Thai Fight ( th, ไทยไฟต์; stylized as THAI FIGHT in capitals) is a

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 ...

promotion based in Bangkok, Thailand, which hosts events worldwide and all across Thailand. Thai Fight events are produced in conjunction with the

Tourism Authority of Thailand The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) ( th, การท่องเที่ยวแห่งประเทศไทย) is an organization of Thailand under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Its mandate is to promote Thailand's tourism in ...

. The inaugural tournament took place on August 29, 2010, and the promotion has since featured notable fighters such as Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee, Saiyok Pumpanmuang, Yodsanklai Fairtex, Buakaw Banchamek and

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 ...

. * * In 2011, the King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) started supporting the Thai Fight events and founded the '' Thai Fight King’s Cup Tournament''. The winners are awarded the ''King’s Cup'' and a 1,000,000 Thai baht cash prize. The annual '' Thai Fight: King of Muay Thai'' tournament awards the finalist a grand prize of 2,000,000 baht and an Isuzu pickup truck.

History

Creation

Thai Fight Co. Ltd. was founded by former film and television director Nopporn Wartin. His vision of spreading Thai culture and Thai traditions eventually led to the birth of the “Thai Fight” brand. Muay Thai being the national sport of Thailand, Wartin chose to use it as a platform to spread his vision to the rest of the world. The first Thai Fight event was hosted on August 29, 2010. Thai Fight fully embraces Thai cultural values and uniquely reflects Thai cultural identity.

Business

The Thai Fight office is located in the Wang Thonglang District of Bangkok. After its founding in 2009, the company went on to host its first ''Thai Fight: King of Muay Thai'' tournament on August 29, 2010. Notable fighters who participated included Fabio Pinca,

Youssef Boughanem Youssef Boughanem (born December 6, 1989) is a Moroccan-Belgian Muay Thai and kickboxer, who has held WKN super welterweight Muay Thai title. He is also a former Lumpinee Stadium, Rajadamnern Stadium and WBC Muay Thai World Middleweight Champio ...

, Liam Harrison and

Vitaly Gurkov Vitaly Hurkou ( be, Вiталь Рыгоравiч Гуркоў; born March 27, 1985), is a Belarusian Kickboxing weight classes, welterweight Muay Thai kickboxer fighting out of Minsk for Patriot Gym. He is a seven time Amateur sports, amateur Mu ...

. The tournament concluded in December 6, 2010, with Pinca emerging as the first-ever Thai Fight champion. In 2011, the promotion rose to further popularity with its signing of former

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

World MAX champion and superstar Buakaw Banchamek, who would go on to win two Thai Fight tournaments in 2011 and 2012. However, he was engaged in a dispute with his gym at the time: Por. Pramuk. Buakaw appeared on ''THAI FIGHT Extreme 2012: Pattaya'' without the gym's approval, leading to them suing both him and Thai Fight. This resulted in Buakaw announcing his retirement from Muay Thai. Thai Fight would file a countersuit against Por. Pramuk, which eventually led to an agreement between all parties with withdraw all lawsuits. Buakaw fought on Thai Fight for the final time at ''Thai Fight 2012'' on December 16, 2012, defeating

to win the 70kg King's Cup Tournament Championship. Thai Fight held its first overseas event on May 14, 2011 with ''THAI FIGHT Extreme 2011: France'' in Cannes, France. In 2011, three of six Thai Fight events (titled ''THAI FIGHT Extreme'') were held outside of Thailand, with the other two events taking place in Hong Kong and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. In 2012, Thai Fight also held two international events (also titled ''THAI FIGHT Extreme'') in England and France. Between 2011 and 2013, ten ''THAI FIGHT Extreme'' events were hosted, five of which were held in foreign countries. Thai Fight returned to hosting overseas events in 2014 (titled ''THAI FIGHT World Battle''), visiting Macau and Vietnam. In 2015, the promotion held events (now titled ''THAI FIGHT Proud to Be Thai'') in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Russia and Vietnam. The promotion regularly hosts events internationally, in countries such as: Russia, Italy, Spain, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, France and England. However, there has not been an international event since 2018. On November 25, 2017, Thai Fight held the historic ''KHMER THAI FIGHT'' event. The event was held to strengthen ties between Thailand and Cambodia. Being held in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

, Cambodia, the event was unlike previous Thai Fight events due to the fact that it featured both Muay Thai and

Kun Khmer Pradal Serey ( km, ប្រដាល់សេរី) or Kun Khmer ( km, គុនខ្មែរ) is a combat sport originated in Cambodia. The official Khmer name of the sport is Kbach Kun Pradal Khmer. In Khmer, ''pradal'' means fighting or ...

matches, with the event pitting the Southeast Asian fighters against various foreign fighters. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thai Fight held its first event behind closed doors in 11 years, with ''THAI FIGHT DMHTT'' at Siam Omnoi Stadium on April 25, 2021.

