I don't know, maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems like (at least in the lower level fights) in Thailand today - there's much (much) more clinching than back in the 80's-90's. Moreso, most of this clinching seems to be less dynamic than what I saw on golden era Ch. 5 and 7 programs for example. Is it because of the level of the fights or is it jsut a phenomenon that slowly made its way to the Thai fight scene? I'm sure gamlers have to do something with that too.
Not sure what they are doing these days, but I like it there is way less ground humping and less stalling in the clinch. I guess sending those boring fighters with winning records packin. Then keeping some fighters that lose as much as they win but throw bombs sends a pretty clear message. oops thought this was about mma sry totally doesn't apply here.
Too much. They're like mma grapplers trying to cling on to their life lines because they can't strike to save themselves.
The muay thai scoring in Thailand tends to favor clincher more so that is a major factor. Fighters also become so good at it that there are lots of stalemates. It is the same that in unified rule mma, fighters will spam takedowns to guaranteed that they will win a round.
I thought that too, the clinching skills are often so similar in level, that the clinches really go nowhere and get separated every few seconds.
Coming from a non-Thai perspective I find it hard to get used to, but once you get to the point where you understand the ins and outs of the scoring it becomes more enjoyable to watch. It used to bother me to see guys land more punches and kicks yet get dominated in the scoring and not know why, but in 2015 with all of the extensive internet resources there is really no excuse not to understand it. Furthermore it helps accentuate the fact that MT and KB are different sports.
I always liked fights where all the skills are displayed, including the clinch, but I (like most people, I believe), watch Muay Thai mostly for explosive, skillful striking and not 15 minute wrestling matches, as intricate and technical as they may be.
Maybe some fighters today prefer to clinch to avoid taking damage and increase the longevity of their career? You hear a lot about Thai fighters retiring early, maybe the newer fighters are adapting. Idk, just a thought.
Maybe it's just the fights I choose to watch but I really don't see much of these boring clinch fest fights that you are eluding too.
Muay thai is definitely at a low point right now. The people would rather watch soccer. The sport has lost a lot of its casual fans during the Golden Era, and all that remains are the gamblers. With nearly all of the spectators being gamblers and knees being a high-scoring technique, it makes sense that a lot of the fights will become clinchfests.
There are still awesome fighters on the scene once in a while, but find 20 random average-level fights on MuayTies and 15 of them will be filled with clinch stalemates.
I don't agree with that at all. I watch most of MuayTies stuff and Id say only every now and then there is a boring clinch fight. There are clinch fights that I find entertaining so maybe that's the difference?
Yup- in fact, a couple of fighters from Chay Yai (now trainers) were nicknamed Wimbledon and Chelsea by their trainer- his favourite teams. I feel like part of the reason you see fighters stall out in the clinch as well is the hesitancy to disengage- actively disengaging from a clinch can be seen as backing down, and deferring to your opponent, and conceding that they're better than you at something. Not something you want the judges to think.
I don't think stalemate clinching is as prevalent as some say. It certainly happens, but not 75% of the time. Muay Thai is not really a spectator sport and being exciting/entertaining is not important as the purses are based on winning. Clinching is a way to dictate the fight without taking a lot damage and moving on to the next fight. If that's what gets someone wins than there is no insentive to fight any other way. Why go out and war with someone for not much money when there's an easier way to go about doing it?
Anything that blows time away and wears your opponent down will never go away. Not everyone is a KO artist or submission ace, so no hard feelings, I guess. Just don't expect mma to reach nfl fandom while blanket strategies are legal and effective.
Is this thread title up on the main page or something. This thread is clearly talking about stadium fights in Thailand...
There are a few fighters with similar styles who get matched up regularly for these clinch fests, but most fights aren't like that at all
