2008 WKBA World Champion
2008 WMC The Contender Asia Runner-Up
2007 WKBA World Champion
2007 WMC Middleweight World Champion
2005 WKBA World Champion
2004 S-1 World Middleweight Tournament Champion
2001 Australian Boxing Middleweight Champion
2001 Kings Cup Champion
2000 IMF Kings Cup World Middleweight Champion
2000 ISKA World Middleweight Champion
1999 WMTC Australian Jr. Middleweight Champion
1997 Best Farang Fighter in Thailand
1994 WKA South Pacific Super Lightweight Champion
1992 WKA Australian Super Lightweight Champion

Born Wayne Parr in Australia in 1976, the fighter known as “John” Wayne Parr “The Gunslinger” is one of the top ranked Muay Thai fighters in the world. JWP began training in martial arts at the age of 11 in his native Australia. In 1995, at the age of 19, he moved to live, train and compete in Thailand for 4 years. During that time he fought 30 fights and won two world titles against Thai competition in Thailand. In 1997 he was recognized as the Best Farang (Western) Fighter in Thailand.

After moving back to Australia, JWP continued with his world-class Muay Thai career. He has fought in the top competitions in the world including K-1 and the Contender Asia, and his opponents include a who’s who of the top Thai boxers in the world, including Yodsanklai Fairtex and Buakaw Por Pramuk. In 2007, JWP was one of 16 fighters selected to compete in The Contender Asia, and made it all the way to the final fight, defeating 3 game opponents along the way, Rafik Bakkouri, Zidov “Akuma” Dominik and Dzhabar Askerov. In the much-anticipated finale to the show, which aired world-wide, JWP went the full 5 rounds with Yodsanklai Fairtex, who had KO’d his two previous opponents in the competition. Unfortunately JWP lost the fight by decision, but nonetheless, JWP certainly proved he will be remembered as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

JWP lives with his family on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia, where he continues to train. He is recovering from the recent loss of his father, who was a great influence on him and whom he must have made a very proud man.

Check out JWP’s highlight clip:

With the WBC Muay Thai Super Welterweight Title on the line, predictions on this much anticipated fight between international super stars Yodsanklai Fairtex and Malaipet “The Diamond” Sasiprapa took every possible perspective and were as numerous as grains of sand on the beach. The outcome of the fight certainly vindicated some predictions, and shocked others.

Some had argued that although both fighters had well over 150 legitimate fights worth of experience, Yodsaenklai had faced a higher caliber of opponents in Thailand, than Malaipet has in the United States. That prediction proved true, as Yodsaenklai thoroughly and methodically dismantled Malaipet with heavy and accurate hands, repeated kicks and a clean elbow shot that opened a nasty cut over Malaipet’s right eye in the 2nd round, and eventually led to a doctor’s stoppage at the end of round 3, resulting in a win by TKO for the reigning WBC Muay Thai Super Welterweight champion, Yodsaenklai Fairtex.

For the American audience, who are used to seeing Malaipet walk through his competition in the United States with a great deal of showmanship and those vicious flying knees, what happened in Jamaica was surely a sorry surprise. Malaipet was unable to get any solid shots in that had any effect on Yodsaenklai at all. Yodsaenklai methodically stalked Malaipet throughout the fight, showing absolutely no emotion and no discomfort with anything Malaipet had to throw at him.

Meanwhile, he showered Malaipet with his heavy hands, repeatedly landing solid combinations from multiple angles on Malaipet, who seemed unable to evade the onslaught. Malaipet failed to move dynamically around the ring and consistently lost the battle for positioning throughout the fight, allowing Yodsaenklai to bully him around the ring and pursue him for the full duration of the fight. Malaipet’s poor footwork and positioning caused him to take a number of big shots, including a few hard uppercuts that got a boisterous reaction from the crowd.

Ultimately, in the 2nd round, Malaipet caught a clean elbow that just clipped him above the right eye, opening a nasty cut that continued to swell up through the remainder of the fight from the repeated head shots he continued to take from Yodsaenklai. Although many fans were disappointed with Malaipet’s performance, he showed tremendous heart and a rock solid chin, absorbing a brutal beating that would have felled almost any other fighter much earlier in the fight. Malaipet continued to throw punches and kicks back at Yodsaenklai and even came at him with some flying knees deep into the fight, but he just could not land on Yodsaenklai in combination or with effect enough to back him off from his dogged pursuit.

