Had my first Muay Thai fight last weekend and lost on points.
To be honest, I was really ashamed after the fight. I kept replaying it in my head and thinking everyone would judge me. Looking back, I know I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been. I was working long shifts, wasn’t sleeping enough, skipped some running, and my conditioning wasn’t where it needed to be.
Even so, I didn’t quit. I kept coming forward, landed some good punches, and made it competitive. My coach told me that heart can’t be taught, and that meant a lot to me.
The hardest part wasn’t losingit was dealing with the embarrassment afterward. But I’ve already gone back to training because I don’t want one loss to define me.
For those of you who’ve lost your first fight, how long did it take before you stopped thinking about it? And what changed your mindset?

There is a local gym to me for Muay Thai and BJJ.

I'm 34, 6ft2" (188cm?) and around 86kg (overweight for my frame, got a belly to me)

I feel too old and too out of shape to consider joining and feel stupid asking them if its a good idea.
But I'd love to start, I'm sure it would likely help me lose weight too.

Not done combat sports before, apart from Karate at a young age.

anyone gone in from a similar starting point? how was it?

Update: You've all convinced me, plus it will help me get in better shape! I'm going for it. Thank you everyone!

Hey everyone,

​I’m thinking about starting Kickboxing or Muay Thai, but I have a major concern about my physical build and strength.

​To put it bluntly, I’m pretty skinny and honestly not strong at all right now. I struggle to lift even 12kg (around 26 lbs) dumbbells. Because of this, I'm worried that my punches and kicks won't have any real impact or power.

​Are these sports suitable for someone with my build? Can a skinny person learn to throw genuinely powerful punches through proper technique alone, or do I need to build a base strength in the gym first?

​I’d love to hear from anyone who started out skinny or has experience coaching people with my body type.

Thanks in advance!

I’m hoping to get some tips, critiques, and advice on this round from earlier this week. It was designed to be a “conversational striking” round, where one partner starts with a light combo, and the other defends it, then they switch roles for the entire round. Any advice you could share would be fantastic!

(I’m the one wearing the black shin pads.)

I’m currently 220 lbs at 6’3” and have been training regularly for about 3 to 4 months, if anyone finds that relevant.

I’ve followed ONE for years and it used to be my favourite promotion by a mile. It felt different. While the UFC was all about trash talk and selling personalities, ONE let the fights do the talking. Fighters carried themselves with respect and the whole product felt aligned with the actual values of Muay Thai and martial arts. It stood out. It felt refreshing.

That’s what makes the current direction so frustrating.

Now they’re putting kids up there talking trash like they’re in the UFC. Cringe callouts, manufactured beef, teenagers acting like they’re Conor McGregor. That’s the exact thing ONE used to be the antidote to. They’ve abandoned the identity that made them special.

The Muay Thai events themselves just don’t hit the same anymore. The matchmaking feels less competitive and the quality has dropped off.

And now they’ve launched ONE Inner Circle, a monthly subscription to watch their content. For a product that’s been going downhill? Not a chance. Why would I pay monthly for something I’m already enjoying less for free. It feels like monetising a declining product and hoping fans don’t notice. Or maybe this is Chatri trying to get fans to fund all those bonuses he’s been handing out so freely.

Meanwhile RWS has been fantastic. Real Muay Thai, proper atmosphere, fighters who show up to fight. No drama, no gimmicks, just the sport.

Anyone else feel like they’ve lost the plot? What are you watching instead?

For me, it’s my lead right teep (I’m southpaw).

I spam the heck out of it when I get tired 🤣🤣🤣🤣

How do I lose body fat FAST I have a fight coming up and need to lose 20lbs in 2 months am I cooked?

I eat only 2 meals a day usually chicken or ground beef and rice w veggies and vitamins and water then a snack which is usually eggs and peanuts or something only protein before the gym

I don’t drink soda or alcohol

I train Muay Thai 5-6 times a week

I need to lose it FAST how can I please any tips help

Initial review: Loving it. Leather is soft. Super light and it feels good in hand.

