Muay Thai at Rajadamnern Stadium
Watching live Muay Thai at the stadium that opened in 1945 and helped shape the modern sport, with fights staged seven nights a week.
A 1945 arena at the centre of modern Muay Thai
Muay Thai is Thailand's national combat sport, often called the Art of Eight Limbs because it uses fists, elbows, knees and shins. It grew out of the older fighting form muay boran, which is now mostly performed as an exhibition art, and the name Muay Thai took hold in the early twentieth century. Codified rules, with referees and timed rounds, came in during the reign of Rama VII (1925-1935), and gloves replaced rope binding after a death in the ring. The sport gained full recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 2021. Rajadamnern Stadium is one of the two main venues of the modern sport, alongside Lumpinee. The stadium's own history page says construction began in 1942 and the first boxing match was held on 23 December 1945. A concrete roof was added in 1951. The stadium describes itself as the world's first Muay Thai stadium and credits itself with introducing the first circular ring, a ranking system and a championship belt. It stands at 8 Rajadamnern Nok Road in the Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, with about 3,500 seats around the ring according to the stadium. It says it holds fights seven nights a week.
Before the bell
Wai Kru Ram Muay, the traditional ritual performed before a bout.
The headband (mongkhon) and armbands (pra jiad) worn into the ring, which trace back to war-era good-luck tokens; a trainer traditionally gives the mongkhon to a fighter and a monk often blesses it.
A live Muay Thai orchestra, which the stadium says accompanies the fights.
The series
The stadium names several series: Rajadamnern World Series (three-round bouts with five-round championship main events and open scoring after every round), Rajadamnern Knockout (three rounds), New Power (a traditional five-round event), Petchyindee (traditional five-round fights) and Kiatpetch (a mix of three- and five-round bouts).
The building
A dome projection which the stadium says presents about 1,000 years of Muay Thai history.
Seating arranged around the circular ring, introduced here according to the stadium.
Location
The stadium lists its address as 8 Rajadamnern Nok Road, Wat Somanas, Pomprapsattruphai, Bangkok.
Good to know
Different nights carry different series, so round counts and format vary: a night of three-round bouts is a different pace from a traditional five-round card.
The stadium has its own ranking system and championship titles up to middleweight.
Female bouts were first held there on 22 July 2022, the same year an outside investor launched the Rajadamnern World Series.
The popular story of the folk hero Nai Khanom Tom defeating ten Burmese fighters in 1767 is treated by scholars as largely legend.