By the end of round 3, both of Malaipet’s eyes were badly swollen and blood from the cut above his right eye continued to obscure his vision. During the break between rounds, the Doctor at ringside called a stop to the bout on account of the cut above Malaipet’s right eye. Yodsaenklai was pronounced the winner by TKO and maintained his grip on the WBC Muay Thai Super Welterweight Title.

Here is the fight in it’s entirety:

2008 WMC World Champion
2008 WMC The Contender Asia Champion
2008 KO World Series Auckland Middleweight champion
2005 WBC Muay Thai World champion at 154 lb
2005 Champion of Thailand at 154 lb
2005 Champion of Lumpinee Stadium at 147 lb
2003 Champion of Toyota D4D Marathon at 126 lb
Lumpinee champion at 112 lb

Recently catapulted to international stardom with his win of the reality show The Contender Asia, the fighter known as Yodsaenklai Fairtex has long been a Muay Thai powerhouse. He could easily be considered to be the best pound for pound Thai boxer in the world right now. Born Yodthana “Eak” Phoetirat in the Mecca of Muay Thai, in Nongbualampoo Province, in North-Eastern Thailand, the fighter known as Yodsaenklai was introduced to Muay Thai as a young child by his older brother, who had been a Thai boxer. After watching his brother compete in local bouts, Yodsaenklai began his own Muay Thai career at the age of 8 years old. Known for his heavy hands and methodical style, Yodsaenklai’s career has shined, with wins over a who’s who list of the best Thai boxers and kick boxers in the world.

Previously known as Yodsaenklai Petchyindee, Yodsaenklai took the Fairtex surname when he began training with the Fairtex camp in Bangkok in 2005, which is common practice in Thailand. In that year he won the Lumpinee Championship at 112 lbs with a KO of Thai boxer Runglaew. About a month later he defeated the famous Thai boxer Samkor for the Lumpinee Championship at 147 lbs. Later in 2005, he won the WBC Muay Thai World Championship at 154 lbs by defeating the renowned Australian Thai boxer “John” Wayne Parr. He was also 2005 Thailand National Champion at 154 lbs. Previously, he was Champion of Toyota D4D Marathon at 126 lbs in 2003. Yodsaenklai defended his WBC Muay Thai World Championship belt twice with an elbow KO of German kick boxer Mark Vogel, and a recent win over the highly regarded Thai boxer Malaipet “The Diamond” Sasiprapa in Montego Bay, Jamaica on June 20, 2008.

On February 9, 2008 in Auckland, New Zealand, Yodsaenklai defeated two opponents by TKO and KO, respectively, to win the 2008 KO World Series Auckland Middleweight Championship at 160lbs. Yodsaenklai has made two K-1 Max appearances, both of which resulted in wins. In his most recent K-1 Max appearance at K-1 Scandinavia Max 2008, in Stockholm, Sweden on May 31, 2008, Yodsaenklai KO’d Russian fighter Levin Artem in the 2nd round, winning the WMC World Championship.

Yodsaenklai became an international media star and earned a purse of US$150,000 by winning the first season of the internationally popular reality show, The Contender Asia. Entering the competition with 15 other world class Thai boxers and kickboxers in 2007, Yodsaenklai became the ultimate winner of the show in the show’s finale on April 12, 2008 with a second 5 round decision win over Australian kick boxer “John” Wayne Parr. He dominated the overall competition with 4 wins, 2 by KO, one of which was a 2nd round KO of his Fairtex stable mate Naruepol Fairtex in episode 9.

Yodsanklai currently trains at Fairtex in Pattaya, Thailand.

Check out his highlight clip:

Former Lumpini Champion Jr Featherweight 115 lbs
Former Lumpini Champion Jr Lightweight 122 lbs
Former Lumpini Champion Lightweight 130 lbs
Former Thailand Champion at 135lbs
2005 Muay Thai Marathon Champion at 154 lbs

A legend in his native Thailand, the fighter known as Samkor “Batman” Keatmontep is one of the most respected and accomplished Thai boxers in Thailand. Samkor’s extremely high winning percentage and his multiple championships place him among the top Thai boxers of all time.

Samkor dominated the competition at Lumpinee Stadium and has been credited with being the reason Buakaw never ranked above #2 at Lumpinee. Samkor has won championships in three different weight classes at Lumpinee. He is former Lumpinee Jr Featherweight Champion, former Lumpinee Jr Lightweight Champion, and former Lumpinee Lightweight Champion. Samkor is also a former Thailand National 135 lbs Champion and the 2005 Muay Thai Marathon 154 lbs Champion.

