Muay Thai has seen an increase in it's use lately in fighting tournaments such as MMA, UFC, and PRIDE. Below are five fighters that exhibit the best Muay Thai skill (in my opinion).
*Fighters are listed in no particular order
Wanderlei Silva
Out first Muay Thai Fighter (nicknamed "The Axe Murderer") hails from Brazil and has competed in both Price and UFC. Some of his best accomplishments include:
- IVC (International Vale Tudo Championship) Light Heavyweight Champion
- PRIDE Middleweight Championship (2001-2007)
- Most Wins and Knockouts in PRIDE History (22 Wins with 15 Knockouts)
- Longest Win Streak in PRIDE History (20 Fights)
- Knockout of the Night (UFC)
Kenny Florian
Next up from the U.S. is Kenny Florian, a UFC Muay Thai Fighter known for his devastating elbow strikes. As an interesting side note, he is the only UFC fighter to have competed in four different weight classes (Welterweight (2003–2005), Middleweight (2005), Lightweight (2006-present), and Featherweight (2011)). Some of his achievements:
- Submission of the Night Honors
- The Ultimate Fighter 1 Middleweight Tournament Finalist
- Fight of the Night Honors
Thiago Alves
Also known as the "Muay Thai wrecking machine", the Brazilian Thiago started training Muay Thai when he was just 14. After just a year he won his first professional match against a 25 year old fighter. Alves attempted a Welterweight title shot against Georges St. Pierre, but was out-wrestled and lost by unanimous decision.
Thiago Silva
Another Muay Thai Fighter from Brazil that was once a member of the world famous Chute Boxe Academy (a Muay Thai school), Silvia ran away from home at just 13 years of age, and lived in the slums of São Paulo. He started training at age 18 but often had to choose between training or eating due to his poverty. He was also suspended for a year in 2011 due to a failed drug test, which in explained in his own words:
"Please do not interpret this as an attempt to justify my actions. I know they were wrong, and I know I made bad decisions... I reinjured my back 45 days before the fight with Brandon Vera. After not fighting for a year, I made the decision to not pull out of the fight. I also decided that the only way I could continue with the fight was to take injections in my back and spine that contained substances prohibited by the Nevada (State) Athletic Commission. I also made the decision to use a product to hide the presence of these substances in a urine test."
Some of his accomplishments include:
- Lightweight Heavyweight Tournament Winner (MMA - Fury FC 2: Final Combat)
- State and Brazilian BJJ Tournaments Winner
Anderson Silva
The last Muay Thai Fighter in our list is none other than the current UFC Middleweight Champion. Silva is also ranked the number one Middleweight by multiple sources and has been proclaimed as "the greatest mixed martial artist ever." by Dana White (the UFC president). Some of his accomplishments include:
- Longest winning streak and title defense streak in UFC history (14 consecutive wins and 9 consecutive title defenses)
- UFC Middleweight Championship
- Submission of the Night (Two times)
- Knockout of the Night (Three times)
- Fight of the Year for 2010 win against Chael Sonnen (World MMA Awards)