Be sure to turn on English Subtitles (cc on screen bottom right), for the interview above. If you'd like to read the English transcript it is at the bottom of this article. These video interviews are free to everyone, but they are made possible through patron support, literally preserving on video and in oral history the legacy of Thailand's great past and the men who built it. If there are things you'd like to know about Yodkhunpon you can offer suggested topics in the comments.
This is a new interview series we've started with The Elbow Hunter of 100 Stitches, Yodkhunpon Sittraipum, likely the greatest Elbow Fighter in Thai history. This are just loose conversations over time, touching on a few topics. The idea is to just let the interviews evolve instead of trying to get everything in one interview. He's had interesting career, and was simultaneously the 118 lb Luminee and Rajadamnern Champion in 1992.
- Where did you get your name: Yodkhupon?
- What it was like fighting in temple fights with Wat Traipum?
- Used to wrap their hands with monk robe cloth
- Fights used to be knockout or nothing
- His Muay Thai had to change when getting to Bangkok
- Differences between todays Muay Thai and the Muay Thai of the 1980s and 90s.
- When Yodkhunpon went to fight a kickboxer in America
- He was only 44-45 kgs then, opponent was around 58 kg
- No elbows, knees only to the body
- A doctor in Arizona almost disallowed the fight because the weight difference was so huge
- Today's foreigners are very dedicated to learning Muay Thai techniques.
In this interview I ask him about his fight in America against a kickboxer, in a modified rules fight with no elbows, giving up a lot of weight. Here is the fight if you want to watch it here. He had just turned 20 and only recently come to fight in Bangkok stadia. He would become a National stadia champion 4 years later:
watch the fight here
photo: May 27, 1988 Yodkhunpon Sitraipum "Elbow Hunter of 100 Stitches" fought Jimmy Tapia in Phoenix, Arizona USA. Tapia outweighed Yodkhunpon by 14 or so kilos and nearly knocked him unconscious, but Yodkhunpon was able to finish the fight with knees and a KO in round 4. He did this without the use of elbows, his trademark weapon, which were barred by rule.
Ways to Study and Connect with Yodkhunpon
We made a shirt to support him. 100% of the profits from the sale of these shirts go right to him. They ship worldwide, pretty quickly, and within a day or two of purchase I've already transferred the profit him. Each shirt sold gives him a little boost. Shop them here. All the Sylvie apparel we make goes to support the legends, check that out here.
If you are interested in the fighting style of Yodkhupon the Muay Thai Library has already documented a huge portion of it. As a patron you can watch the full sessions below:
watch it here: The Art of Shadowboxing
#84 Yodkhunpon Special Intensive - The Whole Elbow Style (70 min) watch it here
No other fighter in all of Thailand has developed so complete and pressuring a style based on the weapon of elbows. In this session the Elbow Hunter of 100 Stitches presents his whole galloping style, revealing how he opens up windows for his elbows, and uses those windows to then open up attack with other weapons.
#15 Yodkhunpon "The Elbow Hunter" part 2 - Escapes (48 min) watch it here
Part 2 of my session with one of the most feared elbow fighters of the Golden Age, Yodkhunpon Sitraipom, The Elbow Hunter of 100 Stitches. Lots of fine details in this one, escapes from clinch locks, turns and catches. Best is his floating, gentle style that also holds such violence.
#9 Yodkhunpon "The Elbow Hunter" pt 1 - Slicing Elbow (37 min) watch it here
Simultaneous Raja and Luminee title holder at 118 lbs, Yodkhunpon was one of the most feared elbow fighters in Thailand, and in this session he teaches the looseness and spacing that made his lead elbow such a viscious weapon. He also shuns the traditional rocking chair knee, and instead teaches a powerful stand-in crossing, open-hipped knee that compliments his elbows up top.
Bonus Session 9: Yodkhupon Sittraipum - Lethal Smoothness (73 min) watch it here
In this session Yodkhunpon really delves down into the smoothness of his style, with great emphasis on his galloping footwork towards the end. It's all about building a pressure style that does not strain, but rather exerts a constant music of forward attack.
