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- Muay Thai Culture News 2/10/25
Muay Thai Culture News 2/10/25
All the best news, clicks, and tricks!
Aaron Veverka
February 10, 2025
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Muay Thai Culture News 1/06/25
Table of Contents
If anyone forgot why only elite martial artists can hold a ONE Championship World Title, then Prajanchai PK Saenchai was quick to remind them.
The two-sport king meticulously picked apart his challenger “El Jefe” Ellis Badr Barboza in their ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title showdown at ONE Fight Night 28 to retain his 26-pound gold strap on Friday, February 7.
Although Prajanchai finished “El Jefe” by TKO at the 1:55 mark of round four in the main event, which aired live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, he made the finish a slow and painful one.
It all began in round one, where the Thai legend-in-the-making poked and probed Barboza with jabs. He waited and watched for a reaction, baiting the Englishman into what would turn out to be a dangerous game of catch and counter.
Barboza, showing grit, was happy to stand and trade punches with Prajanchai. But as the fight progressed into round two, the Thai’s confidence overshadowed his challenger’s heart.
The defending ONE World Champion tagged “El Jefe” with laser-like accuracy. Elbow after elbow, punch after punch, Prajanchai poured on the pressure. And by the end of round three, Barboza looked just like a man should after spending nine minutes in the ring with someone who has nearly 400 fights – battered.
Former multi-time ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama has gold on his mind, having recently moved down to flyweight to continue his legendary career.
Nong-O, who is arguably the greatest bantamweight Muay Thai world champion in history, will be competing in the flyweight division for the first time in a decade and will make his debut against an absolute star in countryman Kongthoranee Sor Sommai.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post in a recent interview, Nong-O talked about gunning for the vacant ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title with a win over Kongthoranee.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
The 38-year-old veteran said:
"Everyone wants to be a champion, and this is my first time in flyweight in ONE Championship, so I think I will be focusing on this fight first, and after that we can talk about it."
Nong-O and Kongthoranee square off in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 28: Prajanchai vs. Barboza on Prime Video, which will broadcast live in U.S. primetime on Friday, February 7, from the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Nong-O Hama still feels like he has plenty of fights left in him.
The 38-year-old Thai legend has seen his fair share of struggles in recent years, coming up short in three of his last four fights, including a pair of brutal knockout losses against Jonathan Haggerty and Nico Carrillo.
However, despite his setbacks and staring down the barrel of turning 40, the former ONE world champion believes he's still got plenty of fight left.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Nong-O said:
"With me being in my late 30s, I feel that it’s important to show the younger generations, the people at the gym who look up to me, that age is not important. It’s more about how you focus on your training, how you take care of yourself. It’s more of that."
A recently formed Muay Thai kickboxing club in the Sault is sending one of its fighters to a southern Ontario tournament in search of his second win.
Dragon Muay Thai was founded about a year ago by Benjamin Roswell, who wanted to bring the kickboxing martial art to Sault Ste. Marie.
"There's been gyms that offer some form of martial arts, whether it's kickboxing or some form of karate or taekwondo, but there hasn't been an official traditional Muay Thai gym," said Roswell.
The 33-year-old learned Muay Thai as a teenager in Brantford, Ont. and later spent five years training in China and three weeks training in Thailand.
"Muay Thai is known as the art of eight limbs. It teaches you how to punch, use your elbows, your knees, and your kicks," Roswell said.
It also comes with a lot of traditions that Roswell has learned along the way and seeks to preserve through his teaching. Roswell uses the title of kru, or teacher, as head of the program.
He first became interested in Muay Thai while watching mixed martial arts, or MMA events, because many fighters use that form.
"When I was younger, my brothers used to watch UFC and I would tag along with them. There was a local gym [in Brantford] called Cage Dragon and that's where I got to see it firsthand," he said.
Dragon Muay Thai has about 20 adult male students, which Roswell said is about the maximum he can support at the moment.
"I'm not only teaching them how to defend themselves and how to fight on the streets or in the ring — I'm trying to implement how to have better character and better their lives moving forward," said Roswell.
Muay Thai is the latest martial art to enjoy a growing fan base within the Armed Forces and has been officially recognised by all three services' sport boards.
The national sport of Thailand is referred to as "the art of eight limbs". Athletes can use any of the eight strikes on both the upper and lower body, making for a fast-paced and explosive sport.
Julian Evans recently visited a British Army training session too find out more about the growing sport and what the official recognition will mean for its future.
"It's one of the most effective martial arts there is," said Army competitor Sergeant Aiden Webster.
"You're using every limb that you can. You're not restricted in that sense so you've got punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes and kicking.