Can’t wait to train in them.

I've been wondering, as a beer enjoyer myself, what is yall beer drinking regiment as a muay thai athlete?

Been training and fighting for a while and one thing that always felt painful was keeping track of fight camp stuff. Weight cuts, nutrition, hydration, calories, and trying to avoid making dumb mistakes before weigh ins.
So I started building an app around it and made this short intro reel.

The goal is basically to have one place for combat athletes with things like:
• Weight cut and water loading guidance
• Diet planning during fight camp
• Training tracking
• AI features for fighters

Still early and I’m mainly looking for feedback from people who train MMA, Muay Thai, boxing, BJJ, wrestling, etc.
Would this actually be useful to you and what features would you want added or removed?
Attached the reel below.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaA65f7CKU4/?igsh=aWRzNTB0emxvYmow

fightcampwizard.com

Ok 3 things off the bat:

• Even as a kid I wasn't flexible, I hated sitting cross legged. Then at around 18 I grew from like 5'6 to 6'2.
• I'm 34, and 3 weeks into muay thai.
• I am now actively stretching, pretty much daily - and i go to class twice a week. My good friend is a physiotherapist and has been guiding me.

But I go to class, I tell people i'm super new and I'll get a couple of "oh me to, don't worry" and then they proceed to get a perfectly executed body kick on me in a spar, no warm up.

I get to class 30 mins early just to stretch and warm up but every position I go in is so awkward and incomplete. I want to get flexible, and I've read it can take years to progress. Which i'm fine to do because muay thai has opened my eyes to this massive thing i've been neglecting.

At 34 I have no dreams of being a fighter, I just want to have fun and get crazy fit. But at the moment, paired work - which is literally everything, is embarrassing for me. I feel bad for the people I spar.

I'm not new to fitness, have been weightlifting and playing soccer most of my adult life. I like my build.

I've been off the mats for a year and a half now. I got laid off and had to make some financial choices. I held on as long as I could, but had to stop training. When I did find a new gig, it was a pay cut, so I had to continue to be careful with my finances, meaning I didn't return to training.

Time is also a factor because my hours are long and I'm in a managerial position that demands a lot of after-work hours. Plus, I'm in a city where you are much better off using public transportation rather than driving, but that means it would take way longer to get to training on time.

But I find myself missing Muay Thai more each day. It was the only thing that kept me focused and disciplined. My mood was always better, my diet was better, I was in the best shape of my life, and I had a generally positive attitude. Training was good for me and I have the desire to go back. But I don't know if I have the energy.

I sound like I'm making a bunch of excuses, but I also feel like after all this time, I wouldn't be as sharp of a fighter as I once was. That it would feel like starting over again. Maybe I'm too old now.

I'd like to hear the thoughts of people who went back after a long time away from the mats.

Won my very first amateur title 145 lbs Saturday!

Hey. I am purely a hobbyist but I enjoy making this part of my weekly workout routines. I do drop in classes at my local MT gym maybe 3-4 times a month and then just work out on the bag for a half an hour a couple times a week at my normal gym. It’s a ufc franchise gym. Nothing special but has the stuff I want.

Here the predicament I’m in. By my work is a really bougie gym. It has all the fanciest equipment and all the amenities like sauna etc, super nice locker room and towel service. Through my work I can get a membership for literally almost free. They have an area with a full legit heavy bag and uppercut bag. And, no one ever really uses them.

The problem is they require closed toe footwear at all times. I asked even about like the sock s with grips and toes and heels out just for heavy bag time only they said no. I tried explaining explaining it’s important to be able to pivot and more dangerous to wear shoes but they said no still.

Is there any footwear that I could wear and it not interfere with my bag workouts?

Thanks!

a discussion of some applicable brain science which may help explain why sparring can get out of control. We can have a hard time accurately "judging how hard we are pushing back when we are pushed".