A dangerous southpaw, Samkor is especially well known for his vicious left kicks. He is rumored to have broken a number of his opponents’ forearms with his left high kicks in his career.

Samkor currently trains and teaches at Muay Thai Plaza 2004 in Thailand. However, he is apparently a big fan of the hip hop subculture, and would love to to train and teach in the United States if he was given the opportunity. Unfortunately though, he doesn’t speak a lick of English. Of course that’s not a problem time and some good gangster rap can’t solve.

Check out those ruthless left kicks in Samkor’s highlight video:

When choosing a pair of Thai pads, it is important to take a number of things into consideration. First, one should consider what kind of material the exterior of the pad is made of. Most Thai pads have a 100% leather exterior. However, some Thai pads have an exterior made of some synthetic material. Leather pads are generally more durable than pads covered with synthetic materials.

Another thing to consider is how the straps hold onto the user’s forearm. There are basically two different designs, pads with velcro straps or pads with leather straps and buckles. Both designs can fail over time with heavy use. Velcro can wear down and lose its ability to bond the straps together, and leather straps can wear through and tear away from the buckle. The velcro design also usually has thicker straps than the buckle design, but whether that is good or bad is a matter of personal preference.

Thaismai Muay Thai pads with leather buckle straps

Another obvious thing to consider is how thick and solid the padding feels inside the pad. Considering your pads are going to be subjected to hundreds of thousands of kicks over their lifetime, the padding has to be very dense and durable. If a pair of pads is soft to the touch when it’s brand new, it will get flat as a pancake after it gets used. A good pair of Thai pads should maintain their padding over time.

The last thing to consider is what color to choose. Thai pads generally don’t come with fancy graphics and wild colors like gloves or shin pads do, which tends to limit one’s choice.

I suggest Thaismai or Twins Special Muay Thai pads. They are both constructed well, covered in 100% leather, with tight stitching all around. The padding inside the pads is very dense and durable, assuring that the pad maintains its shape and thickness over time. Thaismai, Twins Special and other Muay Thai pads can be found at:

MuayThaiStuff.com

2x Lumpinee Champion
2x ISKA World Champion
IKKC Junior Middleweight World Champion
IKF North American Champion

Born Anucha “Noom” Chaiyasen, the fighter known as Jongsanan “Wooden Man” Fairtex has a reputation as an outstanding fighter and trainer witht he famous Fairtex camp. He earned his nickname after opponents of his commented that kicking him was like kicking a solid tree. Born in Thailand, Jongsanan has been fighting since the age of 10.

He is a two time Lumpinee Champion, two time ISKA World Champion, IKKC Junior Middleweight World Champion, and IKF North American Champion. Jongsanan has a reputation as one of the most brutal fighters in the sport. Rather than being flashy, the “Wooden Man” presses his opponents non-stop, trading ruthless blows back and forth. These brutal fights have made Jongsanan a fan favorite in his native Thailand, and cemented his reputation in the US.

The “Wooden Man” is currently Head Muay Thai and Boxing Instructor at Fairtex USA in San Francisco, California.

Check out his highlight clip:

IKBA World Champion at 147 lbs
IMTO USA Champion at 147 lbs
IMTO World Champion at 147 lbs
IKKC USA Champion at 147 lbs
IKKC World Champion at 147 lbs
Former Rajadamnoen Champion

Born Monkhon WiWasuk in the jungles of Thailand, the fighter known as Malaipet “The Diamond” Sasiprapa got his start as a fighter at the ripe old age of 8. When Malaipet was a young child, his mother passed away and his family lost the land that her family had provided for them. Like many other boys from destitute families in Thailand, Malaipet started training and fighting in Muay Thai competitions in order to contribute to his family financially. In his first fight, Malaipet earned about one dollar.

Unlike the thousands of other boys and young men in Thailand who compete in Muay Thai bouts across the country, Malaipet has risen to become one of the top Muay Thai fighters in the world, and has recently started a career in MMA. Boasting an impressive Muay Thai record of 136-26-5, Malaipet is the IKBA World Champion, IKKC World Champion, IKKC USA Champion, IMTO World Champion, IMTO USA Champion, and former Rajadamnoen Champion. Malaipet’s MMA record is 3-2, including a controversial loss by disqualification in his most recent fight against Thomas “The Wildman” Denny. Malaipet also suffered a recent loss in a Muay Thai bout to WBC Champion Yodsanklai “The Boxing Computer” Fairtex.

