The Top Ten Most Famous Muaythai Fighters

The Top Ten Most Famous Muaythai Fighters

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It would be a tall order to come up with a definitive list of the most famous, or even the ‘best’ Muaythai fighters, mainly because they are usually classified according to a particular era or style.

In Thailand terms, some of these ‘golden eras’ relate to the late 70s, some parts of the 80s and probably the mid-90s – but today muaythai has moved into different levels of popularity and recognition with many of the current top fighters now transitioning over to non-traditional, big-money promotions through major championships like ONE which is largely known for MMA.

Also, due to differences in style and approach, much of what constitutes the best or most famous names come down to a matter of opinion for many fight fans, so it depends on who you ask, although obviously the stats and achievements of some of the fighters featured here speak for themselves.

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With that in mind, this particular article includes 10 Thai fighters, from different eras up to and including the present, that are highly regarded in Thailand and may be considered famous in that they have shaped or added to the sport in their own particular ways.

Famous names in the sport of Thai boxing are usually regarded according to various factors such as a particular technique that they may be expert in the execution of, or perhaps in some instances, it is their fighting spirit that endears them to fans.

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It is therefore fairly impossible to rank them without some dispute or even get close to including those worthy of it, but the 10 famous Thai fighters featured here are all legends in their own right to some degree. There are so many good fighters in this highly competitive national sport of Thailand that there is no realistic way to even touch on them all without writing a book.

So in no particular order, here are our suggestions for what constitutes The Top 10 Most Famous Muaythai fighters of recent decades.

1. Samart Payakaroon

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It is not unusual to find Samart cited as the best Muaythai fighter of all time, and with good reason. In some ways, he was considered as the Muhammad Ali of Muaythai due to his style, effectiveness, and seeming fearlessness. He was actually awarded the highly prestigious Fighter of the Year by the sportswriters of Thailand 3 times in total.

Samart came out of the legendary Sityodtong camp, and had an entertaining style that had crossover potential. He was dominant with his hands, and after winning 4 Lumpinee Stadium titles, Samart’s style allowed him to try his hand at Western Boxing, seeing him go on to bag a WBC junior featherweight title.

He was probably even more well-known in Thailand for his mastery of using precise and effective teeps (straight push kicks) in a way that is in many ways still unsurpassed. At his peak, many of his major fights were won with the use of this technique alone.

Samart was something of a superstar in Thailand and also a ‘pin-up’, a mantle that led to a brief career in music and film. These days the legendary muaythai boxer puts his name to the Samart Payakaroon gym in Bangkok where he is seen on occasion giving private tutorials.

2. Dieselnoi

Unusual in the fact that he fairly towered above pretty much everyone that he fought at over six feet tall, Dieselnoi was known as the man with the ‘sky-piercing’ knees.

Dieselnoi came from the early 80s period when he dominated the lightweight division at Lumpinee Stadium by clinching and kneeing his opponents into oblivion, a style much-loved by the Thais.

What further endeared him in the hearts of the locals was that his style of attack was unrelenting, with a forward-moving style of knee (Muay Khao) that was heavy on point scoring (something much overlooked by foreign fighters, even today).

Deemed as a ‘golden Age of Muaythai’ fighter by many, Dieselnoi fought many other famous names in his heyday such as Samart Payakaroon and Sagat Petchyindee.

These days Dieselnoi can be found on occasion instructing according to demand in gyms in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok and Pattaya.

3. Saenchai

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Saenchai is one of the existing legends of the current era. He is well-known for his style of fighting which, it has to be said, he has made his own entirely.

Saenchai is a small fighter with something of a natural disadvantage in terms of clinching, but his unique style facilitates an ability to throw opponents around with seeming ease. He is most definitely worthy of inclusion in any Top 10 Most Famous Muaythai Fighters list, and by many modern-day fans of the sport he is in fact considered as one of the greatest of all-time.

Saenchai is also famous for being one of the oldest muaythai fighters ever to continue competing, and he now fights pretty much exclusively for Yokkao Fight Promotions. He also trains from out of the Yokkao facility in Bangkok and is a promotional face for the brand along with a few other current muaythai stars.

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Saenchai in his heyday was a most entertaining and interesting fighter with an array of fast movements and unorthodox kicks, the most famous being the cartwheel kick. This living legend continues to fight on a fairly regular basis, as well as running his own gym, Saenchai PK gym.

4. Somrak Sor Kamsing

Somrak was another famous muaythai fighter who, it has to be said, in his heyday possessed a quality rarely seen these days.

If that sounds like a bold claim then it is worth checking out some of his fights if you’ve never witnessed his mesmerizing and spectacular skill level and the seeming ease with which he was able to execute devastatingly effective techniques.

Somrak often simply outclassed many of his opponents, always exuding a confident smirk sometimes mistaken for arrogance.

Somrak cemented his place in the hearts of Thailand’s fight fans and general population alike first by winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal for boxing, and after that by becoming something of a personality who exemplified muaythai skill.

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He never actually won any Lumpinee championships, and the reasons are often cited that he was ‘too good’ for the big promoters of the stadium who allegedly barred him from competing. (For those unfamiliar with the darker side of muaythai culture this would have been more than likely related in some way to gambling.)

Somrak has his own Bangkok gym these days, and also manages to keep his hand in as something of a celebrity outside of boxing circles.

5. Buakaw Banchamek

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Buakaw is one of the fighters of recent years who has done much to generate international interest in muaythai through both his domestic achievements and others outside of the traditional realm of a muaythai proponent.

