How long do pro Muay Thai fighters last?

Rayrobinson#1

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I read that the average career of a professional Muay Thai fighter is only 4 years because the body can't take that abuse. How long do you all think they can last on average?
 
They bring em out at about 8 and fight until 21-22 from what i've researched/understand. So whats that 13-14 yrs? After that they train Farang at Muay Thai camps, lol
 
GatorRoll_MN said:
They bring em out at about 8 and fight until 21-22 from what i've researched/understand. So whats that 13-14 yrs? After that they train Farang at Muay Thai camps, lol

That's interesting. So if you consider amatuer career it is alot longer then 4 years. Maybe the amatuer training is less intense?
 
Rayrobinson#1 said:
That's interesting. So if you consider amatuer career it is alot longer then 4 years. Maybe the amatuer training is less intense?


Its the age. remeber how fast you bounced back in your teen years. As you start getting into your 20's and up your body just won't take the pounding and bounce back.
 
I'm not sure how long in YEARS, but I've seen Pro Muay Thai records of something like "300 wins, 150 losses & 25 draws" That's more than most western fighters fight in a lifetime.
 
I dunno, but I understand that it's a) kinda short by Western standards and b) gotten longer by Thai standards. A number of rules changes and provisions for safety (i.e. the intoduction of timed rounds and breaks in between, the introduction of cups, restrictions on certain strikes) in the past 25-30 years or so have allowed some fighters to continue an extra couple years or so and then retire with lower incidences of permanent brain injury and mashed testicles than in years past.

EVen by the standards of other contact sports, Muay Thai exacts a heavy physical toll on the fighters, who tend to have fairly short careers. Years ago, most good competitive fighters aspired to last a few years and collect enough fight purses to buy a plot of land and retire into farming; dunno how much that's changed.
 
The reason that you see such huge records is because alot if not all of the "pro's" in Thailand fight extremely frequently some as much as every weekend. Which is why their training has developed as it has, they train ridiculously intense, but not how we think of intense-IE retarded high output on cardio & endurance coupled with light sparring as to not go into their fights injured. Again I'm no expert but this is the general info Ive picked up looking into the sport.
 
Its very commen to meet guys who retired at the age of 22 or 23 with 300 fights. One of my old trainers retired at 22 after 270 fights now he drives a motercyle taxi. I live, train, and fight here. Idealy a muay thai fighter should peak physically in his late 20's but since they start fighting so young here there body gets worn out fast.
 
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