You can also study the 7 days I spent with Yodkhunpon presented in the Sylvie Intensive. This series is separate from the Muay Thai Library and Patreon, but patrons do get a significant discount on downloads or subscriptions. The videos were shot and the site was set up with the support of patrons, and100% of the profit of sales of these intensive videos go to Karuhat and Yodkhunpon - go to the Sylvie Intensive now:
Watch Yodkhunpon Fights with Me:
watch the above fight video here
watch the above video here
Legends Speak
The Legends Speak tag on Patreon is the series of interviews we've done with great fighters of the past. You can browse though these, just go to the tag at the bottom of this post, or click here. Screencaps from the interviews below:
Transcript of Part 2 of Tales from the Elbow Hunter:
0:00:26.350,0:00:29.900
Hello. Hello Sylvie, hello Kevin.
0:00:30.884,0:00:32.349
Today
0:00:32.349,0:00:33.828
we want to know...
0:00:33.829,0:00:39.601
Your name was not always Yodkhunpon, was it?
0:00:39.601,0:00:42.746
Correct, my name changed 3-4 times.
0:00:42.746,0:00:45.045
Khunponnoi
0:00:45.619,0:00:47.726
Yodkhunsuk
0:00:47.727,0:00:49.942
Thanusuk
0:00:49.942,0:00:51.989
Yodkhunpon fits me the best.
0:00:51.989,0:00:56.973
You changed to Yodkhunpon when
you went to Bangkok, right?
0:00:56.974,0:01:02.453
Yes. But my name changed a lot
when I fought in the provinces.
0:01:02.453,0:01:05.761
I changed 3-4 times.
0:01:05.761,0:01:08.394
When I moved to Bangkok,
people knew me as Yodkhunpon.
0:01:08.394,0:01:10.080
So I continued to use Yodkhunpon.
0:01:10.080,0:01:11.757
Who gave you this name?
0:01:11.757,0:01:13.565
Sittraipum gym
0:01:14.425,0:01:16.559
The gym's name came from
the temple name in my hometown (in Roi Et).
0:01:16.559,0:01:18.231
Wat Traipum
0:01:18.231,0:01:19.642
The gym was inside the temple grounds?
0:01:19.642,0:01:23.800
It was a field on the
temple grounds for kids to play.
0:01:23.800,0:01:26.219
In the past, there was no boxing ring,
0:01:26.219,0:01:28.587
or heavy bag, or anything.
0:01:28.587,0:01:30.527
We trained in that field.
0:01:30.527,0:01:34.299
When we went to fight and had no money
to buy cloth to wrap our hands,
0:01:34.299,0:01:36.222
we took scraps of cloth that
monks use for bathing.
0:01:36.222,0:01:39.886
It could be either the white
cloth or yellow cloth.
0:01:39.886,0:01:42.984
We tore those scraps into strips
and wrapped our hands.
0:01:42.984,0:01:46.082
There are many people from
Sittraipum gym in Roi Et, right?
0:01:46.082,0:01:47.830
Yes there were many people.
0:01:48.536,0:01:50.195
More than 10 fighters
0:01:50.895,0:01:54.925
I became the most famous and went to Bangkok.
0:01:55.305,0:01:58.723
There was also my elder
brother, Songsang Sittraipum.
0:01:58.723,0:02:00.867
He was very strong and fought well at the temple fights.
0:02:00.867,0:02:04.314
But he was a bit too short for Bangkok.
0:02:04.314,0:02:09.609
When he moved to Bangkok,
he was too lazy to gain weight.
0:02:11.791,0:02:14.930
When you moved to Bangkok,
0:02:14.930,0:02:18.531
you didn't change the name from
"Sittraipoum" to another gym.
0:02:18.531,0:02:19.692
No I didn't change it.
0:02:19.692,0:02:22.091
I still trained at Sittraipum, if I needed to,
0:02:22.334,0:02:26.383
I went to train at bigger gyms
few days before the fight.
0:02:26.383,0:02:28.566
I would go there to cut weight.
