Where to Watch the Best Muay Thai in Thailand

If you only have one chance to watch Muay Thai when you come to Thailand, you need to make sure you’re not in an empty stadium with zero atmosphere. I’ve watched fights all throughout the country, and what I realized is that if you want to see the absolute best fighters in the world in the absolute best stadium possible, you need to come here.

There are fights taking place all over Thailand every night of the week, but not every event offers the same level of skill or atmosphere.

The Biggest Muay Thai Mistake in Thailand

One mistake can completely ruin your Muay Thai experience. Most people think they can just turn up anywhere and see fights like this, but that’s just not the case.

I remember the first few fights that I went to. I was really excited because I’ve been a boxing and MMA fan since I was younger. But when I just turned up to a random event, I was pretty disappointed to realize that most of the fighters weren’t training seriously. A lot of them were just backpackers who had only been training for a month or so. They were completely out of shape and completely out of their depth.

What’s worse is that later I went to a famous Muay Thai bar in Kop, and they were asking drunk tourists to get up and fight. They were even doing fake WWE style Muay Thai fights with pretend knockouts.

The thing I didn’t realize about these fights at the time is that these kinds of shows were just put on for tourists, which meant they lacked the traditional atmosphere. The worst part is that they’re not even necessarily cheaper than the big event.

Where to Watch Muay Thai in Bangkok

If you want to see the best fights in Thailand, you need to make your way to Bangkok because this is where all the professional fighters come if they really want to make a name for themselves. That means there are televised fights every night of the week in some of Thailand’s biggest stadiums.

Rajadamnern Stadium has an electric atmosphere. It’s got an absolutely killer light show, a big stadium feel, and it’s one of the best arenas to watch Muay Thai.

Even more importantly, this is the most historic and important Muay Thai stadium in the country. It has been the longest-running Muay Thai stadium for about 100 years, and all the best fighters throughout history have competed here.

In fact, even Buakaw, one of the most legendary fighters of the last 20 years or so, competed here last December to a full, packed-out crowd. This is where the most iconic fights happen, and it’s absolutely one of the best places to watch Muay Thai.

Rajadamnern Stadium or Lumpinee Stadium

“But that’s not the best Muay Thai stadium in Thailand.”

Here’s the thing. There’s one more stadium you need to be aware of called Lumpinee Stadium. In more recent years, there have been bigger fights and bigger fighters there. For example, One FC, which is a huge MMA organization, has recently been staging its fights there.

However, for most tourists, Lumpinee is a bit too far out of the way. Rajadamnern’s location is just outside of Chinatown, meaning you can hit temples and eat street food during the day, come watch the fights in the evening, and afterwards hit the town in Bangkok.

It’s near Khao San Road and near Sukhumvit, so it’s really accessible to the rest of the city. Whereas Lumpinee means you’re really going to have to go out of your way, and if you get stuck in traffic, it might take you hours to get there and hours to get back.

For me, Lumpinee is there for the real Muay Thai aficionados. But for the vast majority of tourists, Rajadamnern is the place to be.

When to Book Muay Thai Fights

You don’t just need to know where to go. You also need to know when to visit. When booking online, you’re going to see two major event types. Some are designated as traditional Muay Thai, while others are knockout events.

Knockout events are three-round fights, meaning the fighters have more energy and go all out over the three rounds. Traditional fights are five rounds and are geared more towards the local Thai audience.

But here’s the problem that most people don’t realize with the traditional events. Round one is basically a warm-up where nothing much happens. Rounds two, three, and four are where the action is, and the fighters do go all out in these rounds. But by round five, the fighters usually know who’s won. Instead of fighting hard, they’ll just coast, celebrate, or even dance around the ring.

If you’re used to Western fights where everyone goes for the knockout until the last second, this can be a bit of a letdown. So, for most people, I actually recommend skipping the traditional events on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.

Why Saturday Night Is the Best Muay Thai Show

If you want the biggest crowds and the wildest Muay Thai show in Thailand, there’s only one show you need to see: Rajadamnern World Series, which takes place every Saturday night.

This is where you’ll see the top-level Thai and international fighters in the world. On this card alone, there were fighters from Thailand, Australia, the UK, Estonia, and Iran, and there were some seriously epic fights.

What really sets Saturday apart is the spectacle. At the stadium, you’ll see the world’s largest dome projection with 360 degree visuals that will take you on a journey back through a thousand years of Muay Thai history. The light show covers the entire roof with stunning visuals, and this alone is worth the price of admission.

Despite the modern visuals, this stadium does better than any other at preserving the traditions and history of Muay Thai. I mean, it is the oldest Muay Thai stadium in the world after all.

Unlike in other stadiums where they simply play a recording, there is a live band known as the sarama that plays the haunting Thai music that really helps to push the fighters harder. You can see them playing towards the corner above the ring. You’ll also witness the traditional wai kru, the ceremonial dance fighters perform to honor their teachers and the sport itself. You definitely don’t get the wai kru at drunken fights in Kop, but for me, the best part of the experience wasn’t just the fight itself.

Choosing Your Muay Thai Seats

If you want to watch Muay Thai like a VIP, here’s what you need to know. The top row has the tier three seats, and that’s called the Leo section. Those are going to be the cheapest seats in the house.

Below that, you’ve got tier two, which is slightly closer to the ring and a little closer to the action. Then you’ve got the ringside seats, which give you a really good view of the action. The only issue is that your view might be blocked off a little by the ropes, so you might not be able to see quite as well.

Ringside surrounds the ring, and you can watch the fighters walk out as well. Those are the next best seats in the house. But then you’ve got the VIP seating section, which is the closest with the best views.

I wasn’t sure if I really needed to upgrade to the VIP seats, but in the end, it was totally worth it. We had by far the best seats in the house, with comfy elevated seating and a perfect unobstructed view of the ring, basically the same angle that you see on TV.

I’ve previously sat ringside, and while it is pretty cool too, your view can be a little obstructed by the ropes. That means you can actually miss some of the action even though you’re right up close next to it. But what I didn’t expect was the service. It’s basically bottle service all night, with unlimited food and drinks delivered right to your seat. I probably had a few too many beers, but who can blame you when they just keep bringing you another one as soon as you finish.

If you want to feel like a true VIP and catch the action in style, this upgrade is absolutely worth it.

Meeting Muay Thai Fighters After the Fight

Here’s the coolest thing about sitting in the ringside or VIP seats, and it isn’t just the seats themselves. One of the coolest things about having either ringside seats or VIP seats is that you can be at the entrance where the fighters walk out and walk back in from the fights.

Some of the fighters come out after their fight, and you can have the chance to meet them and take pictures with them. In my experience, these fighters are fairly well known in certain circles, but they’re not famous by any means.

So, this is their moment. They really enjoy having photos taken with them. If you ask for a photo, it’s their moment to own the spotlight and feel like a celebrity. It’s pretty cool getting to meet the fighters immediately after the fight when they’re at their most hyped.

This is one of the absolute best experiences you can have in Bangkok at night.