Why doesn't Buakaw fight in the Lumpinee?

[Cocakillbana]

Originally Posted by Noblet10

If these fighters in Thailand were genuinely better, they would go fight somewhere else for more money just like Buakaw has done. My guess is the actual skill level in K-1 and other promotions is higher in general than MT fights in Thailand. The money is also higher, and that is the main reason Buakaw fights there instead of Thailand.

He may have had mixed results against unknown Thai fighters, but that happens in combat sports. One mistake, and you are done. Also, in more well known events, he can study his opponent to come up with a game plan. He can't really do this against an unknown fighter. Anyways, the best will fight where there is more money.

[ichibang]

Originally Posted by Noblet10

If these fighters in Thailand were genuinely better, they would go fight somewhere else for more money just like Buakaw has done. My guess is the actual skill level in K-1 and other promotions is higher in general than MT fights in Thailand. The money is also higher, and that is the main reason Buakaw fights there instead of Thailand.

He may have had mixed results against unknown Thai fighters, but that happens in combat sports. One mistake, and you are done. Also, in more well known events, he can study his opponent to come up with a game plan. He can't really do this against an unknown fighter. Anyways, the best will fight where there is more money.

Stupid white belt at his best. Or rather an ignorant kickboxing fan?
Muay Thai is the sport of over 500 years of history, and it has become
the national sport with high level competition in the last century.
So BJJ in Brazil is terrible than Judo, catch wrestling, and other grappling styles
because the bjj practitioners didn't go outside Brazil before the UFC?
Or the boxers in Japan or the US are suck because many of them never
go outside their countries?

Muay thai level is very high, this is proven by the fact that despite the differences
of muay thai rules and K1 or any other rules. Muay thai fighters still beat
many fighters even in their debut in that rule.
The good example is in Buakaw's debut in K1 tournament he became champion, just
like his debut in s-cup. Or even Khem's debut in S-cup he did very well and arguably
beat Souwer if not for the shoot point, or at least with the shoot point included
he still draw with him.
Why do you think people have to leave their countries to prove they are the greatest
when their country is already the home of one of the greatest proving ground in the world?
Most muay thai champions don't even care for foreigners to remember them,
they want their countrymen to remember them.
The talent pool in muay thai runs deep, K1 max champion, shoot boxing champion,
K-2 runner up, K-1 grandprix semi finalist (despite being the smallest and youngest in
history of K-1) Going to Japan and start the long rivalry between Karate, Kickboxing
and muay thai? Not to mention fighters who beat Sanda's champion.
Hell you can even count world boxing champions or Shooto champion.

[Snubnoze707]

Pretty sure he's referring to 70kg, and not Muaythai as a whole...

[FokaiMuayThai]

Originally Posted by stmarcus

These posters here shitting all over Buakaw have got to stop. It’s getting ridiculous. Buakaw has no heart? Prefers easier competition in Japan? GTFO!

This guy has fought (and beat!) the best the world has to offer. He went up against absolute monsters like Masato, Souwer and Kraus at their peaks and as often as not came up on top. These guys in their primes were leagues ahead of any competition in Thailand at 70kg (case in point: every other Thai who tried to emulate Buakaw’s success failed miserably). Easier competition my ass.

And while this was happening he got screwed out most of his winnings by leeches like Pramuk. Masato got rich, and Souwer was able to live very comfortably, yet Buakaw had to live in comparative squalor. People here for years loved to bitch about how the Japanese were supposedly screwing Buakaw, while the real crimes done against him were perpetrated by fellow Thais. The Japanese made him a star and made him rich, the Thais took that from him. That’s the real travesty in all this.

Now at the tail end of his career, which, mind you, is already lasting far longer than your average Thai nak muay’s career, Buakaw is electing to make the fights that make most sense for him in the long term. Unlike Masato, he needs to think about how he’s going to live for the rest of his life without becoming a tuk tuk driver to make ends meet.

You guys here saying how he has no heart and is a sell out: Fuck off. He’s already given you more than any Thai ever has on the world stage, and then some. He deserves your support, not your condemnation.


tl;dr: Leave Buakaw alone!

How ironic the most Thai hating-est poster comes in to defend buakaw when all the Thai purists are shitting on a guy that put muaythai on the world stage.

