Are there any UFC fighters from Thailand?

OrigFan255

OrigFan255

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I am surprised that there isn't a bunch of UFC fighters from Thailand.....Muay Thai is exactly the kind of stand-up fighting that the UFC seems to be favoring.

I don't recall any UFC champion from ANY weight division, being from Thailand.
Is there any current Thai UFC fighters? The country has a population of 67,976,405.
 
Robbie Lawler is a quarter Filipino. That is close enough for me.
 
I find that strange as well. And plenty of MMA fighters go to Thailand to sharpen up their striking I'm surprised a native hasn't cross trained yet and switched over with any success.
 
MMA is illegal in Thailand. They will come. The Thai's will build the future 115lbs men's division.
 
Not UFC but some are around go look other Promotions around the world.
 
DatSamboKid said:
MMA is illegal in Thailand. They will come. The Thai's will build the future 115lbs men's division.
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125-145 max thais are tough and dont pull out due to sore toes. they fight often and reebok deal cheap.
 
There are MMA fighters from there fighting in Asian promotions. But it's also a different culture in Thailand. Muay Thai fighters are used to fighting every few weeks so they can get a regular paycheck. There's not as much marketing and glamour fighting there as it is everywhere else and that's probably why there isn't a huge volume of talent coming out just yet. But they've got good camps like Tiger Muay Thai, AKA, Phuket Top Team etc. and there's a big ONE FC event they've got scheduled in Bangkok next month as well. So it's only a matter of time now before they burst out on the western scene.
 
They need a lot more than Muay Thai though and to my knowledge mma is not really a thing there
 
The same goes for China. With such a rich tradition of martial arts you would think they would have produced more fighters as well.
 
MMA hasn't caught on in Thailand, they think the grappling aspect is homosexual. Pure Thai boxing on the other hand is considered to be very masculine.
 
raconnor said:
god bless murica
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DatSamboKid said:
MMA is illegal in Thailand. They will come. The Thai's will build the future 115lbs men's division.
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Thanks! Never knew it was illegal there. ......Armbar? Too dangerous, BUT, wrapping your hands in rope, dipped in glue and, mushed into broken glass......Legal, no problem!
 
OrigFan255 said:
Thanks! Never knew it was illegal there. ......Armbar? Too dangerous, BUT, wrapping your hands in rope, dipped in glue and, mushed into broken glass......Legal, no problem!
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It's more the pressure the government receives from gamblers. Muay Thai is the most popular sport in Thailand, comparable to soccer in Brazil. Gambling is a huge aspect in modern day MT and it's a huge market where a lot of people make money. They fear if MMA is legal, it will over throw Muay Thai in terms of popularity and destroy that market. But things are changing and just like New York, Thailand is slowly heading towards legalizing MMA.
 
DatSamboKid said:
It's more the pressure the government receives from gamblers. Muay Thai is the most popular sport in Thailand, comparable to soccer in Brazil. Gambling is a huge aspect in modern day MT and it's a huge market where a lot of people make money. They fear if MMA is legal, it will over throw Muay Thai in terms of popularity and destroy that market. But things are changing and just like New York, Thailand is slowly heading towards legalizing MMA.
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Thanks for the info!
 
No idea why. I'm certain they would light up the FW, BW, and FW divisions.
 
DatSamboKid said:
It's more the pressure the government receives from gamblers. Muay Thai is the most popular sport in Thailand, comparable to soccer in Brazil. Gambling is a huge aspect in modern day MT and it's a huge market where a lot of people make money. They fear if MMA is legal, it will over throw Muay Thai in terms of popularity and destroy that market. But things are changing and just like New York, Thailand is slowly heading towards legalizing MMA.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Thanks for the insight.
 
It's because Muay Thai in Thailand = basketball+NFL+baseball+++++etc.

it's not just a sport to them, it's part of their culture and history.

And MMA = bowling.

It is however growing but the overwhelming majority of Thais prefer Muay Thai.
 
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