0:02:28.566,0:02:31.136
to train...
0:02:31.522,0:02:35.833
It was Sittraipum when
I fought in my hometown.
0:02:35.833,0:02:38.388
Later on,
I trained at Lookjaopormeesak gym [in Roi Et].
0:02:38.388,0:02:40.443
It was like steps.
0:02:40.443,0:02:43.325
When I moved to Bangkok,
I still used Sittraipum.
0:02:43.325,0:02:47.349
But I trained at Lookjaopormeesak
gym owned by Por Pele.
0:02:47.349,0:02:50.552
In Bangkok
0:02:50.552,0:02:56.174
you were the only one from Sittraipum who fought
at Ratchadamnern and Lumpini, right?
0:02:56.174,0:02:57.299
That's correct.
0:02:57.299,0:02:58.448
Were you proud?
0:02:59.072,0:03:02.749
I was ok. I am telling you.
I was the only one in the world.
0:03:03.880,0:03:06.477
You've told me in the past that
0:03:06.477,0:03:11.447
when you went to fight in Roi Et, Khon Kaen,
0:03:11.447,0:03:13.844
those matches were not Kard Chuek, but the scoring was different.
0:03:13.844,0:03:16.844
There were no points.
You could only win by knock out, right?
0:03:17.579,0:03:19.648
I did that one year only.
0:03:21.114,0:03:22.950
When I was young,
0:03:22.950,0:03:25.703
there were no judges to give points.
0:03:25.703,0:03:27.041
no judges?
0:03:27.041,0:03:29.304
no judges to give points.
Only the referee in the ring.
0:03:29.304,0:03:31.798
We fought 5 rounds.
A fighter could win only by knockout,.
0:03:31.798,0:03:33.643
- only one person?
- Yes only one person
0:03:33.643,0:03:36.505
If no knockout, it would be a draw.
0:03:36.505,0:03:38.273
A lot of draws, right?
0:03:38.273,0:03:39.685
Yes mostly draws.
0:03:39.978,0:03:42.363
If you look at your stats,
0:03:43.084,0:03:44.864
did you have many
draws when you were young?
0:03:44.864,0:03:46.178
How about knockout?
0:03:46.919,0:03:48.390
You mean my record?
0:03:48.390,0:03:49.775
Mostly knockouts!
0:03:52.070,0:03:53.717
A lot of knockouts
0:03:53.717,0:03:55.887
Knockout by knee.
Knockout by headkick,
0:03:57.343,0:03:58.861
everything
0:03:59.661,0:04:04.128
There was not much instruction in the past.
0:04:04.128,0:04:06.221
The fights were for fun,
0:04:06.221,0:04:10.430
or for earning money to help your
family and pay for school.
0:04:10.430,0:04:13.897
It was not professional
or business, like today.
0:04:14.362,0:04:18.091
Are there a lot of differences between
0:04:18.091,0:04:21.427
styles in your hometown and in Bangkok?
Did you have to change a lot?
0:04:21.427,0:04:23.285
Yes a lot.
0:04:23.285,0:04:25.540
Both are Muay Thai but totally different.
0:04:25.958,0:04:27.593
I had to change a lot.
0:04:27.593,0:04:29.265
totally different scoring system
0:04:29.265,0:04:30.823
Totally different.
0:04:30.823,0:04:33.676
Muay Thai today and
0:04:33.676,0:04:36.773
Muay in the 80s and 90s when I fought
0:04:37.880,0:04:41.155
are very different.
0:04:41.155,0:04:45.110
In the past,
you scored when you used weapons.
0:04:45.110,0:04:46.268
striking technique and choice scored
0:04:46.268,0:04:50.208
But today you know and see how it is.
0:04:51.000,0:04:53.371
Boxing is more about business now.
0:04:54.446,0:04:58.015
They go the way the gamblers want.
0:04:58.015,0:05:01.955
When you came to Bangkok and lost a fight
0:05:01.955,0:05:06.581
that you knew it would have been a win back in the provinces
0:05:06.583,0:05:10.533
would you be upset that
the scoring were not the same?
