Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn (Thai: นำศักดิ์น้อย ยุทธการกำธร, born October 13, 1979) is a retired

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

fighter from

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. He holds one of the highest winning percentages (95% wins in 300 fights), and one of the longest reigns as a

Lumpinee Stadium Lumpinee Boxing Stadium ( th, สนามเวทีมวยลุมพินี) is a sporting arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The stadium is named after Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. Opened more than a decade later than Rajadamnern ...

Champion in history, remaining undefeated for the 135 lbs title between 2000–2006. He held wins over Muay Thai legends such as

Saenchai Suphachai "Saenchai" Saepong (born July 30, 1980), formerly known as Saenchai Sor. Kingstar ( th, แสนชัย ส.คิงสตาร์), is a Muay Thai fighter of Khon Isan descent. Saenchai won the Lumpinee Stadium title, which is ...

Samkor Kiatmontep Samkor Kiatmontep, also known as Samkor Chor.Rathchatasupak ( th, สามกอ เกียรติมนต์เทพ, สามกอ ช.รัชตสุภัค, born April 4, 1975; nickname: Maew) is a Thai former Muay Thai kickboxe ...

Kaolan Kaovichit Kaolan Kaovichit ( th, เก้าล้าน เก้าวิชิต) born May 12, 1978, is a Thai former kickboxer. He was the runner up of K-1 World Max 2002. Biography Kaolan Kaovichit was born in Songkhla Province, Thailand on May ...

, and Neungpichit Sityodtong. Namsaknoi was the camp senior of international Muay Thai superstar Buakaw when they both trained at Por Pramuk Camp. He spent 6 years in Singapore where he was an instructor to the Evolve Fight Team at Evolve Mixed Martial Arts, coaching world renowned MMA fighters such as

Rafael Dos Anjos Rafael Souza dos Anjos (; born October 26, 1984) is a Brazilian American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former UFC Light ...

Tarec Saffiedine Tarec Robert Saffiedine (born 6 September 1986) is a Belgian former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Saffiedine has also f ...

, and

Shinya Aoki is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and grappler currently competing in ONE Championship's and Rizin Fighting Federation's Welterweight division. He also competes in DDT Pro-Wrestling where he is a former three-time DDT Ex ...

Biography

Early life

Namsaknoi was born Muhammud Chaiyamart in a small fishing village in the Southern Thailand province of

Surat Thani Surat Thani ( th, สุราษฎร์ธานี, ) is a city in Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It lies south of Bangkok. It is the capital of Surat Thani Province. The city has a population of 1 ...

. He was the youngest of 7 siblings, of whom an elder brother (Ges Chaiyamart) was also a Muay Thai fighter. Namsaknoi’s parents struggled to feed the family on a fisherman's meager income, which was one of the key motivations that drove the young Namsaknoi to Muay Thai when he was 8 years old to help support the family. Namsaknoi adopted his fight name from his uncle, the original Namsak, who was a well-known fighter in the South. Proving to be a natural in the sport, he was fairly successful in his early fights in the Southern provinces. When he was 12, his trainer brought him to Bangkok where he would have access to higher quality training and fight opportunities.

Fighting in Bangkok

Namsaknoi spent his formative years in Kiatsingnoi Gym in Bangkok, alongside other golden-era champions such as Pairot, Wangchannoi, and Rattanachai. He climbed his way up steadily in the competitive fight scene of the country's capital, often matched against older and more experienced fighters and winning most of them. When he was 17 years old, he was voted and won the highly prestigious Sportswriters Association of Thailand Fighter of the Year Award of 1996. He was one of the youngest fighters to win the accolade at that time. He won another, different Fighter of the Year Award 3 years later, given by the

Sports Authority of Thailand The Ministry of Tourism and Sports ( Abrv: MOTS; th, กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา, ) is a cabinet ministry in the Government of Thailand. The ministry's primary areas of responsibility are to ...

