Saturday, September 18, 2021: Earlier this year, the executive board at Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium announced that for the first time in the storied history of Lumpinee Stadium, female MuayThai fighters would be allowed to compete in the ring, something that was banned from its inception at the original stadium in 1956 and a rule which was continued at the new stadium when it opened its doors in 2014 — until now.
With time, minds were changed, and the good people who are currently running operations at the stadium opened their minds to allow female fighters a right of passage to compete at the stadium. Fast forward to September 18 – earlier today – and that dream became a reality, albeit in a makeshift venue next to the stadium, which had to be in an outdoor setting due to ongoing restrictions on indoor gatherings related to COVID-19.
No problem says you, history would still be made as two of Thailand’s daughters climbed into the ring to compete against each other for the vacant WBC MuayThai mini-flyweight world title. After weeks and weeks of hard work by all involved, the MuayThai world finally got to witness a small but significant piece of MuayThai history when those two combatants, Buakaw and Saenajan, stood across from each in the ring.
The fight itself, even though not the show’s headliner, quickly stole the show as all eyes from the gazing domestic and International MuayThai community watched in anticipation for this defining paradigm shift for the sport.
The fight itself did not disappoint, and neither did either fighter. Buakaw showed poise and grace for her young age, and Sanaejan came with a game plan, one she executed to the fullest over the five rounds of action.
On the one hand, it was her day, as her name was read out, and the new: Sanaejan SorJor Tongprajin was crowned WBC MuayThai mini-flyweight champion of the world. In reality, she shared the victory with the thousands of female fighters who have graced rings throughout Thailand and around the world over the years. This was a grand day for MuayThai and a beautiful day for female MuayThai.
Let’s celebrate that. And remember that MuayThai is the people’s sport.
A special word of thanks goes to the wonderful team at GoSport, Mr Chai and all involved for their fresh ideas to grow the sport of MuayThai in the kingdom of Thailand and around the world.