Great post though, just thought the circumstances were funny.

[Yodsanan]

Originally Posted by Noblet10

If these fighters in Thailand were genuinely better, they would go fight somewhere else for more money just like Buakaw has done. My guess is the actual skill level in K-1 and other promotions is higher in general than MT fights in Thailand. The money is also higher, and that is the main reason Buakaw fights there instead of Thailand.

He may have had mixed results against unknown Thai fighters, but that happens in combat sports. One mistake, and you are done. Also, in more well known events, he can study his opponent to come up with a game plan. He can't really do this against an unknown fighter. Anyways, the best will fight where there is more money.

[ZGSON]

Can someone explain to me what magically changes under "FTR" that would make guys like Souwer and Masato absolutely terrible? Just elbows and long clinching get added in, is that the "huge" distinction? Well generally K1 fighters have much better boxing than fighters under "FTR", so the FTR fighters have to deal with something new as well. Don't get me wrong, I love both kickboxing/K1 and pure Muay Thai, but people that think any kickboxer who tried fighting under FTR would automatically lose are ridiculous.

[Yodsanan]

Elbow and Clinching and different scoring system are a game changer. people act like you can learn things like that in a few weeks.

most Thai who would try k1 would not doing good ( as they would do in MT ) and most k1 fighters who would try FTR would loose. masato fighting in thailand was also mediocre to say the best. he took quite a beating from suriya.

[ZGSON]

Originally Posted by Yodsanan

Elbow and Clinching and different scoring system are a game changer. people act like you can learn things like that in a few weeks.

most Thai who would try k1 would not doing good ( as they would do in MT ) and most k1 fighters who would try FTR would loose. masato fighting in thailand was also mediocre to say the best. he took quite a beating from suriya.

I just don't think as a general rule we should assume that the elite of K1 etc would automatically do bad under FTR. You can't learn good elbows and clinching in a few weeks, nor can you learn good boxing. Pure Thai boxers generally have awful boxing, not that K1 fighters have "elite" boxing, but its generally much better than most pure Thai boxers'.

[IkMarc]

Originally Posted by ichibang

Stupid white belt at his best. Or rather an ignorant kickboxing fan?
Muay Thai is the sport of over 500 years of history, and it has become
the national sport with high level competition in the last century.
So BJJ in Brazil is terrible than Judo, catch wrestling, and other grappling styles
because the bjj practitioners didn't go outside Brazil before the UFC?
Or the boxers in Japan or the US are suck because many of them never
go outside their countries?

Muay thai level is very high, this is proven by the fact that despite the differences
of muay thai rules and K1 or any other rules. Muay thai fighters still beat
many fighters even in their debut in that rule.
The good example is in Buakaw's debut in K1 tournament he became champion, just
like his debut in s-cup. Or even Khem's debut in S-cup he did very well and arguably
beat Souwer if not for the shoot point, or at least with the shoot point included
he still draw with him.
Why do you think people have to leave their countries to prove they are the greatest
when their country is already the home of one of the greatest proving ground in the world?
Most muay thai champions don't even care for foreigners to remember them,
they want their countrymen to remember them.
The talent pool in muay thai runs deep, K1 max champion, shoot boxing champion,
K-2 runner up, K-1 grandprix semi finalist (despite being the smallest and youngest in
history of K-1) Going to Japan and start the long rivalry between Karate, Kickboxing
and muay thai? Not to mention fighters who beat Sanda's champion.
Hell you can even count world boxing champions or Shooto champion.

Thais are the best in Muay Thai. They are not as good as the best K1-Max and Glory fighters under kickboxing rules, though close. Some of the best Thais can cross over successfully and compete with the top kickboxers and vice versa. That being said, Petrosyan is better than anyone, no matter the rule-set.

[Snubnoze707]

Originally Posted by IkMarc

Petrosyan is better than anyone, no matter the rule-set.

That's debatable. The styles that have made Petrosyan look human have been Thai stylists, and that's under Kickboxing rules. I wouldn't be so confident seeing Petrosyan coming out on top against Akpreicha FTR 5 rounds with MT scoring criteria.

And P4P Saenchai > *