10 face-busting Muay Thai knockouts from hell
There’s nothing like a good Muay Thai fight. Maybe it’s the allure of a martial art bound by centuries of tradition. Or perhaps it’s the atmosphere that comes with the flurry of action in the darkest corner of the stadium, where the locals bet the shirts off their backs in the hope of making mega-bucks.
Most likely it’s just the bone-crunching, head-smacking, gut-wrenching ninja moves that Muay Thai fighters can pull out in manic succession. In honor of every kick-ass combo that’s ever been delivered in the country’s Muay Thai rings, we rounded up a collection of knockouts so satisfying that even Chuck Norris would tip his hat.
The running knee
After busting out all kinds of crazy roundhouse kicks and spinning elbows, the fighter in the red trunks sets his opponent up for a Mortal Kombat-esque “Finish Him” moment where he runs full pelt across the ring to deliver a flying knee that sends the unlucky combatant back-flipping his way down to the canvas.
The Danish bomber
Danish fighter Ruben Lundin was mocked by his opponent before the fight. So the pasty-faced destroyer brought home the bacon with a thunderous right hand that floored his adversary and led to a spot of comedy wobbliness soon after.
Blink and you’ll miss it
This one comes out of nowhere. The fighters go back and forth for a minute or so before the fella in the blue trunks takes a few heavy bombs and then goes for a roundhouse kick only to get nailed by a killer left.
The people’s elbow
Not even Duane “The Rock” Johnson could deliver a more stinging reverse elbow than this Thai chap. It’s about a minute in and there are all sorts of blows being traded, but then the people’s champ spins around and connects with a tooth-cracking shot to the head.
A glutton for punishment
The dude in the red trunks takes the beating of a lifetime and just collapses to the floor, only to get up before the count and charge headfirst into another succession of brutal fists and knees.
Sweet revenge
At the beginning of this, the fighter in red knocks down his opponent with a sweet left kick, but the glory is short-lived as the warrior in red claws his way back into the fight and goes on to unleash a cringe-inducing spinning elbow.
Off the ropes
There’s a never a doubt that the brawler in blue is going to win this one, but it’s not often you see someone pull off a move worthy of Stone Cold Steve Austin. He pushes his foe hard into the ropes and hits him with a flying knee as his foe bounces back for a “boom goes the dynamite” moment.
The face plant
Another Western-Thai battle. The white dude looks all businesses with his bald head and gangly body and he wins by grabbing his opponent’s head and pulling out the knee version of an uppercut.
The flying turtle
This one gets a mention because the fighter in red manages to punt his opponent about halfway across the ring while the doomed fighter maintains a bizarre turtle-like posture.
The art of confusion
Four fighters engage in battle in one ring. The only thing is that they’re all blindfolded so they end up taking wild swings at the air and sometimes the ropes. All four of the fighters stumble around like drunken buffoons before a comical headbutt at 39 seconds.