. Later, he was acquired by Por Pramuk Camp in the outskirts of Bangkok, where he would remain until his retirement. At Por Pramuk, his campmates include Chok Dee, Ponsawan, Kompayak, Nonthanon, and Buakaw, the golden boys that propelled the fame of Por Pramuk Camp internationally. Throughout his fight career, he fought some of the best Thai fighters of the golden era, including Neungpichit Sidyodtong, Saenchai PKSaenchaimuaythaigym, Samkor Kiatmontep, Attachai Fairtex, Kaolan Kaovichit, and Lamnammoon Sor Sumalee. While his camp junior Buakaw would gain international fame from his participation in K1 Kickboxing, Namsaknoi mostly fought within Thailand, against the crème de la crème of the sport. He only fought a handful of fights outside of Thailand, in Japan (where he won a 2nd round TKO against the dangerous Satoshi Kobayashi), Korea, Macau, and Italy. Namsaknoi held the 135 lbs Lumpinee Stadium Belt for an astounding 6 years, until his retirement in 2006, ending his career with an impressive record of 280 wins, 15 losses, and 5 draws. For his long reign as the unbeatable champion, the Thai media gave him the nickname of “The Emperor”. Namsaknoi is known for his graceful and elaborate Wai Kru Ram Muay, winning the award for the best Wai Kru Ram Muay of the year twice, in 2001 and 2006.

Dispute with Por Pramuk

Namsaknoi left Por Pramuk camp after a bitter dispute over the mismanagement of his fight winnings. The fallout that shocked the Muay Thai community forced Namsaknoi into retirement, as no gym was able to pay Por Pramuk's asking price to buy over Namsaknoi's contract. Destitute with no money nor belts to his name (he left most of his physical possessions in the camp when he walked out), Namsaknoi returned to his hometown of Chaiya in Surat Thani province, never to step into the rings of Bangkok again.

Transition to coaching

After retirement, Namsaknoi worked as a trainer in the tourist-heavy islands of Southern Thailand, spending a couple of years in Koh Phangan,

Koh Samui Ko Samui (or Koh Samui, also often locally shortened to Samui; th, เกาะสมุย, ) is an island off the east coast of Thailand. Geographically in the Chumphon Archipelago, it is part of Surat Thani Province, though as of 2012, Ko ...

, and

Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

. In 2010, he was approached by

Chatri Sityodtong Chatri Trisiripisal ( th, ชาตรี ตรีศิริพิศาล, ), known by the ring names Chatri Sityodtong ( th, ชาตรี ศิษย์ยอดธง, ) and Yodchatri Sityodtong ( th, ยอดชาตรี ศิ� ...

to joi
Evolve Mixed Martial Arts
in Singapore, where he worked as a Muay Thai instructor for 6 years. In early 2016, Namsaknoi left Evolve MMA as their Head Muay Thai Instructor, and returned to Koh Phangan, Thailand to set up his own Muay Thai gym, name
Namsaknoi Muay Thai Club
The gym was opened on 14 October 2016. However in December 2017, Namsaknoi left his gym in Koh Phangan, despite growing interest and success of the gym. In 2019 he was for one year a Co Trainer in Germany, at the Fight Club in Ludwigsburg.

Titles and accomplishments

Muay Thai

** 1995 Lumpinee Stadium Fly Weight Champion 112 lbs ** 1999 Lumpinee Stadium Super Feather Weight Champion 130 lbs ** 2000–2006 Lumpinee Stadium Light Weight Champion 135 lbs *

World Muay Thai Council The World Muaythai Council (WMC) is one of the oldest and the largest professional sanctioning organizations of Muaythai in the world for the sport. The organization was set up in 1995 by parliament resolution, and is incorporated by the Royal T ...

** 1995 WMC World Champion 112 lbs *

World Association of Kickboxing Organizations The World Association of Kickboxing Organizations (W.A.K.O or WAKO) is an international kickboxing organization counting over 120 affiliated countries representing all five continents. WAKO is a major governing body of amateur kickboxing and is ...

