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Thanks for replying. I left my local exercise gym the other morning and was bored so I started looking for some forums to interact with. I found this and figured it was an open site to join? If I'm like a deer in headlights do let me know, Lol. There is a muay thai gym in a city about an hour from me and their site has all kinds of photos showing that it's a reputable gym. This a personal goal of mine I'd really like to try and accomplish but price wise, it won't be like taking a walk in the park down my street. My name is Clay, by the way. My screen name is ZombieMonsterElbowChop because honestly, it sounds somewhat appropriate for a complete novice of the sport looking to get his hands, "or elbows," dirty, Ha.

I loved watching this fight. More and more female Muay Khao fighters are finding traction in RWS. I think Winnia fought GREAT honestly. Very well rounded, great pace, love the body shot strategy. And Sanengam fought in a very difficult to solve style, a classic Thai retreat and counter to the open side, with great fading distance control, and the use of the Supergirl knee that was very elevated. She was able to solve under pressure, and use either leg counters, from a really skilled, rhythmed, pressuring fighter. This is a stylistic clash, more than even a skills clash.

What is really troubling about the above is how some of the things that really made Thailand's fighters like no other in the world were specific qualities derived from Thai culture. The deft control over the fight space came out of a Thai sensibility of what power in the world actually looked like. By adopting International, globalized concept-pictures of "power" (aggression, volume, math-like-point-adding), the very Gift of Muay Thai to the world, its example, is being erased. Thais themselves will learn to fight like the lessor skilled global fighter...with perhaps long term consequence for Soft Power itself. Primary to Soft Power is the anchorage of the Thai Magic Fighter who has preternatural control over the fight space. That is why ultimately people will come to Thailand and passionately commit themselves to the art. That, ultimately, is the core "attraction" which will build international respect and honorifics. After Lumpinee already has lost the standard bearing status for the art and sport (hopefully, one day to regained), its difficult to see Rajadamnern not lean into the traditional, very Thai aspects of fighting which it has hosted for some 80 years. Sometimes you have to look longer term, than short term gain.

We'll see how these anti-Muay Thai (Kickboxing) rules play out, as Thailand is unpredictable, but down-regulating narrative scoring, and up-regulating aggression and volume over actual skill (and even "balance") is radically swerving the sport, depriving it of its uniqueness and honestly its high-skill ceiling. Take for instance Samart's remarkable dominant win over Namphon. Conceivably what wasn't a close fight at all, under the new ruleset Namphon himself would have won the fight (at least as it was fought): Most of what Samart is doing is controlling Namphon in retreat, not scoring "damage" or volume points. It's pure art.