Thailand bans MMA...

Hey there H20 nation, i've been gone a while working on putting together and following through with my first Muay Thai camp. More on that later. So i'm 2 months away from my trip to Thailand so i'm researching like crazy. If you know me personally then you might know that I am constantly on the computer or my phone studying...everything. Anyway, I came across an article that talks about Thailands recent ban on MMA. The Thai government is citing that "MMA is too brutal" and "is not boxing". Now at first glance this might seem like the pot calling the kettle black, but let's look deeper. Some may look at Muay Thai(Thailand's national sport) as uber brutal. Elbows and knees and kicks garnishing more points in the fight than boxing strikes. However, this is not just a combat sport to the Thai people. This form of combat is rooted in tradition dating back over a thousand years. Compare that to MMA which may have some ties to other similar forms of combat like pankration and vale tudo but are from different countries and are also considered extremely brutal by some. Modern MMA dates all the way back to 1993. That's right it's about 19 years old, an infant compared to Muay Thai and even to baseball which is about 166 years old. I say that to contend that MMA is not a polished product.

The tradition involved in Muay Thai is based in superstition and history. When the Nak Muay(Thai fighters) come out to fight they do a dance/prayer to pay respects to their coaches, God, Buddha, and to protect themselves and their opponent from serious injury. The entrance of an MMA fighter usually involves the blasting of some rock or hip hop song themed around being a badass or kicking someone's ass. As entertaining as that might be for Americans it would be considered disrespectful in the Thai culture. The Thais are extremely respectful, especially when it comes to fighting. MMA fighters and fans for the most part not so much. Last but not least, the large majority of fighters are using a watered down version of what the Thais are so very proud of and are calling it by the same name. Until the MMA community really understands and respects what Muay Thai is to the people of Thailand it will be hard for them to accept MMA. The violent rhetoric that MMA fighters around the world may be used to isn't an integral part of Thai society. Also it doesn't help that some fighters go there learn the strikes and don't respect the culture. Regardless of how brutal both sports might be, MMA might be lacking in area...RESPECT.