After having moved to the United States from his native Thailand in 2001, Malaipet trained for a number years with Kru Puk at Muay Thai Academy in North Hollywood, California. However, he has recently opened his own gym called Team Diamond Martial Arts School in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Malaipet is a renowned fighter who represents the Thai nation and its people with great honor in the United States. With his personal background, over 20 years of training, and well over 150 fights in his career, Malaipet is as real as it gets. Watching him fight is like watching ballet. His technique is so sharp and flawless, his strikes are so hard, his flying knees and kicks are so acrobatic, and he controls the ring and the tempo of the fight with such confidence, that Malaipet is one of the most impressive fighters in the world to watch in the ring, or the cage for that matter.

Malaipet’s highlight clip is as impressive as any you’ll ever see. Check it out:

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The first area that virtually every headgear out there provides protection for is the forehead and temples. This protection can be more or less substantial, and consist of padding of varying thickness, but just about every headgear used in Muay Thai is going to offer significant protection for the forehead and temple region. This padding is going to protect the wearer from absorbing the full impact of straight jabs and crosses to the forehead, as well as hooks or shin kicks to the temple region, which can cause serious injury and/or concussion.

Most Muay Thai headgear also has padding that protects the chin and jaw area. This padding is usually part of the chinstrap for the headgear. better designs provide a pocket for the chin to sit in, with padding in front of and below the chin, and along the sides of the jaw up to the temple region. This padding protects the wearer against straight jabs and crosses, or straight kicks to the front of the jaw, which can result in a concussion and loss of consciousness. This padding also protects the wearer from hooks and uppercuts, or kicks the side of the jaw, which also can result in a concussion and loss of consciousness.

Muay Thai headgear also typically provides padding to the front of the cheeks, an area often left open in headgear used by traditional western-style boxers. This padding typically is an extension of the padding for the jaw and chin, that leaves only the nose and the eyes uncovered. This padding offers additional protection against nasty facial fractures that can wreak havoc on one’s sinus and nasal cavities. They also offer a little bit more protection for the eyes and nose, than does headgear used by traditional western-style boxers. The one draw back to this additional padding is that it can partially obscure vision in some designs. Thus, one should always be sure to consider whether the cheek padding in some particular headgear will cut off a significant angle of one’s range of vision.

The last area that Muay Thai headgear should protect is the sides and back of the head. With the fast pace of Muay Thai and the constant struggle for positioning and angles, one can often be the victim of a kick or punch to the side, or even back of the head. Good Muay Thai headgear should not neglect these important regions of the head that needs protection. While there should be a hole where the ear is, the headgear should have thick protection around the ear hole, to protect the ears from injury. The back of the head is equally important. In fact, strikes the back of the head are so likely to result in concussion, that many states and countries do not allow strikes to the back of the head at all. However, in the heat of sparring, anything can happen, and one should be sure that the headgear they select provides the necessary protection to this vulnerable region of the head.

Having considered the different areas of the head and face that require headgear protection, one must consider the most important thing about choosing the right headgear, that the headgear you choose fits! Getting a snug, even tight, fit is the most important thing to consider in choosing headgear for Muay Thai. The headgear should not be so tight that it cuts off circulation or constrains breathing, but it should definately not be loose enough to move around on your face or head every time you bob and weave or get hit in the face. Of course different people have heads of different shaped heads. Some of us have round heads, some of us have long heads. Some of us have thick heads and some of us have big heads. You get the point. Therefore, a headgear that fits one person perfectly, might not fit someone else just right.

The last thing you should probably consider, but as usual, probably the first thing on your mind, is the aesthetic appearance of the headgear - what color it is, what designs are painted on it, etc. Some companies offer fancy headgear that comes in a number of different colors, and with a variety of different designs painted on. While other companies only make headgear in a limited number of solid colors, usually black, white and red.

What colors or designs are on your headgear is purely a matter of taste for you to decide, but one should be careful that the shape of the headgear itself and the protection it provides, do not get sacrificed because one thinks one particular headgear “looks cool”. You ain’t gonna be looking “cool” sprawled out on the floor of the gym in front of everyone if your headgear doesn’t offer the protection you need. So when choosing headgear for Muay Thai, think function first. Fortunately, some of the companies who produce the best, most functional headgear with the best protection, also offer the most variety in terms of color and design patterns.

