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

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

promotion based in

Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, 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) () is an organization of Thailand under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Its mandate is to promote Thailand's tourism industry, and protect the environment. History Its predecessor, Tourism of Thaila ...

. The inaugural tournament took place on August 29, 2010, and the promotion has since featured notable fighters such as Youssef Boughanem,

Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee (Thai language, Thai: สุดสาคร ส.กลิ่นมี; born August 25, 1986) is a Thai Muay Thai kickboxer and current Lion Fight Middleweight Champion. He is the former Thai Fight Kard Chuek Middleweight Cha ...

Saiyok Pumpanmuang Saiyok Pumpanmuang (; born October 23, 1983), formerly known as ''Saiyoknoi Sakchainarong'' (ไทรโยคน้อย ศักดิ์ชัยณรงค์), is a Thai welterweight kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter. He is a former Lump ...

Yodsanklai Fairtex Yodthanong Photirat (; born born, July 1, 1985), known professionally as Yodsanklai Fairtex (), is a Thai former professional Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. He is a former WBC Muay Thai World Super welterweight champion at 154 lbs, and a ...

, Buakaw Banchamek and Saenchai. * * In 2011, the

King of Thailand The monarchy of Thailand is the constitutional monarchy, constitutional form of government of Thailand (formerly ''Siam''). The king of Thailand (, historically, ''king of Siam''; ) is the head of state and head of the ruling Chakri dynasty. ...

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

(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 The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

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 , commonly known as Isuzu (, ), is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Its principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines ...

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 Wang Thonglang (, ) is one of the Districts of Bangkok, 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. It is bounded by other Bangkok districts (from north clockwise): Lat Phrao district, Lat Phrao, Bang Kapi district, Bang Kapi, Huai Khwang distri ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. 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, Liam Harrison and Vitaly Gurkov. The tournament concluded on 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 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

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 Vitaly Gurkov to win the 70 kg King's Cup Tournament Championship. Thai Fight held its first overseas event on May 14, 2011, with ''THAI FIGHT Extreme 2011: France'' in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

, 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 Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. In 2012, Thai Fight also held two international events (also titled ''THAI FIGHT Extreme'') in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. 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 Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. 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. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

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 is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

, Cambodia, the event was unlike previous Thai Fight events due to the fact that it featured both Muay Thai and Kun Khmer matches, with the event pitting the Southeast Asian fighters against various foreign fighters. As a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Thai Fight held its first event

behind closed doors Behind Closed Doors may refer to: Film, television and radio Film * ''Behind Closed Doors'' (1929 film), an early talkie starring Virginia Valli * Behind Closed Doors (1961 film), ''Behind Closed Doors'' (1961 film), an Italian comedy film by Dino ...

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 various provinces of the

Kingdom of Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

Thai Fight Kard Chuek

In 2013, the promotion produced a

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

show where Thai Fight stars

and

coached a team of ''

farang Farang () is a Persian word that originally referred to the Franks (the major Germanic people) and later came to refer to Western or Latin Europeans in general. The word is borrowed from Old French or Latin , which are also the source of ...

'' 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 Youssef Boughanem and

Tun Tun Min Tun Tun Min (; born 4 October 1992) is a Burmese Lethwei fighter of Mon descent, former openweight Lethwei World Champion. In 2014, he became the youngest fighter to ever win the Lethwei Golden Belt, obtaining the title at age o ...

(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 A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a ...

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.

Thai Fight League

In April 2023, Thai Fight announced a new weekly program called ''Thai Fight League'', which would feature upcoming Muay Thai fighters. The event would take place at Beat Active in

BITEC Bangna The Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) is a convention and exhibition hall in Bang Na District, Bangkok, Thailand. It opened in 1997 and has a total floor area of . It hosted the annual Bangkok International Motor Show from ...

. The inaugural event aired on May 7, 2023, on Channel 8 at 6:00 PM, featuring exclusively Kard Chuek fights. Thai Fight League also served as the venue for the 32nd edition of the Isuzu Cup tournament, changing the tournament format from 5-round fights to 3-round fights as well.

Sponsorship

The brand Thailand Graphite Co. Ltd,

, Thai Beverage 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 . As of December 2022, Thai Fight events are still broadcast on Channel 8. Beginning in 2019, the Thai Fight official

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel also began broadcasting events via the YouTube

livestreaming Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- liv ...

