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Muay Thai is one of the most effective martial arts and has gained a lot of traction over the years. Often referred to as the ‘Art of Eight Limbs’, Muay Thai uses eight points of contact utilizing the elbows, knees, kicks, and punches to inflict damage.
The martial art has been a popular sport in Thailand ever since the 17th century but gained popularity within the martial arts community during the 20th century.
There have been some notorious western Muay Thai fighters, some of which made it to the list of the 15 best Muay Thai fighters of all time. Most of the fighters on this list are from Thailand, where Muay Thai fighters often started their career at a young age.
This list will discuss the 15 best Muay Thai fighters the world has ever seen, based on their performances, prizes, and achievements in the Muay Thai ring.
Let's dive in!
Buakaw Banchamek
Sombat Banchamek, better known as Buakaw Por Pramuk, is considered as one of the, if not the greatest Muay Thai fighter that has ever lived. Buakaw is his show name, which translates into ‘white lotus’ and he was fighting out of the Por Pramuk gym.
Buakaw has fought and won in many Muay Thai and Kickboxing organizations in-and-outside of Thailand achieving an overall kickboxing record of 239-24-12.
During his fighting career, Buakaw was a Lumpinee Stadium Toyota Marathon champion, two-time Omnoi Stadium champion, and multiple K-1 MAX World Grand Prix winner.
Yodsanklai Fairtex
When discussing the best Muay Thai fighters of all time, it would be criminal to exclude Yodsanklai Fairtex. Like many Thai legends, Yodsanklai starting fighting at the age of 8 and earned 20 baht for his first fight.
Yodsanklai has won over 200 bouts, in the process he became a three-time Lumpinee Stadium World Champion, two-time Lion Fight World champion, two-time WMC World Champion and a WBC world champion.
His nickname is the ‘Boxing Computer’ and until recently Yodsanklai was still active in the ONE championship fighting organization, fighting the best competitors in the world under the spotlights regularly.
Yudthagarngamtorn
Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn trained at the Por Pramuk gym together with his teammate Buakaw, until the relationship with the gym came to an unfortunate end.
What many people do not know is that Yudthagarngamtorn trained at the Kiatsingnoi camp before training at Por Pramuk. He lived a simple life there, sleeping in a room with 30 other fighters and only one toilet to share.
Due to his training regime and the determination of Yudthagarngamtorn, he was highly respected by young fighters in Thailand. Yudthagarngamtorn earned the nickname ‘The Emperor’ due to his impressive undefeated reign as a Lumpinee Stadium champion for 6 years straight.
Petchboonchu FA Group
Petchboonchu FA Group is one of the most decorated Muay Thai fighters in the world. During his career, he won 14 of the most high-level Muay Thai titles before retiring at the age of 27.
Petchboonchu was able to be so dominant and win so many titles due to his unique style that was difficult to counter by his opponents. As he was taller than most of the other Muay Thai fighters at the time, he had an advantage in the clinch and kneeing his opponent.
As a tall knee-fighter, often referred to as a Muay Khao fighter, he was able to drive in powerful knees from the clinch position to overpower opponents. He is still teaching his techniques and is set to make a return to fighting soon in ONE Championship.
Chamuakpetch Harpalang
Chamuakpetch Harpalang is another legendary knee-fighter, who was famous for his powerful long-range knees and masterful clinch work.
Besides being a great knee-fighter, he was considered to be one of the best all-rounders and could hold his own in every situation that presented itself in the boxing ring. The ‘Computer Knee Striker’ has fought across 7 different weight classes and won numerous titles.
He won the Lumpinee Stadium title 4 times and the Rajadamnern title 5 times earning him a definite spot on this list.
Samart Payakaroon
Whilst some would say that Muay Thai primarily uses legs and knees as weapons, Samart Payakaroon certainly disagrees with this statement.
He is arguably the best boxer to have graced Muay Thai, earning himself the name of the greatest of all time in boxing, namely ‘The Muhammed Ali of Muay Thai’.
Unlike other fighters that made this list, Samart Payakaroon was not particularly successful in his early career. He lacked physical attributes, and it was said that he had small lungs. What he lacked in physical strength, he made up with his mental attributes.
He went on to win the Lumpinee Stadium championship title 4 times making him an all-time great.
Samart also won the WBC world boxing championship title, which makes him one of the most interesting fighters on this list.
Ramon Deckers
Ramon Deckers, AKA ‘The Diamond’, was a Dutch Kickboxer who decided to test his talents in Thailand against some of the best Kickboxers on the planet.
He is one of two fighters on this list that are non-Thai. He was able to win dozens of Muay Thai fights despite his troubles with the scoring system and losing some important fights. Ramon Deckers was always up to fight. It didn't matter if he had injuries or no training camp.
Deckers had an aggressive fighting style and won 8 world championship titles in Muay Thai and Kickboxing during his career. Ramon Deckers was also the first foreign fighter to win the ‘Fighter of the Year’ title in Thailand.
