Controversial DQ in Muay Thai: Illegal Soccer Kick Halts Fight
The world of combat sports is a strange place – and that’s never been more clear than in this Muay Thai bout.
For those of you who aren’t avid watchers, Muay Thai is an incredibly brutal sport. It involves some of the most devastating striking you’re ever likely to see in combat sports, and that much is an understatement.
While there are plenty of companies across the globe who enjoy putting on Muay Thai events, one of the most notable is ONE Championship. In addition to mixed martial arts and a parade of other forms of combat, they put on some incredible Muay Thai showcases.
Just last night, they featured an interesting bout as Rungnarai Kiatmuu9, a rising star, went against Mikel Fernandez at ONE Fight Night 83. Unfortunately, things took a turn in the latter stages of the contest.
Muay Thai fight ends in crazy DQ
During the first round of the fight, Rungnarai Kiatmuu9 dropped Mikel Fernandez and appeared to be on the verge of finishing him. Unfortunately, he instinctively followed up with an illegal soccer kick that left Fernandez motionless on the mat. After some deliberation after the contest had ended, it was announced that Fernandez had actually come out as the winner as a result of Rungnarai being disqualified.
The strike is deemed to be illegal under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, and although many Muay Thai fans felt as if it wasn’t intentional, it doesn’t matter. For Rungnarai, this will serve as a learning curve as he looks ahead to the future. For Fernandez, he was still knocked out cold, but at least it won’t officially go down as a defeat in the record books.
In case you had any prior reservations, hopefully this is evidence enough that Muay Thai – especially at the elite level – is absolutely crazy.