This has had something to do with the fact that he crossed over into the popular Japanese K1 promotion that was big way before the days of wide-scale general interest that the UFC and such like now garner, and he quickly generated more fame on the back of it, domestically and otherwise, through a variety of advertisements.

Buakaw’s was an aggressive style of fighting much-admired by the Thais. His strong punches and powerful kicks, delivered for the most part whilst constantly moving forward, is what the Thais love to see as it scores obvious points and is true to the spirit of real muaythai.

He may not be considered the best technical fighter, but his popularity remains as he has done much to put muaythai on the map on a wider scale. He still makes occasional fight appearances, most recently in the Chinese Kunlun promotions, but many now consider him more of an exhibition fighter rather than an actual contender.

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Undoubtedly, Buakaw is one of the top muaythai fighters of all time and one of the most famous in his own rights, and also operates his own gym these days.

6. Petchboonchu

In terms of different muaythai fighter styles, Petchboonchu is a renowned clinch fighter of the last decade. In fact, throughout his career, his clinching was arguably second to none.

Also something of an expert with knee strikes, he has an incredible 14 titles to his name, making him to this date the most decorated fighter in the history of the sport.

Petchboonchu is best known for being a focal point of the FA Group gym in Bangkok, which is commonly renowned for its emphasis on clinchwork as a main part of the training. He was also classified by many as another Muay Khao variety of fighter, as he dominated with superior clinching in order to set up devastating knee strikes.

Petchboonchu retired a few years back and has since taught Muathai full-time in Evolve MMA Singapore, along with a few other gyms, and he remains a reasonably active trainer as well as working for ONE Championship as a fighter recruiter.

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7. Namsaknoi

Namsaknoi was one of the original famous names to come out of the Por Pramuk gym prior to Buakaw. He was a fighter who won multiple titles and the prestigious Fighter of the Year award from the sports authority of Thailand.

At one time it seemed as if Namsaknoi was unbeatable as he had a long, undefeated stretch as Lumpinee champion. In fact, alongside Petchboonchu, Namsaknoi has one of the most impressive records ever, encompassing 300 fights, which stands at 285 wins and 15 losses.

One of the things about this record that made it so impressive and endeared him to fight fans was the fact that the level of competition he faced was always high (including the likes of Saenchai who he beat).

In recent times Namsaknoi was actually voted one of the best and most well-rounded muaythai fighters of all time in Thailand, and his nickname is ‘The Emperor.’ Another lesser point of note is the fact that he was renowned as having the best Wai Kru/Ram Muay of the year, actually winning awards for it in 2 different years.

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8. Pud Pad Noy Worawoot

Pud Pad Noy was the king of the muaythai ring in the mid-70s. He is still considered as one of the most gifted fighters in history b fight die-hards due to his accolades and style. The fact that he was the winner of numerous championships and titles supports his case as one of the true muaythai statesmen of his era.

Hailing from the North-eastern ‘Isaan’ region of Thailand like many top fighters, Pad Noy had a style that saw him aggressively and relentlessly stalking the ring as a straight-ahead, raw southpaw, yet he also had a fantastic fight IQ that encompassed power and intelligence.

Ask anyone from the fight world who remembers this famous Thai fighter and they will tell you that Pud Pad Noy had it all in terms of well-roundedness. This included a ring presence verging on the terrifying, and he also earned the nickname ‘Golden Leg’ due to his kicking style – which was certainly ‘the leveller’ on many occasions and one of the prime reasons for his success in the ring.

9. Kaensak Sor Ploenchit

Here is a fighter from the mid-90s who was strong with his fists and hence also made a brief transition into Western Boxing. However, he was well renowned as something of a muaythai stylist on a number of levels.

This famous muaythai fighter held titles at both Lumpinee and Rajadamnern, and had an incredible kicking arsenal while fighting with intelligence. Hence he was renowned for rarely being an easy target for opponents to catch with a strong and elusive defence game that made him impressive to watch.

Kaensak demonstrated an all-round array of the particular skills which would generally be specialised individually, and he was unique in the way that he could seemingly switch effortlessly between different styles and applications of muaythai technique. He even possessed an incredible clinch game to boot, which he put to good use on many an occasion.

10. Rodtang

And finally, we have a current potential legend who came out of the famous Jitmuangnon camp. Still only a 22-year-old, Rodtang is a 2-time Omnoi Stadium champion, and has taken a somewhat different route by battling his way to becoming the current ONE Championship Muaythai champion, the main reason he has been included here (as things are definitely changing in the world of muaythai, and this young fighter epitomizes that in many ways).

Rodtang is hard as they come and is known for his hard hands, lungs of steel, and has been nicknamed “The Tank” by media. He is quite short in stature but is known to literally run over or go straight through his opponents in the ring.

Rodtang actually had a stretch of an 11-fight winning streak in Thailand, beating other top current faves such as Seksan Or Kwanmuang and Yodlekpet before he lost a decision in February of this year.

Rodtang fought in Japan 2 years back, taking on local superstar star Tenshin Nasukawa. Rodtang actually lost the fight in what was deemed a highly controversial decision that saw the 6-round fight going an extra round. Not one to be put off so easily, he returned to Japan the same year, reclaiming his honor with a unanimous decision.

Rodtang first appeared in ONE 2018 when he battled his way to the Flyweight world title, which was followed by two convincing defences against Jonathan Haggerty. Who knows where he will end up in the rankings of famous muaythai fighters – but Rodtang certainly remains the one to watch over the next few years.