Thailand Bans MMA - Thai Government makes MMA illegal

I first saw this unfortunate news on fighter Cyrus Washington's facebook wall where he said, "WOW (not really surprised, other than the fact they waited this long) MMA has been banned from thailand."

According to an article written in Fighter's Only Magazine, the Thai government decided to ban MMA because it was "too brutal."  Ironically, it's not too brutal for Muay Thai fighters as young as 8 years old to elbow, and knee each other in the face.  I think that the reason why MMA is banned is because Thailand is afraid that it'll steal the spotlight and ticket sales from Muay Thai events.  The sport is changing and I think this is a huge mistake.  The best striking style in MMA is Muay Thai which is why thousands of MMA fighter's come to MMA Camps in Thailand, to work on their stand up.

Luckily, MMA training hasn't been banned, only events.  What this means for the One Million Dollar Dare tournament, I don't know.  But here's the article from Fighter's Only Magazine.  So far, I haven't been able to find any official news from a government source.  But I, like Cyrus, am not too surprised.

Maybe someone will make "Legalize MMA in Thailand shirts next.

"Thailand has banned MMA.

The Thai sports ministry ruled this week that MMA is “too brutal” and it is henceforth prohibited to stage MMA events in the South-East Asian country.

Ministers said that mixed martial arts is “causing erosion” to the sport of Muay Thai and “damaging the image” of Thailand’s native martial art. 

However, there are those in the fledgling Thai MMA industry who think that the government may have been pressured or swayed by the Muay Thai industry.

Muay Thai is huge business in Thailand. It fills arenas all over the country, generates a lot of tourist traffic, airs on television a lot and provides employment for a large swathe of young men who would be otherwise unengaged. 

MMA is very new to Thailand but it had the potential to steer would-be star Thai boxers into the cage instead of into the Muay Thai ring. While it has yet to produce any serious MMA contenders, its rich combat sports pedigree meant it was probably only a matter of time.

Former Thai boxers such as Rambaa Somdet and Yodsanan Sityodtong have transitioned to MMA with various levels of success, but the real money would come from someone being able to emulate the kind of international success that Buakaw Por. Pramuk managed when he transitioned to K-1.

Rambaa Somdet

None of that will have been seen as beneficial to the Muay Thai industry, which is notoriously conservative, and so MMA has been dealt a crippling blow before being able to get off the ground properly. The ban does not affect MMA training, which - ironically - numerous camps are beginning to offer."

What do you guys think about the MMA ban in Thailand?  I personally think it'll deter a lot of MMA fighter's from coming to Thailand to train.  As it was an easy way to get fights and make some money while they were doing their fight camps. 

From what I heard, it's the same as Thailand banning prostitution. Sure it's technically illegal, but it's everywhere in the country and no one enforces it.  The only problem is even though gyms will host events such as Phuket Top Teams Island Fight Night or Tiger Muay Thai's amateur BBQ Beatdown, a lot of bigger promotions might be afraid to invest money in big events.

What are your thoughts?

Warm Regards,

Johnny @ My Fight Camp