60 Fun Facts About Muay Thai

Muay Thai is famously nicknamed the "Art of" how many "Limbs"?

The eight are the two fists, two elbows, two knees and two shins, all of which are legal striking weapons.

A Thai boxer is known in Thai by what two-word term?

Foreigners training in Thailand are sometimes called Nak Muay Farang, literally "foreign boxer".

What is the name of the headband a Muay Thai fighter wears into the ring before a bout?

It is traditionally presented by a trainer when the fighter is judged ready to represent the gym, and is removed and placed in the corner after the pre-fight ritual.

The armbands worn by Muay Thai fighters are called what?

Their origin story: warriors tied strips of a mother's sarong around their arms for luck before going into battle.

Which two Bangkok venues are considered the two main stadiums of modern Muay Thai?

Both run their own ranking systems and championship belts, and a Lumpinee or Rajadamnern title is still the most prestigious prize in the sport.

Which part of the leg are Thai boxers trained to always kick with?

The foot's many small bones make it a weak weapon; shins are hardened by repeatedly striking pads and heavy bags.

The pre-fight ritual dance performed in the ring to honour a fighter's teacher is called what?

Fighters circle the ring counter-clockwise and bow three times at each corner to Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha before the dance begins.

The movements of the ram muay dance are traditionally said to be based on which figure?

The dance is personal to each fighter and often contains clues about who trained them and where they are from.

What is the name of the umbrella term for the ancient, pre-1930s unarmed martial arts of Thailand?

Its rope-bound techniques included grappling and ground fighting that vanished once gloves, rounds and referees arrived.

Which Thai king modernised Muay Thai in the 1920s-30s with referees, gloves, rounds and Western rings?

Many of the older techniques were banned or became impractical under the new rules, and the old art went into decline.

Which folk hero, said to have beaten ten Burmese fighters in 1767, is the 'father of Muay Thai'?

Scholars now argue the tale is a 20th-century invented tradition built to serve Thai national identity.

On what date does Thailand stage its annual Muay Thai Day festival and wai khru ceremony?

The date commemorates a folk legend about a war captive beating ten Burmese fighters, rather than a documented event.

In 1788 King Rama I arranged a bout between a Siamese royal-guard boxer and men from where?

Two French brothers had come to Bangkok seeking a prize fight; the Siamese boxer Muean Phlan evaded the younger one until the elder brother jumped in.

Which French diplomat recorded in 1687 that fist-and-elbow fighting was an occupation of the Siamese?

His account appears in Du Royaume de Siam, written during the reign of King Narai.

Which Ayutthaya-era king reportedly entered a temple-fair boxing contest in disguise in 1702 and won twice?

His prize was one baht fifty satang, after which he got back on his boat and returned to Ayutthaya.

The traditional rope-binding of the hands used before gloves were adopted is known as what?

Knots over the knuckles made strikes more abrasive; gloves and foot coverings were adopted after a death in the ring.

Where was Siam's first permanent boxing ring built in 1921?

It was used for both muay and British boxing, both of which were on the school's curriculum.

Which prime minister ordered the construction of a national boxing stadium on Rajadamnern Avenue in 1941?

World War II shortages halted the work for years; once it resumed, the stadium was finished in only four months.

Rajadamnern Stadium held its first boxing match in December of which year?

The original stadium was open-air and resembled a Roman amphitheatre; a concrete roof was added in 1951.

Lumpinee Boxing Stadium is run by which organisation?

All proceeds go to the Army Welfare Department, and the board is made up entirely of army officers.

In which year did Lumpinee Stadium open its doors?

General Praphas Charusathien drove the project; it was the second national stadium after Rajadamnern.

In 2014 Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium moved to a new home on which thoroughfare?

The new venue holds up to 5,000 spectators; the old site is now part of the One Bangkok development.

Lumpinee Stadium, long closed to women, hosted its first female fight card in November of which year?

The main event saw Sanaejan Sor.Jor.Tongprajin win the WBC Muaythai mini flyweight title by decision.

Who was the first non-Thai fighter to win a Lumpinee Stadium championship, in 1999?

Ramon Dekkers, perhaps the most famous foreigner in Lumpinee history, never actually won the belt.

Which early-1980s Lumpinee lightweight champion reportedly retired because he ran out of opponents?

He held the belt undefeated for four years.

Which fighter, the "Muhammad Ali of Muay Thai", also won a WBC super bantamweight boxing title in 1986?

He knocked out Lupe Pintor for the belt, then between boxing stints released three pop albums with Grammy Entertainment.

The ring surname "Payakaroon", used by a 1980s Lumpinee great, translates as "Tiger of the" what?

Combined with his good looks it earned him the nickname "Jade-faced Tiger".

Buakaw Banchamek's ring name means what in Thai?

He was born Sombat Banchamek in Surin and had his first fight at the age of eight.

Buakaw became internationally famous by winning which Japanese kickboxing tournament in 2004 and 2006?

His 2006 win over Andy Souwer made him the first man to take the title twice.

Buakaw's 2010 film was about which Japanese adventurer who became a governor in 17th-century Siam?

Saenchai also appeared in Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya, making it a rare film with two Muay Thai greats.

