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At 44 years old, the fighter they call 'A Hundred Thousand Victories' continues to defy time, physics, and opponents twice his size—proving that in the ancient art of eight limbs, genius trumps everything

BANGKOK — In a cramped gym tucked away in the Bang Kho Laem district of Bangkok, down a narrow soi lined with food stalls and Thai-style apartments, a slight figure glides across canvas that has absorbed decades of sweat and blood. At 5-foot-5 and 135 pounds, Suphachai Saenpong—known to the world simply as Saenchai—moves with the fluid grace of water finding its path, his feet dancing in patterns that seem to violate the laws of combat physics. He executes a technique that has become his calling card: the cartwheel kick, a gymnastic flourish that sends his shin whistling toward an imaginary opponent's head while his body rotates through space.

It's a move that would be flashy showboating from anyone else. From Saenchai, it's simply Tuesday. "I was not born a great Muay Thai fighter," Saenchai says through an interpreter, a statement that would sound like false modesty if it weren't delivered with such matter-of-fact sincerity. "Being the smallest and weakest fighter in elite camps, I constantly developed myself and evolved my weakness into strength."

This evolution has produced what many consider the greatest Muay Thai fighter of all time—a technician so skilled, so creative, so impossibly difficult to hit that he has transcended his sport to become a global icon. With a professional record of approximately 346 fights, 299 wins, 42 losses, and 5 draws spanning nearly four decades, Saenchai has rewritten the rulebook on what's possible in the ring. More remarkably, at an age when most fighters have long since retired, he continues to compete, teach, and inspire a new generation discovering the ancient martial art of his homeland.

The story begins, as so many Muay Thai legends do, in Thailand's rural northeast region of Isan—specifically in Maha Sarakham province, a place better known for producing fighters than fortune. Born on July 30, 1980, young Suphachai grew up in a world where Muay Thai wasn't just a sport but often the only path out of poverty. His entry into fighting was almost accidental. At eight years old, his playful, hyperactive nature prompted a schoolteacher to take him to a local gym to "expend his excess energy," as one account describes it.

At Jocky Gym, he found not just an outlet but a calling. Within a week of first stepping through the gym doors, he had his debut fight at a local temple fair near his home. He won, earning 30 baht—roughly one U.S. dollar. "When I won my first fight, it motivated me to take my training seriously," Saenchai recalls. That first purse, modest as it was, represented possibility. His father, recognizing the spark in his young son, encouraged him to pursue boxing with dedication. Soon, young Suphachai was competing across the Isan region under the name "Saenchai Sor. Kingstar," claiming his first championship title in the 34-kilogram weight class while still a child.

The ringname "Saenchai" translates to "a hundred thousand victories"—a prophetic choice for a fighter who would go on to accumulate wins at a rate that staggers comprehension. At 14, Saenchai made his leap to Bangkok, the mecca of Muay Thai, where the legendary Lumpinee and Rajadamnern stadiums host the sport's most elite competition. There, at Jocky Gym, he trained under fighters known for their lightning-fast reflexes and "slippery" defensive style—techniques that would become the foundation of his unique approach to combat.

The legendary Olympic boxer Somluck Kamsing recognized something special in the teenage fighter and purchased his contract for 300,000 baht. Under the name Saenchai Sor Khamsing, the young southpaw captured his first Lumpinee Stadium championship at super flyweight (115 pounds) in 1997 at age 16. Two years later, he won it again at bantamweight (118 pounds). These weren't just titles—they were markers of arrival in a sport where the Lumpinee belt represents the apex of achievement, the equivalent of a Grand Slam in tennis or a heavyweight championship in boxing.

And Saenchai was just getting started. Between 1996 and 2014, Saenchai amassed over 200 fights at the highest level of Muay Thai competition. He would eventually capture the Lumpinee Stadium championship five times across four different weight classes—super flyweight, bantamweight, super featherweight (130 pounds), and lightweight (135 pounds)—a feat that underscores not just his skill but his willingness to move up in weight to find competitive challenges.

His accolades stacked up like cordwood: two-time Sports Writers Association of Thailand Fighter of the Year (1999 and 2008—nearly a decade apart, testament to his sustained dominance), Toyota Cup Tournament champion, WMC World Champion, WBC Diamond World Champion. The titles are impressive; the manner in which he won them is what separates Saenchai from merely great fighters.

In Muay Thai, fighters are broadly categorized by style: Muay Khao (knee fighters), Muay Mat (punchers), Muay Tae (kickers), and Muay Femur (technical fighters). Saenchai is the platonic ideal of the last category—a technician so refined that watching him fight becomes less a sporting event than a masterclass in applied physics, psychology, and timing. His style, forged during his early years at Jocky Gym and refined to perfection over the years, combined quick reflexes with amazing fight IQ to keep damage to a minimum. Indeed, in over two hundred elite-level fights, Saenchai has been knocked out only once, early in his professional career.

