Harsh spotlights and street lamps illuminate a vicious brawl between two shirtless men as the screams of a crowd echo beneath a Bangkok underpass: Fight Club Thailand is on.
In the capital city of a country renowned for its highly technical martial arts scene, amateur fighters gather regularly, promising to exchange only blood and bruises in the underground club.
While the bout resembles a particularly frenzied boxing match, the setting, surrounded by shipping containers in a poor port-side neighborhood, is a far cry from the glitz of Muay Thai boxing stadiums.
Photo: AFP
“Here you don’t have to know how to fight — you just need heart,” club cofounder Chana Worasart said.
The 30-year-old founded the club in 2016, partly inspired by the cult Brad Pitt movie, to allow amateur fighters to test their skills — or just vent their aggression.
“I think the popularity is due to a variety of occupations and fighting styles that are different from the styles in the [professional] ring,” he said.
That is certainly the appeal for 23-year-old contestant and grocery store owner Surathat Sakulchue.
“It’s quite different [from traditional fights],” he said, expecting to dish out — and take — punishment using all four limbs.
Fighters are allowed to go all-out in a single three-minute round — with neither a winner nor a loser declared — but the bouts are not quite no-holds-barred.
Elbowing, grappling, throwing opponents to the ground and punching to the back of the head are strictly prohibited.
It is all a far cry from the scrappy club’s beginnings, when there were no clear rules.
Now there are fighting guidelines, screening procedures, a risk-acceptance pledge as well as protective equipment and on-scene medical care.
“We don’t ask fighters to kill each other. If you’re too tired or too injured to go on, then we’ll stop the fight,” Chana said as another bout began.
After paying his respects with folded hands and touching gloves with his opponent, amateur fighter Ilya Ostroushchenko gets to work.
Landing a kick to his opponent’s torso, Ostroushchenko bashes out a combination of punches, and a left hook to the face finally sends his opponent stumbling to the rubber mat.
Seemingly cool and composed during the fight, the 22-year-old Russian said it is nerve-wracking right before stepping into the informal ring.
“My hands shake. My knees shake also, but when I go out to the center, I feel good,” he said.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
RSS