No MMA for you-Thailand

[Cascadia K9]

March 29th 2012
Thailand has banned MMA.

The Thai sports ministry ruled this week that MMA is “too brutal” and it is henceforth prohibited to stage MMA events in the South-East Asian country.

Ministers said that mixed martial arts is “causing erosion” to the sport of Muay Thai and “damaging the image” of Thailand’s native martial art.

However, there are those in the fledgling Thai MMA industry who think that the government may have been pressured or swayed by the Muay Thai industry.

Muay Thai is huge business in Thailand. It fills arenas all over the country, generates a lot of tourist traffic, airs on television a lot and provides employment for a large swathe of young men who would be otherwise unengaged.

MMA is very new to Thailand but it had the potential to steer would-be star Thai boxers into the cage instead of into the Muay Thai ring. While it has yet to produce any serious MMA contenders, its rich combat sports pedigree meant it was probably only a matter of time.

Former Thai boxers such as Rambaa Somdet and Yodsanan Sityodtong have transitioned to MMA with various levels of success, but the real money would come from someone being able to emulate the kind of international success that Buakaw Por. Pramuk managed when he transitioned to K-1.

None of that will have been seen as beneficial to the Muay Thai industry, which is notoriously conservative, and so MMA has been dealt a crippling blow before being able to get off the ground properly. The ban does not affect MMA training, which - ironically - numerous camps are beginning to offer.

Article was written by
Fighters Only Staff

[JohnnyCache]

March 29th 2012
Thailand has banned MMA.

The Thai sports ministry ruled this week that MMA is “too brutal” and it is henceforth prohibited to stage MMA events in the South-East Asian country.

Ministers said that mixed martial arts is “causing erosion” to the sport of Muay Thai and “damaging the image” of Thailand’s native martial art.

However, there are those in the fledgling Thai MMA industry who think that the government may have been pressured or swayed by the Muay Thai industry.

Muay Thai is huge business in Thailand. It fills arenas all over the country, generates a lot of tourist traffic, airs on television a lot and provides employment for a large swathe of young men who would be otherwise unengaged.

MMA is very new to Thailand but it had the potential to steer would-be star Thai boxers into the cage instead of into the Muay Thai ring. While it has yet to produce any serious MMA contenders, its rich combat sports pedigree meant it was probably only a matter of time.

Former Thai boxers such as Rambaa Somdet and Yodsanan Sityodtong have transitioned to MMA with various levels of success, but the real money would come from someone being able to emulate the kind of international success that Buakaw Por. Pramuk managed when he transitioned to K-1.

None of that will have been seen as beneficial to the Muay Thai industry, which is notoriously conservative, and so MMA has been dealt a crippling blow before being able to get off the ground properly. The ban does not affect MMA training, which - ironically - numerous camps are beginning to offer.

Article was written by
Fighters Only Staff

Interesting ...never would have thought Thailand would be corrupt like that...

Do you have a link to the full article?

[WoodyCorpus]

Predictable protectionist move, if you ask me. One that will be overruled eventually.
The brutality argument made snicker, though, as MT matches aren't exactly knitting contests.

[Heydawg]

well.. if MMA is banned in thailand then people who live there can still cross-train in multiple arts and join the big-league MMA events :P

-if not well.. there`s always the underground league.. :P

[malsah]

Too brutal my arse! More like 'we don't want people leaving Muay Thai for MMA!'

[Wing Chun Bear]

If I'm not mistaken Muay Thai & boxing have some kinda weight limitation to fights. If overweight you are disqualified. Correct me if im wrong in MMA weights are less restricted. So it allows the fighters more chances to get into the ring to show themselves.

At the end of the day, more chances for the fighters and more money to be made for ticket sales.

[Chili Pepper]

If I'm not mistaken Muay Thai & boxing have some kinda weight limitation to fights. If overweight you are disqualified. Correct me if im wrong in MMA weights are less restricted.

Yes, you're mistaken. MMA has weight limits as well.

[Chili Pepper]

Interesting ...never would have thought Thailand would be corrupt like that...

I remember reading an interview with Don "The Dragon" Wilson about his one fight in Thailand, and he said that his dressing room had garbage bags filled with money (from the betting) accompanied by armed guards.

[ZenMMA]

This is interesting, I flew to Phuket yesterday to Train with these guys http://www.phukettopteam.com/
Although there was a tsunami alert so the plane flew me straight back to Bangkok.
Anyway, I'll ask around when I get there and see if this is enforced, although I very much doubt it is.
In Thailand anything goes if you have enough money to help make a policeman look the other way, especially in Phuket where a lot of the Martial arts world seem to congregate.

You would not believe the number of tourist deaths in that place, the whole place is run by somevery shady people.

Put it this way, if there is money to be made in MMA, you will see it in Thailand, legal or not.

[TheMightyMcClaw]

I bet you anything this will lead to a large number of Thai fighters going over the board to fight MMA in neighboring countries once they start having an MMA scene.