Of the four major stlyes within muay thai, the muay femur style is perhaps the most ‘beautiful’ style. This is a style that represents the less brutal and more skillful and ‘noble’ aspects of muay thai, hence the reference to muay femur as the ‘Kings Discipline’.
Nak muay femur (muay femur stylists) are known for their balance, coordination, elusiveness, ring awareness and high fight IQ.
Muay femur fighters have the full arsenal of muay thai weapons in their fight game and depending on their opponents weaknesses, they are able to pick them apart by utilizing the most appropriate weapon for the opponent they face.
To make a somewhat simplified comparison with Western boxing, think of a muay femur fighter as a “Muhammad Ali’ or Lomachenko type boxer.
This is in comparison to an aggressive hard puncher or nak muay mat who is more of a Tyson or Gennady Golovkin type boxer.
Muay Femur Specialties
Some of the greatest thai boxers in history have also been muay femur stylists.
All time greats in muay thai such as Samart, Saenchai, Somluck are muay femur stylists and some of the shared traits among these greats represent well the muay femur style.
Some of the common traits shared among the very best include the ability to ‘bait and frustrate’ their opponents.
By staying very calm and calculated, the femur fighter is able to see openings and incoming attacks to strike and evade or block attacks with an ease that frustrates opponents.
By operating out of range of their opponents and avoiding their strike or blocking them using their quick reflexes, a nak muay femur is able to counter strike and move out of range quickly.
This kind of style requires very good and fast footwork and defensive reflexes.
By staying out of range of an opponent the muay femur fighter is able to use the available space to create attacks. It is this creativity and ‘artfulness’ that makes the muay femur fighter exciting to watch.
Beautiful and spectacular techniques such as the Question Mark Kick and Axe Kick’s used by Saenchai and the reverse spinning elbows and kicks of Somruk and the spectacular head movement of Samart are all demonstrations of this.
Notable Femur Fighters
While Samart, Saenchai and Somluck are among the most recognizable and famous femur fighters, there are many more great exponents of the femur style, some of whom I would like to introduce to you here if you are not already aware of these great nak muay femur.
Burklerk Pinsichai
Burklerk was known as a very technical fighter with excellent footwork, balance and timing. Exemplifying his great timing, Burklerk executed some of the most beautiful sweeps in muay thai putting his opponent son their backs.
Some of Burklerks technical prowess and timing shown in his sweeps can be seen in the video below:
At 12 years old he began fighting out of the legendary Asawindum/Pinsinchai Camp in Bangkok.
Burklerk retired in 1997 with a record of 162 wins and 8 losses. Some of Burklerk’s achievements in muay thai include:
- 1983: Rajadamnern Stadium
- 1984: Lumpinee Stadium
- 1986: Lumpinee Stadium
- 1987: Lumpinee Stadium
- Burklerk also won ‘Fight of The Year’ honors at Lumpinee, and Fighter of the Year (Yod Muay)
Nong-O Gaiyanghadao
4x Lumpinee Muay Thai World Championships, Rajadamnern Muay Thai World Championship, and 2x Thailand National Championship, Nong-O is widely known as one of the top pound for pound Thai boxers in the world today.
Precision striking is a hallmark of Nong-Os fight game as well as powerful kicks, speed and a very high fight IQ.
As a muay femur fighter, Nong-O has all the weapons of muay thai in his ‘toolshed’ and can utilize each with effectiveness.
Danny Bill
While often overlooked in the list of greatest non-Thai muay thai fighters, Danny Bill was well known as being highly technical and for ‘outslicking’ many of his Thai opponents.
Danny Bill was able to exploit his opponents weaknesses in the later rounds of a fight after processing and noting their weaknesses and openings his opponents had in the early rounds of his fights.
Danny Bill also displayed excellent timing and was famous for executing beautiful sweeps in the ring and he was known as one of the best ‘sweep technicians’ in muay thai.
Karuhat Sor Supawan
Karuhat was known for fighting and beating bigger opponents and as such he utilized his technical skill, accuracy and creativity to beat his larger opponents.
With a creative and unique style, Karuhat was able to innovate in the midst of the fight and display unique and beautiful techniques.
Karuhat had a record of 190 fights with 163 wins and 23 losses. 20 of those wins came by way of KO.
Karuhat was a 3 time Lumpinee Chmapion and was one of the best fighters of the Golden Age of muay thai in the 90s.
Fighting and Beating Muay Femur Style
As muay femur fighters are so technical and skillful, you wold think they were almost unbeatable.
But with any style or any fighter, with the right strategy and tactics and sticking to the gameplan and not getting frustrated, any fighter can be beaten.
Smothering and Clinching the Muay Femur Fighter
Closing down the distance the muay femur capitalizes on to create openings and strike in and out of range is a valid strategy against a muay femur fighter.
Being well rounded, muay femur also have excellent clinching skills and strategies, however the clinch is not their strongest asset – movement and creating space is.
Denying them this space and forcing them into the clinch, especially if you are a muay khao or clinch and knee specialist would be one great way to wear down the muay femur fighter and take away their space.
Muay Femur vs Muay Khao
The style match up between the creative and slick muay femur and the aggressive, smothering, forward marching, muay khao is a popular match up that plays out in the muay thai ring.
One such legendary match was between two of the greatest ever muay thai fighters, Dieselnoi and Samart. In this match up Dieselnoi came out on top with his signature clinch and devastating knees.
Another is the match up between Saenchai and Yodwicha in which the muay khao stylist, Yodwich won, was a great example of this match up and how the clinching style can be used to overcome this technical skillful muay femur fighter.
