Self defence is probably the main reason people get into martial arts, even more so than competition, and emulating your favourite action star or superhero. Every martial art proclaims to be perfect for self defence, but how many martial arts are actually practical? Well to start, any martial art that goes on about one shot knock outs, or disrupting chi, is firmly out of the question. Also any martial art that doesn’t feature hard continuous sparring is also out. So what martial arts are we left with? Boxing, Full Contact Karate Styles, Sanda, Sambo, Judo, BJJ, Wrestling styles and of cours ..read more

Whether you’re starting muay Thai as a pure beginner or coming in from another martial art, it can be intimidating. The atmosphere of a muay Thai gym is more like that of a boxing gym, and the types of people who are drawn to muay Thai are different from the types that are drawn to karate, taekwondo and other martial arts. In this post, I will explain how you can get started in Thai boxing, and I will tell you what to expect if you already have a martial arts background. How to Find a Good Gym Once you’ve scouted your area for muay Thai gyms, you will need to determine which one is right for ..read more

If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet, no doubt you have heard all sorts of stories explaining the origins of the martial arts. From the tale of wing chun kung fu having been developed by a woman to protect herself in an arranged marriage to the claim that taekwondo was designed to enable soldiers to kick enemies off horses on the battlefield, they are numerous. Most of them, however, are just legends. Whether they are the product of folklore or — and this is often the case — outright fabrications from hustlers, such legends are linked to the martial arts. Part of the reason so ..read more

Recently One Championship has seen a few high profile Thais losing to Westerners. Superbon lost to Chingiz Allazov and Nong-O lost to Jonathan Haggerty. The strange cult of martial arts fans on the internet cheered the idea that Muay Thai was slipping and in fact, not so great after all, ignoring that Allazov and Haggerty are both themselves, Muay Thai fighters, who just happen to be European. The real question is are Thai fighters declining? Is the rest of the world finally catching up to Thailand? The answer is quite simple, no. What we are actually seeing is fighters in their 30s, who ha ..read more

“The Kicking Machine” will make his return to Muay Thai and Lumpinee Boxing Stadium on Friday, June 23, at ONE Friday Fights 22. ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 returns to battle Nabil Anane on the stacked card. And for the Thai star, it’s all about the return to the historic venue. “[I switched from kickboxing] because I want to fight at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium. I miss this place. When the ONE team called me and told me that the fight will take place on June 23 at Lumpinee, I was so excited. I accepted the offer immediately,” Superlek told ONE Championship. Si ..read more

Jonathan Haggerty is now One Championship’s Bantamweight Champion after defeating Nong-O. Haggerty has been consistently at the front of international Muay Thai, after first winning the flyweight title from Sam-A in a surprise upset. After back-to-back losses to Rodtang, we finally saw Haggerty move up a division after failing to make weight and the new division seems to suit him better. Jonathan Haggerty is an exceptional fighter but at 125 he was particularly vulnerable to body shots, which is common among taller, lankier fighters such as himself. At 135, Haggerty looks strong and muscula ..read more

While the term “power” might be subjective, but we’re viewing the term from a purely kinetic standpoint. Muay Thai, also known as the “Art of Eight Limbs,” is a dynamic and devastating martial art that has captivated practitioners and enthusiasts around the world. With its emphasis on powerful strikes, relentless knee and elbow techniques, and effective clinching, Muay Thai stands out as one of the most formidable and powerful martial arts styles in existence. Keep reading to find out why. 1. A Symphony of Strikes At the heart of Muay Thai lies a wide range of striking techniques that make ..read more

Fans in the United States will experience that for the first time in-person on May 5 with Rodtang defends the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship against Edgar Tabares at ONE Fight Night 10. Coming to America and helping grow the sport is something Rodtang is very appreciative of as he eyes his latest title defense. “I’m glad and honored to receive this chance from ONE Championship to fight in the USA. It’s a dream of all the boxers who want to be elevated to the international level,” Rodtang told ONE. “I’d like to thank ONE Championship for giving me this opportunity to show the ar ..read more

The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over the origins of Southeast Asian boxing continues as Cambodia has offered $20,000 and citizenship to a Brazilian fighter stripped of his muay Thai championship for representing Cambodia's kun Khmer boxing style. Thiago Teixeira had originally trained in Thai boxing and even has a tattoo saying "muay Thai." But he recently switched to a Cambodian boxing camp and when he captured the World Muay Thai Organization's middleweight title on April 1 in Germany, draped himself in a Cambodian flag and made statements indicating muay Thai originated in Cambo ..read more

Jackie Buntan will try to make an emphatic statement when ONE Championship makes its U.S. debut next month. The global martial arts promotion will make landfall in Colorado on Friday, May 5, with a stacked lineup for ONE Fight Night 10. Of the four Muay Thai athletes competing on the card, only Buntan will be representing America. With the sport growing domestically, Buntan admits there is pressure coming into this bout wearing the stars and stripes around her shoulders. “A hundred percent [there is pressure]. It’s not like the pressure where it’s keeping me up at night and I can’t eat. But ..read more