0:05:10.533,0:05:15.142
I didn't experience that.
They were real losses or
0:05:15.142,0:05:16.643
real wins.
0:05:16.643,0:05:18.736
no cheating.
0:05:18.736,0:05:20.229
Good good
0:05:20.229,0:05:26.209
You went to fight in America.
0:05:26.209,0:05:29.538
You fought with a kickboxer, right?
0:05:29.538,0:05:31.585
You were still young, weren't you?
0:05:31.585,0:05:36.184
Yes I was young.
I think I was only 18-19 years old [just turned 20].
0:05:36.184,0:05:40.696
I was not really good at fighting yet.
0:05:40.696,0:05:43.058
You were tiny, only 45 kgs, right? (99 lbs)
0:05:43.058,0:05:44.982
Yes around 44-45 kgs. (97-99 lbs)
0:05:46.479,0:05:47.929
How did you get this opportunity?
0:05:50.741,0:05:52.059
I don't understand the question.
0:05:52.059,0:05:54.361
You were in Roi Et.
0:05:54.361,0:05:57.619
You had a chance to fight in US.
0:05:57.619,0:05:59.998
Not many people had that opportunity.
0:05:59.998,0:06:01.588
How did you get this opportunity?
0:06:02.631,0:06:04.316
It was rare.
0:06:05.138,0:06:07.381
Not many people knew about Muay Thai, internationally.
0:06:07.381,0:06:11.037
Other countries didn't accept
Muay Thai at that time.
0:06:11.037,0:06:14.280
It was rare to get an
opportunity to fight abroad.
0:06:14.280,0:06:16.789
It was also difficult to get a visa.
0:06:16.789,0:06:19.596
I was fighting at Samrong Stadium [a small side stadium in BKK].
0:06:19.596,0:06:21.969
So, I was a representative of Samrong.
0:06:21.969,0:06:25.681
I went with a group of
fighters from Samrong Stadium.
0:06:26.263,0:06:28.912
It was almost impossible
to get this opportunity.
0:06:28.912,0:06:33.249
You were tiny only 44-45 kgs.
But your opponent was not small.
0:06:33.249,0:06:36.430
He was probably 15-20 kg bigger than you. (30-40 lbs)
0:06:36.430,0:06:39.519
He was around 68 kg...
0:06:39.969,0:06:41.959
...No, around 58 kg (128 lbs)
0:06:41.959,0:06:44.302
I couldn't use my elbow.
0:06:45.849,0:06:46.852
Elbows were not allowed.
0:06:47.735,0:06:50.306
Knees could only be to the body.
0:06:50.306,0:06:53.155
Hitting face (with knees) was not allowed.
It was a kickboxing rules.
0:06:53.155,0:06:55.772
You had never fought with a
foreigner before, right?
0:06:55.772,0:06:56.879
Yes first time
0:06:56.879,0:06:58.810
- I didn't know...
- What did you think?
0:06:59.652,0:07:02.268
I was thinking just to fight for fun.
0:07:02.268,0:07:06.490
But he was much bigger.
It was difficult to take him down.
0:07:06.490,0:07:07.668
He was much bigger.
0:07:08.636,0:07:12.200
Actually a doctor in Arizona
didn't want to allow me to fight.
0:07:13.294,0:07:16.893
He said the weight
difference was too large.
0:07:16.893,0:07:18.893
They were strict with regulations.
0:07:19.807,0:07:23.575
Mr. Klaew went to them to say that
he would take the responsibility.
0:07:25.994,0:07:28.577
You went to California, didn't you?
0:07:28.577,0:07:30.805
- No Arizona.
- Arizona
0:07:30.805,0:07:33.044
- You got to go see a bit also, right?
- Yes
0:07:35.291,0:07:38.377
I didn't even go to California.
0:07:38.377,0:07:40.235
They're close together.
0:07:40.502,0:07:44.756
I went for a ride to a market
and shopping. Very short.
0:07:44.756,0:07:47.459
I shopped and brought back
food to put in the fridge.