Buakaw led a Guinness World Record performance in 2023 for the largest what?

He has spent his later career as an ambassador for the sport as much as a competitor.

Saenchai reportedly earned how much for winning his first bout, at the age of eight?

He had trained for only a week; the sum is roughly a dollar.

Saenchai's early ring name Sor.Khamsing came from his gym owner, an Olympic boxing gold medallist. Who?

Kamsing paid a 300,000 baht transfer fee for the teenage prospect.

Rodtang Jitmuangnon is the longest-reigning flyweight Muay Thai champion of which promotion?

Born Tinnakorn Srisawat, he had his first fight at eight to help support his family.

Rodtang lost a 2018 Tokyo kickboxing bout in an extra round to which Japanese star?

The five-round fight was scored a draw and had to go to an extra round, which the judges gave to Nasukawa.

ONE Championship was founded in 2011 by Victor Cui and which entrepreneur?

Its first event sold out the Singapore Indoor Stadium; the company relocated its legal home to the Cayman Islands in 2022.

Who was ONE Championship's inaugural Muay Thai world champion, crowned in 2018?

The promotion launched its Muay Thai and kickboxing titles in the same year it traded Ben Askren to the UFC for Demetrious Johnson.

The 2003 film Ong-Bak, which introduced Muay Thai to many Western audiences, was directed by whom?

Panna Rittikrai handled the action choreography; Tony Jaa himself directed the two prequels.

In Ong-Bak, Tony Jaa's character Ting travels to Bangkok to recover what stolen object?

The film ends with the giant Buddha head falling on the crime lord Komtuan.

Before acting, Tony Jaa spent 14 years working as what?

He worked for Muay Thai Stunt and once doubled for Sammo Hung in an energy-drink commercial that involved somersaulting onto an elephant.

Which 2015 Hollywood film marked Tony Jaa's first English-speaking role?

The same year he made his Hong Kong debut in SPL II: A Time for Consequences.

Why is the amateur federation's official spelling the single word "Muaythai"?

The amendment was made to IFMA's constitution when the sport joined SportAccord in 2006, in line with Olympic requirements.

In December of which year did the IOC Executive Board grant Muaythai provisional recognition?

Full recognition followed at the IOC General Assembly in Tokyo five years later, and the sport was a demonstration event at Paris 2024.

In which year was the World Muaythai Council set up by Thai parliamentary resolution?

Its inaugural meeting was held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok with delegates from 39 countries.

Muay Thai became a fully recognised medal sport at the Southeast Asian Games starting in which year?

IFMA later fell out with the 2023 hosts in Phnom Penh over what the discipline should be called.

Under what name was the sport held at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, prompting a Thai boycott?

IFMA threatened six member countries with a two-year ban if they entered; in the end only Thai athletes boycotted.

In Muay Thai terminology, the straight push kick used to control distance is called what?

The word literally means "foot jab"; the roundhouse is the te chiang.

Blocking a roundhouse kick with the outside of the raised lower leg is known by what one-word term?

Because the foot is fragile, low and mid kicks are met with the upper shin rather than the arms.

Formal Muay Thai techniques are divided into "major" and "minor" groups known respectively as what?

Mae mai are the master techniques; luk mai are the smaller variations built on them.

What is a flying knee, where the fighter steps, jumps off one leg and strikes with that leg's knee, called?

Khao dot is a jumping knee from a standing position; khao thon is the straight knee thrust forward.

Which strike is described as the most dangerous form of attack in Muay Thai?

Diagonal elbows are fastest; from the side an elbow can be used to cut the opponent's eyebrow so blood blocks their vision.

What is the Thai term for the clinch, where fighters bind each other and throw knees and elbows?

Unlike Western boxing, fighters are not separated when they clinch; the correct front clinch keeps hands behind the head with fingers unlaced.

Roughly how many Thai boxing gyms were estimated to exist overseas in 2020?

The sport spread internationally in the late 20th century as Thai fighters entered kickboxing and mixed-rules events abroad.

At Rajadamnern Stadium, legal gambling on the second level is conducted by what method?

Foreigners usually take the pricey ringside seats while gamblers prefer the upper tiers.

Which muay boran style from Surat Thani province is noted for working against heavier opponents?

Its founder-figures were honoured under Rama V and VI; Korat is known for power, Lopburi for speed.

The term "Muay Thai" succeeded the older name "Ram Mut Ram Muay" from the reign of which king?

The older name dates from the reign of King Rama II (1809-1824); the modern term has since entered the global vocabulary.

Under IFMA rules, how is a bout decided if it goes the distance with both fighters level on points?

Strikes only score if they land unblocked; blows that hit a glove, forearm, shin or foot do not count.

Muay Thai was included at the 2023 European Games held in which Polish city?

The European Olympic Committees announced the sport's inclusion for the Krakow games, another step in its push for Olympic status.

What is the bone-hardening process by which Thai boxers toughen their shins on heavy bags called?

Fighters repeatedly strike a dense heavy bag with their shins, which hardens the bone over time.

The mongkhon and pra jiad originated as pieces torn from a loved one's clothing, often a mother's what?

Young men wore the strips into battle for luck and to ward off harmful spirits; today the mongkhon is worn as a tribute to the fighter's gym.