically - in chronological order - Chef Boontham’s Suk Chefboontham shows on Chef’s FB (fights 1-3) and Channel 5 (fights 4-8) at Rangsit Stadium, Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 PM local time. OneSongchai/Jitmuangnon’s WSS Fights on their YT page at World Siam Stadium, Tuesdays and Saturdays at 5 PM and 9:15 PM local respectively. The ZC Coffee show on Channel 5, Tuesdays at 9:30 PM local. Sia Boat (Petyindee)’s Suk Petyindee and Muaymumwansuk shows on Thursdays and Fridays at 6 PM local time. Suk Jao Muay Thai on Channel 3 at Siam Omnoi Stadium, Saturdays at 12 PM local. Kiatpet Super Fight on Channel 5 and Lumpinee TKO on PPTV HD (two-part show) at Lumpinee Stadium on Saturdays at 2 PM local. Muaydee Vitheethai on PPTV HD at Blue Arena Sundays at 12 PM (noon). Muay Jet Si on Channel 7 (VPN required) at Channel 7 Stadium on Sundays at 2 PM. Suk Petnil Lady Fighter on Channel 5 at 4:30 PM local. And lastly, Chang Muay Thai Kiatpet on AmarinTV Sundays at 6 PM.

Quite often, there are major one-off shows (mostly) outside of Bangkok. Those shows and all of the weekly shows (talked about above) with their live links could be found on my regularly updated calendar.

Today, following the sport has also gotten significantly easier with the advent of websites like Muay Thai 2000 and many English speaking pages dedicated to the sport on essentially all major social media platforms besides Youtube.

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