So, I made a thread about kickboxing goats, and got a decent discussion going, and it probably came down something to Aerts or Petrosyan getting more votes, I guess. Skill for skill, they probably don't hold a candle against guys like Samart or Somrak. Agree or disagree?
Agree. "don't hold a candle" might be too harsh words that imply something against the likes of Aertes, Petrosyan, etc. but yes IMHO there aren't combat athletes as skilled and accomplished as elite nak muays. they fight more often and against better competition than anyone else and when they are tested against outsiders they almost always dominate without ever even sending their very best to the challenge.
Petrosyan competes at a weight that enough Thai can actually make, but Aerts is literally twice the size of a guy like Saenchai. The body sizes and characteristics that come with them are so different that you can't really compare the skill sets.
Though Samart or Somrak will make Petrosyan look like how most of Petrosyan's opponents look against him, if they were the same size