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 67 kg welterweight tournament title. The 2011 tournament saw the introduction of the 70 kg title. Up until 2013, the only tournament titles in Thai Fight were the 67 kg and 70 kg King's Cup Tournament. The 70 kg Kard Chuek title was first contested for in 2013. In 2014, the first Thai Fight 72.5 kg King's Cup Tournament was held. Thai Fight also held a one-time Heavyweight Tournament in 2012, where fighters weighing over 100 kilograms competed.

Events

Champions

Thai Fight King's Cups

Starting in 2011, his majesty

(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

. 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 Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana (, , ), born Suthida Tidjai (; 3 June 1978), is Queen of Thailand as the fourth wife of King Vajiralongkorn. Before their marriage, she was a flight attendant. After joining the Thai military, she was promoted ...

, 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

and an

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 Bantamweight / 53-54 kg Queen'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

* Saenchai * Saensatharn P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym * Chanajon P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym * Kitti Sor.Jor.Danrayong *

Tengnueng Sitjaesairoong Tengnueng Sitjaesairoong (; born October 6, 1992), formerly known as ''Super-X Por. Petchnamchai'', is a Thai Muay Thai fighter from the Nakhon Sawan Province of Central Thailand. He is a 2014 King's Cup (Muay Thai), King's Cup Super 8 Tournament ...

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

* Iquezang Kor.Rungthanakeat * Buakaw Banchamek *

* Kem Sitsongpeenong * Singmanee Kaewsamrit *

Antoine Pinto Antoine Pinto (born February 16, 1991), also known as Antoine Siangboxing, is a French former Muay Thai kickboxer who trains in Thailand. Pinto is best known as the youngest foreign fighter to have competed at the prestigious Lumpinee Stadiu ...

* Youssef Boughanem * Kongsak P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym * Pakorn P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym * Satanfah Rachanon * Panpayak Jitmuangnon * Han Zihao *

Alka Matewa Alka Matewa (born April 26, 1987) is a Congolese-Belgian Actor, former Muay Thai 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 a ...

* Abraham Roqueñi * Rafi Bohic * Morgan Adrar *

Samy Sana Samy Sana (born 10 December 1988) is an Algerian Muay Thai kickboxer and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is the former ISKA, List of WBC Muaythai world champions#Super middleweight, WBC Muaythai Interim Super Middleweight champion an ...

* Jimmy Vienot *

Chike Lindsay Chike George Lindsay-Ajudua (born November 17, 1983) is an American Muay Thai kickboxer who competes in the Middleweight division. Lindsay is the former WKA North American Champion, WBC Muaythai International Champion, and IMTO Super Welterweig ...

* Fabio Pinca * Franki Giorgi * Yodpayak Sitsongpeenong * Sasha Moisa * Anvar Boynazarov * Naimjon Tuhtaboyev * Vitaly Gurkov *

Andrei Kulebin Andrei "Bullet" Kulebin (born 14 May 1984) is a Belarusian Muay Thai welterweight kickboxer fighting out of Minsk, Belarus for Gym "Kick Fighter". He is an 18 time Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion who has won international titles both a ...

Too Too Too Too (6 October 1990 – 26 April 2023; ) was a Burmese Lethwei fighter who competed in World Lethwei Championship. He was the former WLC Middleweight World champion and was undefeated under traditional Lethwei rules, holding the 75&nbs ...

* 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 Somjit Jongjohor (, , ; born January 19, 1975) is an amateur Thai boxer best known for winning gold medals in the flyweight division at the 2003 World Amateur Boxing Championships and at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Early life and personal life ...

- Thai commentator (2010–Present) * Arran Sirisompan - English commentator (2015–Present) * Kevin Aamlid - 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) * Adam Martin - English commentator (2015–2021) *

Samart Payakaroon Samart Popteeratham (, born ''Samart Thipthamai'', ; December 5, 1962), known professionally as Samart Payakaroon (), is a Thai former professional Muay Thai fighter, professional boxer, and entertainer. He is a former four-division Lumpinee Sta ...

- Thai commentator * Somluck Kamsing - Thai commentator

References

External links

THAI FIGHT Official Website
*
Thai Fight
on

{{Sports governing bodies of Thailand Kickboxing organizations Professional Muay Thai organizations Organizations based in Bangkok Kickboxing in Thailand Sports organizations established in 2009 2009 establishments in Thailand Television in Thailand Entertainment companies of Thailand