Muay Thai is a versatile sport. With eight weapons to hone, it allows fighters to develop a myriad of fighting styles based on those that they have sharpened to become most dangerous. As a result, there are five main styles incorporating the full range of weapons and each style has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. While each style is respected for its distinctive expression of beautiful Muay Thai, whenever you ask fighters which type of fighter they dread the most, more often than not they will say, “Muay Khao.”
In this article, we are going to introduce you to the Muay Khao style of fighting in Muay Thai. We’ll introduce the strengths and weaknesses that are common to this well-known style before introducing you to some of the most dreaded Muay Khao fighters in history. But, before we get into the specifics, let’s define exactly what a Muay Khao is.
What Is A Muay Khao?
Muay Khao translates into English as “knee fighter” and that is exactly what to expect when you see one of these dreaded athletes in the ring. They march forward into close quarters, locking on into the clinch to unload devastating knees with the single-minded goal of smothering their opponent and smashing them into submission. It is a brutal way to fight, not just for their opponents but also for the Muay Khao warriors who need to fight relentlessly through Muay Thai’s long and close-range weapons to execute their game plan.
Muay Khao Strengths
- Endurance: This is the key to Muay Khao’s game plan. Any decent Muay Khao is going to have incredible strength and fitness to outlast their opponents and maximize their effectiveness in the clinch. They use their power to control their opponent while their high-level cardio allows them to constantly score with knees (and the occasional elbow) so that the referee doesn’t separate them from their prey to resume the fight at range.
- Ring Control: A Muay Khao is aggressive and equipped with exceptional ringcraft. This enables them to shepherd their evasive opponent into the ropes and corners where they cannot escape.
- Intelligent Clinch Entries: When they want to enter the clinch, a good Muay Khao will approach intelligently and safely. They will use a tight guard, feints, and entry techniques such as the hop, long guard, or high march to enter knee and clinch range as safely as possible. Alternatively, they will enter the clinch behind strikes as a way to keep their opponent on the back foot.
The above video shows some impressive clinch entries from golden era legend, Joreongthong Kiatbanchong, used to great effect. You will notice that he often likes to wait for his opponent to throw punches, capitalize on these openings they created as an opportunity to enter the clinch and attack with knees while they are off-balanced by the missed strikes.
Common Muay Khao Weaknesses
This close-ranged and aggressive style can be hard to deal with but, generally, most Muay Khao fighters share similar weaknesses that are drawn directly from the strengths of their craft.
- The Long-Range Game: As Muay Khao fighters are only effective at incredibly close range, they start the fight with an uphill battle of fighting past the long and midrange Muay Thai weapons such as kicks and teeps. This means that they are at a disadvantage facing the Muay Femur (counterfighter) or Muay Tae (kick fighter) styles that employ long-range strikes in conjunction with evasive footwork to stay out of clinching range while using the Muay Khao’s forward aggression to create opportunities to score.
- Accrued Damage: A two-dimensional Muay Khao, who cannot feint, use footwork, or change tempos early in a fight is at a huge disadvantage as they will have to fight past kicks and teeps and then muscle through punches to get into the clinch. This means that they often take a lot of damage which can impact them as the fight progresses.
- Scoring Disadvantages: Though Muay Khaos have incredible endurance, it can be difficult to swing the scorecards back in their favor once they have fought past their opponent’s long and midrange attacks. Once they are locked in the clinch, they still need to overcome their opponent’s knees and elbows as well as spoiling tactics because, if their opponent can stall them for long enough, the clinch will be broken, and they’ll need to fight through all of the ranges all over again.
- Evasive Footwork: While ringcraft can be an asset to a Muay Khao, an opponent with exceptional footwork can make the job of entering knee range even harder. The better an opponent is at using a Muay Khao’s aggression to hit and move without being caught, the more damage they accrue and the harder it is for them to overtake their lead on the scorecards.
Famous Muay Khao Fighters
If you want to get a clear picture of what the Muay Khao style looks like in action, consider searching up these legendary knee fighters. Each man has made it to the pinnacle of Muay Thai utilizing this style and the rich library of fight footage each athlete has available online will show you how to fight if you choose to compete with this devastating style.
1) Petchboonchu FA Group
FA Group Gym in Bangkok is famous for producing some of the most feared Muay Khao’s in the history of Muay Thai. The cream of their illustrious crop is retired fighter and former Evolve MMA coach, Petchboonchu. The tall and relentless fighter was a five-division Lumpinee Stadium World Champion and a Rajadamnern Stadium World Champion who defeated the Legendary, Saenchai, three times in his career.
2) Dieselnoi
Fans of the Golden Era are well acquainted with Dieselnoi; the quintessential Muay Khao to whom every knee fighter has been compared since. He is a former Lumpinee Stadium World Champion and Three-time Sportswriter’s Fight Of The Year recipient, one of which was awarded following his victory over the legendary Samart Payakaroon.
3) Yothin FA Group
While Petchboonchu may be the most successful of FA Group’s Muay Khao fighters, current Rajadamnern Stadium World Champion, Yothin, may soon overtake him. He’s already a two-time Rajadamnern World Champion whose trophy cabinet also boasts WMC World and WBC International Titles.
Conclusion
So, after discussing and analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, and some famous Muay Khao fighters, what do you think? The Muay Khao style is one worth looking into, especially with the particular use of knees which are crucial in close-range situations such as the clinch. Whether you’re a seasoned fighter or just starting, try incorporating some elements of the Muay Khao style into your training, and who knows, perhaps it’ll give you that edge in the ring!
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