"You can also do some grappling or clinch work as we call it - standing grappling and wrestling moves.
"It's really all-encompassing."
A number of the Army team are set to compete at the national Muay Thai Championships, while the first Inter Services competition will take place in 2026.
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Thailand is betting big on Muay Thai. The government is leveraging the ancient martial form, known as the "art of eight limbs", as a key weapon in its soft power strategy, aiming to generate billions of baht for the national economy.
The gamble kicks off with the "Muay Thai World Festival" this month, a landmark event poised to catapult the sport onto the global stage and attract up to 30,000 attendees.
Four of Muay Thai's biggest stars—Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Superlek Kiatmuu9, Saenchai Deenaym, and Stamp Fairtex—are headlining the festival, at Siam Paragon from February 5-9.
"This year marks the dawn of Muay Thai's golden age," says Surapong Suebwonglee, chair of the National Soft Power Development Committee.
Rare Ajarn Chai seminar from 1993!
Former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O Hama said the decision to slide to flyweight at this stage of his illustrious career makes sense, seeing how losing weight is not an issue for him.
He shared this in an interview with ONE Championship ahead of his debut in the 135-pound weight class at ONE Fight Night 28: Prajanchai vs. Barboza on Feb. 8 at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand saying:
“For me, losing weight is not difficult. I already have a nutritionist to help me. For food, my wife will take care of it for me. So, it's easy because we know what we're eating. I don't even touch sweets or fried food. But I miss it so much.”
Nong-O will make his flyweight debut against Kongthoranee Sor Sommai in an all-Thai clash, which serves as the co-main event at ONE Fight Night 28.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
The match will see Nong-O change lanes after long competing in bantamweight, where he became ONE world champion in 2019 and successfully defended his belt seven times.
Out to clip him in his flyweight debut is Kongthoranee, a fixture in the division and has had a lot of success in it, winning 10 of 12 matches to date under ONE Championship.
ONE Fight Night 28 is available live and for free at U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Nong-O talked about how non-Thai fighters are learning the sport more to create world-class talent.
Over the past few years, non-Thai fighters have proven themselves by becoming ONE Championship Muay Thai world champions, including Jonathan Haggerty, Roman Kryklia, Regian Eersel, and Allycia Hellen Rodrigues.
During an interview with the South China Morning Post, former bantamweight Muay Thai world champion Nong-O had this to say about how fighters from countries other than Thailand have evolved:
"I firmly believe that when it comes to Muay Thai, the Thai fighters are very good. But I cannot really say that Thai fighters are the best because around the world all of the people are learning Muay Thai, they’re learning it, and there are actually good fighters around the world, not just in Thailand."
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
In April 2023, Nong-O lost his ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world title due to a first-round knockout loss against Jonathan Haggerty.
Since then, the Thai legend has fought three times under the ONE banner against Nico Carrillo (second-round knockout loss), Kulabdam (unanimous decision win), and Kiamran Nabati (unanimous decision loss).
Artur Naydenov, an 11th grade student of Kherson School #36, won a silver medal at the Odesa Region Open Muay Thai Boxing Championship.
This was reported by the Education Department of Kherson City Council.
The competition, dedicated to the memory of Honored Coach of Ukraine Yuriy Chervyakov, was held among athletes in the 16-17 age category.
Arthur showed a high level of training and endurance, which allowed him to win an honorable second place.
Recently, Kherson coach Tetyana Nasonova won the All-Ukrainian shot put competition "E. Karsak Memorial" held in Odesa.
Earlier, Intent told about Olympic athletes from Kherson region. These are graduates of the best rowing school, a tennis player from Nova Kakhovka, a wrestler and an athlete who was caught in the occupied regional center during the war.
In addition, Alina Poloziuk, as part of the Ukrainian women's foil fencing team, won a silver medal at the first stage of the FIE World Cup, which took place in Tunisia from November 21 to 24.
In the 1/8 finals, the team defeated the Hungarian national team (45:38), and in the 1/4 finals defeated the world ranking leaders - the Italian national team (45:43). In the semifinals, the Ukrainians defeated France, and Alina Poloziuk played a decisive role in the match, turning the tide in the team's favor with a 41-39 victory.
In late October, the athlete from Mykolaiv won the title of European Weightlifting Champion. In total, 35 weightlifters represented Ukraine at the competition. Ruslana Kuzikova from Mykolaiv won the title of European champion among young people under 23 in the 49 kg weight category.
Also, freediver Kateryna Sadurska, who was born in Mykolaiv, won a gold medal at a competition in Greece and set new national and world records. This year, the freediver paid special attention to the flipperless discipline, which is the most technically challenging and physically demanding.
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