** 2010 WAKO Pro World Muay Thai Champion 154 lbs * Ford Ranger Tournament 126 lbs Champion * Champion of South of Thailand 126 lbs * Champion of South of Thailand 95 lbs Awards * 1996 Sports Writers Association of Thailand

Fighter of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Fighter of the Year since 1928, which this list covers. The award, selected by the magazine editors, is based on a boxer's performance in the ring.Fighter of the Year '' The Ring'' magazine was established in 1922 and has named a Fighter of the Year since 1928, which this list covers. The award, selected by the magazine editors, is based on a boxer's performance in the ring.Kaolan Kaovichit Kaolan Kaovichit ( th, เก้าล้าน เก้าวิชิต) born May 12, 1978, is a Thai former kickboxer. He was the runner up of K-1 World Max 2002. Biography Kaolan Kaovichit was born in Songkhla Province, Thailand on May ...

) * 2002 Sports Writers Association of Thailand Fight of the Year (vs Pajonsuk Lukprabat) * Best Ram Muay of the Year 2001 * Best Ram Muay of the Year 2006

Boxing

Pan Asian Boxing Association The Pan Asian Boxing Association also known as PABA is an organisation for professional boxing in the Central Asia, Oceania, Pan Pacific, Eurasia and Southeast and Far East nations. It was formed in 1995 and is headquartered in Seoul. History Si ...

** 2002 interim PABA Boxing Champion 135 lbs

Fight record

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Padua, Italy Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

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Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

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Patong Patong ( th, ป่าตอง , ) refers to the beach and town on Phuket's west coast. It is the main tourist resort on the island of Phuket, and is the centre of Phuket's nightlife and shopping. The beach became popular with Western tourists, e ...

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Nontachai Sit-O Nontachai Sit-O (Thai: นนทชัย ศิษย์โอ) is a Thai Muay Thai fighter. Biography and career Nontachai started Muay Thai training at the age of 9 and immediately competed to provide financial help to his family. He joined t ...

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Naruepol Fairtex Naruepol Fairtex ( th, นฤพนธ์ แฟร์เท็กซ์; born July 1, 1984) is a Thai welterweight kickboxer fighting out of Evolve MMA in Singapore. He is a former Lumpinee Stadium champion and current No.1 contender to chall ...

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Satoshi Kobayashi Satoshi Kobayashi is a Japanese Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan. Titles and accomplishments *1996 NJKF Lightweight Champion *1998 Kick Union Lightweight Champion *2000 AJKF Lightweight Champion *2000 WKA Muay Thai ...

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Pattaya, Thailand Pattaya ( th, พัทยา, , ) is a city in Thailand. It is on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about southeast of Bangkok, within, but not part of, Bang Lamung district in the province of Chonburi. Pattaya City ( th, เมือ� ...

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Lamnamoon Sor.Sumalee Lamnamoon Sor.Sumalee ( th, ลำน้ำมูล ส.สุมาลี) is a Thai former Muay Thai fighter. He was a 4 times Lumpinee Stadium champion during the golden era of Muay Thai. Biography & career Lamnamoon started Muay Thai at the ...

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Thongchai Tor. Silachai Thongchai Tor.Silachai (ธงชัย ต.ศิลาชัย) is a retired Thai Muay Thai fighter. He is a former four-time Lumpinee Stadium champion and is the only fighter to have ever knocked out Muay Thai legend Saenchai. Biography Th ...

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Saenchai Sor Kingstar Suphachai "Saenchai" Saepong (born July 30, 1980), formerly known as Saenchai Sor. Kingstar ( th, แสนชัย ส.คิงสตาร์), is a Muay Thai fighter of Khon Isan descent. Saenchai won the Lumpinee Stadium title, which is ...

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References

External links

The Rise and Fall of a Muay Thai Legend

Namsaknoi vs Satoshi Kobayashi: Lawrence Kenshin Striking Breakdown

Namsaknoi's Muay Thai Tutorial Videos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yudthagarngamtorn, Namsaknoi 1979 births Living people Lightweight kickboxers

Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn (Thai: นำศักดิ์น้อย ยุทธการกำธร, born October 13, 1979) is a retired Muay Thai fighter from Thailand. He holds one of the highest winning percentages (95% wins in 300 fight ...