His defensive prowess is legendary—he doesn't block so much as not be where punches and kicks are landing. Opponents swing at shadows; Saenchai is already elsewhere, countering from angles they didn't know existed. His offensive arsenal is equally devastating and creative. The cartwheel kick, while his most famous technique, is just one tool in a box overflowing with innovation. There's the "Saenchai Shuffle," a deceptive footwork pattern where he steps sideways or switches stances in ways that disrupt opponent rhythm and create unexpected attack angles.

His fake roundhouse-to-teep requires hip dexterity that borders on the anatomically improbable—the kick starts on the trajectory of a roundhouse before whipping into a push kick, leaving opponents defending against strikes that transform mid-flight. Nothing about Saenchai's approach is basic or easy—and that's precisely the point. While traditional Muay Thai emphasizes the "art of eight limbs" (fists, elbows, knees, and shins), Saenchai seems to possess about twenty, so varied and unpredictable are his attacks. He incorporates Muay Boran (ancient Muay Thai) techniques that have fallen out of modern competition, resurrecting them with devastating effectiveness.

His clinch work defies convention. Where taller fighters would typically dominate in the close-quarters wrestling that characterizes elite Muay Thai, Saenchai uses his smaller stature as an advantage, hunting for body locks that negate height advantages and executing sweeps that send opponents tumbling to the canvas with balletic inevitability.

Perhaps most remarkably, he does all this with a playful confidence that borders on comedy. Saenchai has been known to taunt opponents mid-fight, to toy with them, to execute techniques with such nonchalant ease that it borders on disrespect—though it's never mean-spirited. Rather, it's the confidence of a master so comfortable in his domain that he can afford to be generous, even playful, with his genius.

What truly cements Saenchai's legendary status isn't just how he wins, but whom he defeats. Throughout his career, he has made a practice of fighting opponents significantly larger than himself—giving up ten, fifteen, even twenty pounds or more. In Muay Thai, weight classes exist for good reason.

A few pounds can mean the difference between victory and concussion. Yet Saenchai routinely ignored these boundaries, taking on larger opponents because, frankly, finding worthy competition at his natural weight became impossible. From 2003 to 2014, Saenchai suffered only two losses in Thailand when weights were even. His other defeats occurred when he willingly took on weight disadvantages, actively seeking the challenge of fighting uphill. In 2006, he faced Sang-Soo Lim from Korea in Japan. Lim stood 21 centimeters taller and weighed 10 kilograms more than Saenchai.

The fight lasted two rounds before Saenchai knocked him out with a right hook. In perhaps his most audacious display, on July 3, 2009, Saenchai fought two elite Muay Thai fighters in a single bout at Lumpinee Stadium, dividing five rounds between opponents Saketdao Petpayathai and Petchboonchu FA Group—both formidable champions in their own right. He won.

His list of conquered opponents reads like a who's-who of Muay Thai royalty: Nong-O Kaiyanghadao (now a ONE Championship champion), whom Saenchai defeated in all six of their meetings; Petchboonchu FA Group, the most decorated Muay Thai fighter of all time and premier Muay Khao of his generation; Singdam Kiatmoo9; Orono Wor Petchpun; and dozens of elite foreign fighters including Liam Harrison (whom he beat three times), Fabio Pinca, Kevin Ross, and countless others.

Most Thai fighters retire before or around age 30. The sport is brutal—a war of attrition on bodies and brains. Saenchai has now competed well into his forties, a longevity unheard of in modern fight sports. Between 2014 and 2019 alone, he competed in 68 bouts—averaging 11-12 fights per year for six continuous years while in his thirties. Since 2014, Saenchai has been a fixture at Thai Fight, Thailand's premier Muay Thai promotion, where he holds the records for most titles (five King's Cups at 67 kg and 70 kg) and all-time wins (52).

He regularly headlines events, entertaining crowds with the same creativity and skill that made him famous decades ago. What accounts for this remarkable longevity? Partly, it's his style—the emphasis on evasion, timing, and technique over brute force means he's accumulated far less damage than fighters who rely on trading blows. His fight IQ allows him to work smarter, not harder. And partly, it's sheer love for the art.

While Saenchai continues to fight, much of his energy now flows toward passing on his knowledge. His P.K. Saenchai Muaythaigym in Bangkok's Bang Kho Laem district has become a pilgrimage site for Muay Thai enthusiasts worldwide. The facility, created in partnership with businessman Somchai Tedrungruang, houses some of Thailand's elite fighters and welcomes international students seeking authentic training.