Tourism

The promotion is run in conjunction with the

and is aimed at promoting tourism in the Kingdom of Thailand.

Thai Fight Kard Chuek

In 2013, the promotion produced a reality television show where Thai Fight stars Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee and Saiyok Pumpanmuang coached a team of '' farang'' on the reality television series ''Thai Fight Kard Chuek'', to be shown over between July and August 2013 on Thailand's Channel 3. Notable fighters who appeared on the series included

and

Tun Tun Min Tun Tun Min ( my, ထွန်းထွန်းမင်း; born 4 October 1992) is a Burmese Lethwei fighter and former Openweight Lethwei World Champion of Mon descent. He is the youngest fighter to ever win the Lethwei Golden Belt, obtain ...

(credited as Zaw Tum). On December 22, 2013, the two coaches faced each other in the ''Thai Fight Kard Chuek Final'', where Sor Klinmee defeated Pumpanmuang by extension-round decision to claim the 6,000,000 baht grand prize. Thai Fight Kard Chuek also refers to the format of Muay Thai where fighters use rope bindings in place of gloves to pay homage to Muay boran, the historical form of the sport, with modern Muay Thai rules in place. Since 2014, most fights in Thai Fight have been predominantly fought under Kard Chuek rules with few exceptions using gloves.

Sponsorship

The brand Thailand Graphite Co. Ltd, Isuzu,

Thai Beverage Thai Beverage, better known as ThaiBev ( th, ไทยเบฟ) (), is Thailand's largest and one of Southeast Asia's largest beverage companies, with distilleries in Thailand, UK, and China. It is owned by Thai Chinese billionaire business ma ...

and the

are sponsors of the promotion.

Broadcasting

For almost a decade, Thai Fight's longtime television partner was Channel 3. In 2020, it was announced that Thai Fight had entered a partnership with Channel 8, joining Muay Thai programs Super Champ Muay Thai and

Muay Hardcore Muay Hardcore ( th, มวยพันธุ์ดุ) was a weekly Muay Thai program broadcast on Thai television in Bangkok. First aired in 2019, the program's most distinguishing characteristic sees fighters competing in three-round Muay Tha ...

In 2022 was announced that Thai Fight had entered a Partner ship with 9 MCOT HD * 2022-Present - 9 MCOT HD * 2020–2022 – Channel 8 * 2010–2019 – Channel 3. Beginning in 2019, the Thai Fight official YouTube channel also began broadcasting events via the YouTube

livestreaming Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...

function.

Rules

Match length

Thai Fight deviates from customary Muay Thai by hosting three-round matches, as opposed to five rounds. This is to prevent stalling and encourage more activity between fighters. Each fight consists of three rounds of three minutes with 2-minute rest periods between each round. In the event of a draw after 3 rounds, a fourth extension round will be fought. If the fight is still tied after 4 rounds, a fifth round will be fought to determine a winner.

Judging

Fights can be won by decision, knockout or technical knockout. Three knockdowns will automatically result in a technical knockout. In Thai Fight, knockdowns are scored differently from conventional Muay Thai and kickboxing. If a knockdown is scored, the dominant fighter will be awarded 10–9 round. In the event a fighter scores two knockdowns in the same round, the round will be scored 10–8 in favor of the dominant fighter. Otherwise, rounds are judged based on a fighter's aggression, striking volume and use of Muay Thai techniques. In recent Thai Fight events, use of certain ''mae mai'' and ''luk mai'' techniques can earn a fighter performance-based cash bonuses.

