Buakaw vs Virgil Kalakoda

[parrythehate]

This fight took place in 2006. This fight was terribly awkward for Buakaw, in fact for most traditional thai practitioners it would be too. In this whole fight Kalakoda did not throw a single kick, his guarded squared stance would of been a weakness in boxing but in a kick boxing match it seemed to have the upper hand. My analysis on muay thai could be wrong but techniques could vary from individual to another. Here are some observations on Muay Thai: squared stance, no inclination towards mobility, punching, head movement, close guard (hands to face, holding the phone) and no angles, its very stoic and visceral. But there are some individuals that have taken it to a new level either in kickboxing or in the combat sport itself. Buakaw uses a modified Muay Thai stance, it transitions well into Kickboxing. Kalakoda would rush in and take away all of Buakaws space, "Maidana Tactics". It was working well, but Buakaw shows good hip and head movement and counters plus the knees to the torso. Kalakoda was still relentless. Buakaw would clinch or hold because there would be no space for attack. Both fighters could not prove who was a clear winner. Kalakoda would rush with his head down, Buakaw would clinch or hold, thus came the extra round.

Here you could see a fish out of water, buakaw was actually punching back (boxing is a strong word but he could back then). They actually slugged it out on Kalakodas terms. Awkward fight but the reason why I posted this fight because Buakaw adapted if not he weathered the storm. In his prime before 2014-2015 era, he was a legendary fighter, thus he was able to withstand fighters and fighting styles awkward to him.

 

[JSnake]

I believe this was the first match Buakaw fought with K-1's "no-clinch" rule enforced, and it really shows how he wasn't accustomed to it yet. After this he started working more on his punching and ended up winning the K-1 MAX tournament later that year primarily due to this adaptation.

Kalakoda did a good job pressuring Buakaw and taking him out of his comfort zone, simultaneously using the rule change to his advantage. He showed great heart, endurance and determination, and absorbed numerous body blows as well. At the start, Buakaw found success in creating distance but as fatigue set in he could not sustain that activity very long. This fight really tested Buakaw's warrior mettle, and he displayed many qualities of a true fighter. What really made the difference in this match I think, and sets him apart from other Thais, were his reflexes and evasive movement. If he wasn't so slick, I probably could've seen Kalakoda pulling off the upset.

 

[Queen B]

With clinch + 1 knee rule, Kalakoda was able to close the kicking distance. However he was always an average boxer, in even kickboxing. Masato out-boxed him.