WMC S1 in honour of His Majesty’s Birthday

A massive crowd gathered at Sanam Luang to witness the co-promotion between the World Muaythai Council and Songchai Promotions for His Majesty’s 80th birthday. Sport celebrities including the President of GAISF, IOC member and AIBA President and Presidents of all IOC and GAISF recognised martial arts Federations all came to see professional Muaythai at its best.

8 of the best fighters were chosen, and the opening fight was Egon Raiz from Slovakia against Thai superstar Matsui. Matsui showed that he meant business, and with the support of an unbelievable crowd of over 300,000 people, took the victory to Thailand.

Next up in group 1 was Contender superstar Joakim Carlsson from Sweden vs Mark Beecher from the USA, Joakim on fire with a beautiful hand combination sending down the American fighter.

In group 2, another Contender superstar, Dzhaba Askerov of UAE took on Jamie Crawford from Ireland, both boys meaning business from the opening bell, mid second round Dzhaba caught the Irish fighter, sending him down unable to recover.

The last quarter final fight  was between Sisanchai Chitlada from Thailand and Jonathan Camara from France, and that with no doubt was one of the best fights of the evening, both boys really going to work, but Camara showed why France is one of the Muaythai powerhouses in the first upset of the evening, with the win to France.

The semi final fights were set with Thailand vs Sweden and France vs UAE. Matsui and Carlsson in the first semi final really showed the full arsenal of Muaythai, and mid round 3 Matsui caught the Swedish fighter with an elbow that opened a large cut, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

The next semi final fight was another fantastic display, with UAE and France battling it out. This fight came down to the last punch, the French fighter winning a split points decision.

The final was set for Camara from France vs Matsui from Thailand. The stadium was absolutely on fire as this was a fight Thailand will remember for a long time. Matsui really showed that he is one of the best fighters in the world and why he was chosen as one of the main trainers and sparring partners for all Contenders. With the help of the unbelievable crowd and his great skills, Matsui took a unanimous points decision, earning him the title of WMC S1 Champion for 2007. He proudly collected the paycheck, but moreso the trophy donated by His Majesty the King, which as a Thai would no doubt be the most honourable day in his life.

Congratulations to Matsui, the fights will be televised around the world through the WMC network.