I suggest Twins Special headgear. It is 100% leather, making it very durable, and provides ample protection in all the necessary areas. Twins Special headgear can be found at:
MuayThaiStuff.com

Unlike gloves however, which really only have one more or less universal design, shin pads come in many different shapes, sizes and materials. It is important to consider each of these factors in choosing the right pair of shin pads for you. However, there are a few things that all good shin pads should do for you, regardless of shape, color, material, or thickness.

First, all good shin pads should fit snug, even tight, on your foot and shin. With the repetitive and fast kicking back and forth that exemplifies Muay Thai, you need your shin pads to be in the right place, every time. If they are at all loose, or don’t conform to your limb, they can very easily slip around and slide to one side or the other, or even slide off! If your shin pads somehow gravitate away from where they should be positioned, and you crack shins, or even worse, crack the top of your foot on your partner’s shin, believe me, you will seriously regret not getting the right shin pads.

The other important thing that all shin pads should provide is protection to the top of the foot, the front of the ankle, and some portion of the shin. The tops of your feet are packed with fragile little bones and soft tissue, and all it takes is a slight misjudgment in distance for you to break your foot on someone’s shin, knee or elbow. This is why it is imperative that you make sure the shin pads you choose provide protection to this fragile area of the body.

Muay Thai shin pads come in a number of different designs, shapes, sizes and materials, not to mention colors. Which design you choose, both in a functional and in an aesthetic sense, depends on what trade off you are willing to accept. If you have huge shin pads, that completely protect you to the point that you don’t feel a thing when you crack shins, you probably aren’t going to be fast as lighting. That being said, a beginner should probably choose a thicker shin pad that provides ample protection. Whereas, an experienced fighter is probably going to choose shin pads that have less padding, fit very tight to the shin and foot, and are very light.

The way shin pads are designed also has a huge effect on how snug and tight they hold to your foot and shin. There are a few designs on the market that virtually all shin pads come in. Probably the simplest design is the shin pad that is basically a big sock or a big ankle brace, with padding on the top of the foot, front of the ankle and on the shin. These shin pads are light and probably fit tighter and better than most any other design on the market, as long as you get the right size. They also tend to be very cheap, compared to other pads.

The “Sock” Shin pad

The drawbacks of these type of shin pads are that they typically have much less padding and protection than do other types of shin pads. Another drawback to these types of pads are that they are usually made of some kind of fabric and/or elastic weave, which makes them fit tight, but does not make them incredibly durable. They soak up sweat and floor grime and stink something terrible after months of regular use. Some people throw them in the washing machine, other people just get a new pair every so often. Overall, however, these types of shin pads are a very popular design.

Another common and trustworthy shin pad design on the market uses straps that wrap around the back of the shins to hold the pads in place on the front of the shins. The best design of these types of pads has straps (two or three) that come out of one side of the pad, then go through a loop on the other side, before being pulled and secured on the side they came out of. Different designs of this type can be secured either by velcro or by buckles, like a common belt. This type of design also typically has a stirrup for the foot.

These type of pads can be made of many different materials or a combination of different materials. The pads themselves can be filled with various types of foam and even small plastic plates. The covering can be made of leather, polyester, or other synthetic fibers. The leather ones are typically the most durable and long-lasting.

The disadvantages to these type of pads is that they can be much more expensive than a simple sock shin pad, and depending on the material, both inside and outside of the pad, they can be very large, heavy and bulky or very small and provide poor protection. On the other hand, they can also be very light and tight, but offer good protection at the same time.

There is also a poorly designed version of the strap design where the straps in the back of the calf do not pull tight through a loop on the other side of the pad. Instead, both sides have a strap that comes out and velcro’s to the strap from the other side. Since you can’t cinch either strap tight, these type of shin pads are difficult to fit on tight enough to prevent them from sliding around during training. So unless you have very thick legs, these pads are probably not going to fit your legs tight enough to hold them on securely during training.

Strap Shin pads With No Loop

Of course the last thing you should think about, but probably the first thing on your mind, is the color and aesthetic designs on the shin pads. Shin pads come in uncountable different colors and patterns from hot rod flames, to tribal designs, to Asian dragons, to spiderwebs. What color and pattern catches your eye is purely a matter of personal taste. Another thing to keep in mind is that some companies produce matching leather gloves and shin pads in the same colors with the same patterns.

I recommend either the Thaismai or Twins Special shin pads. They are lightweight, yet provide dense padding for the shins, front of the ankle and top of the foot. They are made with both the strap and loop design that ensures they can be pulled tight on the shin, and the strap with no loop design. Thaismai, Twins Special and other shin pads can be found at:

MuayThaiStuff.com.