The gym operates with the intensity and seriousness befitting its namesake. Training sessions run from 7 AM to 6 PM, six days a week, with morning sessions offering a quieter atmosphere for those seeking personalized instruction. When Saenchai is in Bangkok—between his frequent seminars and competitions abroad—students have the rare opportunity to receive instruction directly from the legend himself.

The gym has produced its own generation of champions, including Tawanchai P.K. Saenchai, the current ONE Championship Muay Thai Featherweight World Champion, who trains under the P.K. Saenchai banner and carries forward the technical excellence the gym represents. Beyond the gym, Saenchai has embraced the digital age with remarkable savvy. His Instagram account boasts over 2 million followers, where he regularly shares training clips, technique breakdowns, and motivational content.

More significantly, he's developed comprehensive online courses, making his techniques accessible to a global audience. His "How to Fight Giants Super Course" teaches the exact methods he used to defeat bigger, stronger opponents across three decades and 400 fights. The course includes detailed breakdowns of his signature techniques, strategies for fighting taller opponents, and the ring craftsmanship that separated him from his peers. His global seminar tours have taken him to over 20 countries across six continents.

In September 2019, he conducted a three-week tour of the United States, visiting 20 gyms in 20 different cities. These seminars typically draw massive crowds, with students eager to learn directly from someone who has achieved what seems impossible in their chosen martial art.

Saenchai's influence extends well beyond Muay Thai gyms and stadiums. He has appeared in films and documentaries, including "Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya" (2010) and "Lumpinee" (2018), bringing Muay Thai culture to broader audiences. His signature techniques have been adopted by fighters in Mixed Martial Arts, with UFC fighter Alan Jouban notably executing a Saenchai-style cartwheel kick at UFC Fight Night 71 in 2015.

His partnership with YOKKAO, the Muay Thai equipment and promotion company, has helped globalize the sport. As a sponsored athlete and ambassador, Saenchai has been instrumental in YOKKAO's growth from a Thai company to an international brand. In Thailand, he is more than an athlete—he's a cultural icon representing the best of Muay Thai's traditions while demonstrating its continued relevance and evolution. His success has inspired countless young fighters from rural provinces to pursue the sport, showing that skill, dedication, and intelligence can overcome physical limitations.

In any discussion of Saenchai, one question inevitably arises: Is he the greatest Muay Thai fighter of all time? It's a debate that generates passionate arguments. The sport's history spans centuries, with legendary fighters emerging from every era. The Golden Age of the 1980s and 1990s produced titans like Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn, Samart Payakaroon, Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn, and others who dominated their eras with distinctive brilliance.

Yet Saenchai's case for GOAT status rests on several pillars: the sheer volume of elite-level victories, his dominance across multiple weight classes, his consistent defeat of opponents with significant physical advantages, his longevity and continued competitiveness into his forties, the revolutionary nature of his technical innovations, and his impact on the sport's global growth. Perhaps the most compelling argument comes from his peers.

When other elite fighters—men who have dedicated their lives to Muay Thai and achieved world championship status—consistently name Saenchai as the best, that consensus carries weight. They've felt his techniques, experienced his timing, witnessed his genius up close in ways no analyst or fan ever can.

As Saenchai enters his mid-forties, questions about retirement linger. He has hinted at potential retirement ages—35, then 40—only to continue fighting past each self-imposed deadline. Yet he shows no signs of slowing down. His current focus seems to be balancing competitive fighting with his roles as teacher, ambassador, and businessman. The online courses continue to evolve and expand. The gym in Bangkok thrives, producing new generations of fighters.

The seminar tours continue drawing crowds eager to learn from the master. His legacy is already secure. Whether he retires tomorrow or fights for another five years, Saenchai has fundamentally changed how people think about Muay Thai. He has proven that in combat sports, as in chess, genius can overcome physical advantages. That creativity and innovation can breathe new life into ancient techniques. That a fighter from a small farming province can become a global icon through dedication, intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to mastery.

For young fighters training in Bangkok gyms, in European dojos, in American boxing clubs, Saenchai represents possibility. His cartwheel kick isn't just a technique—it's a metaphor for defying gravity, for achieving what seems impossible, for turning weakness into strength through dedication and innovation. In the narrow soi in Bang Kho Laem, under the unforgiving Bangkok sun, Saenchai continues his work. The cartwheel kick still whistles through humid air. The feet still dance those impossible patterns.

The legend, improbably, continues to grow. At an age when most fighters are memories, Saenchai remains a living testament to what can be achieved when talent meets obsession, when natural gifts are refined through decades of relentless practice, when a fighter believes that size and strength matter far less than technique, timing, and intelligence. A hundred thousand victories? The ringname was prophecy. And the story, remarkably, isn't finished yet.

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A little look into the Muay Thaibata class!