Weight classes

While there are no official weight classes in Thai Fight, with superfights being held at varying weight classes, there are 4 titles across three weight classes during the ''Thai Fight King's Cup Tournament''. The inaugural Thai Fight tournament in 2010 saw fighters contesting for the 67kg welterweight tournament title. The 2011 tournament saw the introduction of the 70kg title. Up until 2013, the only tournament titles in Thai Fight were the 67kg and 70kg King's Cup Tournament. The 70kg Kard Chuek title was first contested for in 2013. In 2014, the first Thai Fight 72.5kg King's Cup Tournament was held. Thai Fight also held a one-time Heavyweight Tournament in 2012, where fighters weighing over 100 kilograms competed.

List of Thai Fight events

Champions

Thai Fight King’s Cups

Starting in 2011, his majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) started gracing the trophies of the Thai Fight annual tournaments. The annual ''Thai Fight King’s Cup Tournament'' sees international fighters competing against Thailand's elite athletes and the winners of each weight divisions are awarded the ''King’s Cups'' and 1,000,000 Thai baht. Since his succession to the throne, King Maha Vajiralongkorn has continued the tradition started by his father. The 2020 schedule saw the introduction of the Queen's Cup, bestowed by Queen Suthida, which will be the first women's tournament in Thai Fight.

Tournament Champions

The annual ''Thai Fight: King of Muay Thai'' tournament sees international and local fighters compete for the grand prize of 2,000,000 Thai baht and an Isuzu pickup truck.

Championship history

Heavyweight / 100+ kg King's Cup Championship

Middleweight / 72.5 kg King's Cup Championship

Middleweight / 72.5 kg Kard Chuek King's Cup Championship

Junior Middleweight / 70 kg King's Cup Championship

Junior Middleweight / 70 kg Kard Chuek King's Cup Championship

Welterweight / 67 kg King's Cup Championship

Women's Flyweight / 51 kg Queen's Cup Championship

Isuzu Cup Superfight

Since 2012, Thai Fight has also hosted the Isuzu Cup Superfight. The Isuzu Cup Superfight is the only instance in Thai Fight where Thai fighters face each other. The winner of the Isuzu Cup Tournament is pitted against a hand-picked fighter from Thai Fight to contest for a multi-fight contract with the organization.

List of Isuzu Cup Superfight winners

Notable fighters

* Saensatharn P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym *

Chanajon P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym Chanajon P.K. Saenchai Muaythai Gym ( th, ชนะจน พี.เค.แสนชัยมวยไทยยิม; born July 9, 1988) is a Thai Muay Thai fighter from the Buriram province of Thailand. He is a former Rajadamnern Stadium Ligh ...

* Kitti Sor.Jor.Danrayong *

Tengnueng Sitjaesairoong Tengnueng Sitjaesairoong ( th, เต็งหนึ่ง ศิษย์เจ๊สายรุ้ง; born October 6, 1992), formerly known as ''Super-X Por. Petchnamchai'', is a Thai Muay Thai fighter from the Nakhon Sawan Province of Central ...

* Por.Tor.Thor. Petchrungruang (Omnoi Stadium Champion, Isuzu Cup Winner) *

Kongklai AnnyMuayThai Kongklai AnnyMuayThai (ก้องไกล เอ็นนี่มวยไทย) is a Thai Muay Thai fighter. Career During 2019, Kongklai engaged in the 30th annual Isuzu Cup Tournament at Siam Omnoi Stadium. He gained popularity due ...

* Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee * Saiyok Pumpanmuang *

Iquezang Kor.Rungthanakeat Iquezang Kor.Rungthanakeat ( th, อิกคิวซัง ก.รุ่งธนเกียรติ; born October 6, 1989) is a Thai Muay Thai and Lethwei fighter. He is best known for defeating Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong by TKO to win th ...

* Buakaw Banchamek * Yodsanklai Fairtex * Kem Sitsongpeenong * Singmanee Kaewsamrit * Antoine Pinto *

Kongsak P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym Kongsak P.K. Saenchai Muaythai Gym ( th, ก้องศักดิ์ พี.เค.แสนชัยมวยไทยยิม), also known as ''Kongsak Sitboonmee'', is a Thai Muay Thai fighter, originally from Buriram, in the northeast of ...

Pakorn P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym Pakorn P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym is a Thai Muay Thai kickboxer, originally from the Phra Samut Chedi District, but now fighting out of Bangkok, Thailand. Pakorn is a former 135 lbs. Lumpinee Stadium champion and 65 kg Yokkao champion. He ...