0:07:47.459,0:07:48.804
I was there 7 days.
0:07:49.415,0:07:50.630
Was it hot?
0:07:51.455,0:07:52.463
Very hot.
0:07:52.463,0:07:54.351
Arizona was very hot.
0:07:56.664,0:08:00.432
It's hot in the morning
but very cold in the evening.
0:08:00.432,0:08:01.592
Yes very cold.
0:08:03.749,0:08:07.484
Did you have a chance to
fight in US again later, or ever fight a westerner again?
0:08:08.419,0:08:10.533
No, that was the only time.
0:08:11.276,0:08:14.575
And I didn't want to go.
0:08:14.575,0:08:16.403
I didn't want to go abroad.
0:08:17.283,0:08:20.333
I could try to go but I didn't want to.
0:08:21.121,0:08:24.118
If you could use your elbow,
0:08:24.118,0:08:26.147
your opponent would have been
dead, right?
0:08:26.903,0:08:29.149
Foreigners don't know much
about elbow techniques.
0:08:29.149,0:08:32.180
No. Foreigners know a lot these days.
0:08:34.596,0:08:38.451
Look at the reporters in a live fights.
0:08:39.147,0:08:41.998
They said "if you want to see
clinch, watch Muay Thai"
0:08:41.998,0:08:44.948
"If you want to see Boxing arts,
look at foreigners' fights."
0:08:44.948,0:08:46.248
Totally different
0:08:46.248,0:08:49.462
When foreigners learn about Muay Thai,
0:08:49.462,0:08:51.262
they are really commited and dedicated.
0:08:51.288,0:08:53.899
They improve a lot.
0:08:54.692,0:08:56.306
In the next 10 years,
0:08:56.306,0:08:57.491
if we stay the same,
0:08:58.885,0:09:01.901
Thai fighters will lose to
foreigners with the same weight.
0:09:01.901,0:09:04.899
A lot of people say that.
But I think
0:09:04.899,0:09:07.270
they don't take into consideration that
0:09:07.270,0:09:10.116
foreigners always have weight advantage.
0:09:10.116,0:09:11.901
If same size...
0:09:11.901,0:09:13.558
I talked about the same size.
0:09:13.558,0:09:16.226
What I said about the same size,
0:09:16.226,0:09:19.131
I mean in the next 10 years...
0:09:19.131,0:09:21.790
I have said this since I moved to Pattaya.
0:09:21.790,0:09:23.680
I interact with foreigners a lot.
0:09:23.680,0:09:25.491
I've seen their improvement.
0:09:25.491,0:09:28.332
I trained a student.
0:09:28.332,0:09:29.749
He has kids.
0:09:29.749,0:09:32.238
I told him that in 10 years,
0:09:32.983,0:09:34.801
their Muay Thai will improve.
0:09:36.132,0:09:38.514
Because my student that I trained
0:09:38.514,0:09:39.550
has kids.
0:09:39.550,0:09:42.117
Yes they start when they are young.
0:09:42.117,0:09:46.408
His kids will grow up learning Muay Thai.
0:09:46.408,0:09:48.208
They will develop significantly.
0:09:49.251,0:09:54.051
Because they dedicate time to learn and train.
0:09:54.450,0:09:57.204
For Thai people though, as I've said
0:09:57.204,0:10:00.304
we fight to earn money, fighting is work.
We fight to earn for family
0:10:00.304,0:10:02.365
and expenses.
0:10:02.433,0:10:05.818
Only poor people come to fight.
0:10:05.818,0:10:10.137
There are some fighters
0:10:10.137,0:10:12.566
named "Yodkhunpon".
0:10:12.566,0:10:15.056
When you watch others named Yodkhunpon,
0:10:15.056,0:10:16.744
what did you think?
0:10:16.744,0:10:18.356
Not the same.
0:10:18.356,0:10:22.060
It's up to them what name they want to use.
0:10:22.060,0:10:24.091
- right?
- good name
0:10:25.827,0:10:29.827
If he has good name and wins,
I will be happy for him.
0:10:30.702,0:10:33.006
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
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