All You Need to Know About Muay Thai

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Austin Petti

In this article, we answer some common questions that a casual combat sports spectator may have about the art of Muay Thai and it’s history.

Q: What is the origin of Muay Thai (MT)?

A: Muay Thai is considered the national sport of Thailand, so children have been learning in schools and gyms for years and years. It comes from the term “Siamese Boxing.” Noting that Thailand was named Siam in the past, just as Myanmar was called Burma, and having a lot of ancient war history between the two countries. A legend is told that the king of Burma had a Siamese prisoner named Khanomtom and he had to face multiple attackers one after another. The king was amazed, and this is the “legend” or “myth” of Muay Thai fighters being such strong people and honing their skills. They began to give it life; they wanted everyone to be strong like this man that was given his freedom after fighting an ungodly amount of people using the art of 8 limbs.

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UFC 307 PREDICTION: ALEX PEREIRA VS KHALIL ROUNTREE JR

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Joshua Okeke

Saturday, October 5, 2024

10:00 PM EDT

Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Streaming: TNT SPORTS, ESPN+

Cheers!! On Saturday, Salt Lake City will host another UFC Octagon blockbuster Light Heavyweight division fight. The scheduled bout would have [#1 LHW/#6 P4P] (C) Alex Pereira try to defend his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship for the third time against “The War Horse,” [#8 LHW] Khalil Rountree Jr.  All odds are available via fightodds.io

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Exclusive Interview with Professional Kickboxer, Hamza Bounabri

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Heather

Introduction

Hamza Bounabri is a professional kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter from Casablanca, Morocco.  When he moved to a smaller city, he decided it was time to hit the gym. Hamza Bounabri had begun to train Taekwondo at the young age of twelve. Afterwards, he went to Thailand and fell in love with the culture and trained in Muay Thai. His professional record is 32-6-0 and he is ranked #11 Super Lightweight in the world by the World Kickboxing Federation.  Hamza is a well-rounded fighter with experience in various martial arts. He has an impressive record, and after stepping into a gym at twelve years old, he acquired a seemingly different mindset.

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Khalil Rountree and Health Awareness

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Heather

On October 5th 2024, UFC Light Heavyweight champion [#1] Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira will be defending his title against a 15-fight UFC veteran, [#8] Khalil Rountree Jr.  Rountree had a somewhat rocky start to his UFC career; however he is currently on five-fight win streak with four finishes. While Khalil is an underdog in this fight, with the current odds having Pereira as -500 favorite, Rountree’s Muay Thai skills and power make him a dangerous opponent to even such a decorated striker as Poatan. It will be an uphill battle for Khalil, but I am hoping to see an entertaining stand-up fight while it lasts.

I think Khalil Rountree is a great Muay Thai fighter and wonderful mental health advocate and inspirational person. During a press conference, he opened up about how he had struggled with being depressed and overweight in the past. This hits hard to home for a lot of people in the United States and worldwide. He’s a very relatable individual to so many of us out there. With mental health illnesses still having a stigma, it’s impressive to see a public figure being so open and emotional on live TV, regarding his life struggles with depression and obesity.

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The Different Styles of Muay Thai

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Austin Petti

So, in this article we are going to explain the different styles. Some are minor styles that are not used often, and some are the main styles that most people use.

1. Muay Mat: (Boxing Low-Kick Style)

Muay Mat is the most popular style for foreigners of Thailand to use and Thai people as well. You can use all the tools of Muay Thai in any situation but in Muay Mat the Nak Muay (fighter) uses good boxing skills as well as nasty low kicks as their main weapons and they use a full power looking for the KO if it is due to low kicks or KO punches.

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UFC 307: Glory (Kickboxing) vs Muay Thai

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Austin Petti

Why did I choose Khalil as the ambassador for Muay Thai? He is married and got married in Thailand. He enjoys training at Tiger Muay Thai & MMA in Phuket. First, we have the Wai Kru, a dance that Khalil does. He does a much quicker version of the Wai Khru, as it is a big part of the muay Thai show. It is the dance, which may be similar to John Wayne Parr in which you pull out your invisible guns, much like the original John Wayne. This is where you can be a little creative or insert part of your personality. I noticed his last fight with Anthony Smith, he did a similar Wai Khru, which provides protection, shows honor and gives you heart.

If you want to see a Muay Thai clinic you should watch his fight with Eryk Anders. He nearly knocks him out via leg kicks with Anders falling due to them throughout the fight. Most of the Fight was spent, by Khalil, having Anders stand back up using the low kick to provide his victory.

Khalil would be considered more of a Muay Mat type fighter. It is normal for foreigners to take this style, as it is more based on boxing and ending combinations with low kicks or entering starting with the low kick to keep you confused about low and high attacks . This is the link to the actual fight, but it is a Muay Thai clinic without one answer. 

When watching these fights, you can notice in the first minute, he is bringing his front leg light and puts most of the weight on the back foot. You can also see him target the low kick and moving into the second round he picks up the pace to try to finish the fight. This goes on for round two and three. Eryk Anders, comments that Anders should throw in the towel. Noticing how Khalil has a leg strong kicks and mid kick defense, he uses the shield he brings the leg up connects his knee to elbow to make the power disperse over a larger mass shows we need to keep a look for his defense coming up with Pereira every fighter says the leg kick is so hard. Which segues us into Alex Pereira.

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