Satanfah Rachanon Satanfah Rachanon ( th, สะท้านฟ้า ราชานนท์; born January 19, 1996), also known as ''Satanfah Sitsongpeenong'', is a Thai Muay Thai fighter. Satanfah is a former WBC Muay Thai 154lbs World Champion. Titles and a ...

Panpayak Jitmuangnon Panpayak Jitmuangnon (พันธุ์พยัคฆ์ จิตรเมืองนนท์) is a Thai Muay Thai fighter, originally from the Samut Prakarn, but now fighting out of Bangkok, Thailand. He is the former Lumpinee Stadium fe ...

* Han Zihao *

Alka Matewa Alka Matewa (born April 26, 1987) is a Congolese-Belgian kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Early life Alka Matewa was born on 26 April 1987 in Kinshasa, Congo, the son of Pierre Maytewa and Lucie Nsuele. Both parents are Congolese. Alka's bac ...

Abraham Roqueñi Abraham Roqueñi Iglesias (born April 16, 1978) is a Spanish welterweight kickboxer. He was the K-1 MAX Spain 2004 tournament winner, and is a former ISKA, WAKO and WFCA world champion. He holds notable wins over Gago Drago, Luis Reis, Andy Sou ...

* Rafi Bohic * Morgan Adrar * Samy Sana *

Jimmy Vienot Jimmy Vienot (born June 9, 1995) is a French Muay Thai kickboxer who is the reigning SUPERKOMBAT World Middleweight Champion. He is a former Lumpinee Stadium and Arena Fight champion. As of October 20, 2022, he is ranked #5 in the ONE Feathe ...

* Chike Lindsay * Fabio Pinca * Franki Giorgi * Yodpayak Sitsongpeenong *

Sasha Moisa Sasha Moisa (Ukrainian: Саша Мойса; born September 10, 1994) is a Ukrainian Muay Thai and Lethwei fighter currently signed to ONE Championship and World Lethwei Championship. He is the current WMC Super welterweight World Champion in Mu ...

Anvar Boynazarov Anvar Boynazarov (born January 10, 1989) is an Uzbek Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He has previously competed in kickboxing for the Glory promotion, and holds notable victories over Giga Chikadze, Fabio Pinca and Abdellah Ezb ...

Naimjon Tuhtaboyev Naimjon Tuhtaboyev (Uzbek language, Uzbek: Naimjon To'xtaboyev; born 29 January 1993) is an Uzbekistan, Uzbek Lethwei and Muay Thai fighter who currently competes in the World Lethwei Championship (WLC), where he is the reigning World Lethwei Cha ...

* Andrei Kulebin *

Too Too Too Too ( my, တူးတူး) is a Burmese Lethwei fighter and who competes in the World Lethwei Championship. He is former the WLC Middleweight World champion and is undefeated under traditional Lethwei rules, holding the 75 kg Le ...

* Armin Pumpanmuang

Master of Ceremony: MC

; Present * Suriyon Aroonwattanakul (2016 - Present) * Premmanat Suwannanon (2016 - Present) * Mr.Phong - Thai commentator (2010 - Present) * Major Dr. Somjit Jongjohor - Thai commentator (2010 - Present) * Arran Sirisompan - English commentator (2015 - Present) * Adam Martin - English commentator (2015 - Present) * Thanasut Vudthivichai (Fighter introduction voice) (2010 - Present) ; Former * Matthew Deane - Host (2010 - 2015) * Kathsepsawad Palakawong Na Ayyuttaya - Host (2010 - 2013) * Nok Tanee (2011 - 2012) * Robert Cox-English commentator (2011-2014) *

Samart Payakaroon Phetchakhat na yok (เพชฌฆาตหน้าหยก)(e.g. ''Jade-faced Executioner'') , nationality = Thai , birth_date = , birth_place = Chacherngsao, Thailand , fighting_out_of = Bangkok, Thailand , height ...

- Thai commentator * Somluck Kamsing - Thai commentator

References

External links

THAI FIGHT Official Website
*
Thai Fight
on YouTube {{Sports governing bodies of Thailand Professional Muay Thai organizations Organizations based in Bangkok Muay Thai in Thailand Muay Thai competitions in Thailand Kickboxing in Thailand Sports organizations established in 2009 2009 establishments in Thailand Television in Thailand Entertainment companies of Thailand Kickboxing organizations