Four hours of real Muay Thai at the legendary Rajadamnern Stadium, no tourist show, just a serious Rajadamnern World Series fight night with legal betting in the stands and a card streamed worldwide. We were front row for RWS 162, close enough to hear every kick land.
Rajadamnern is the world’s first purpose-built Muay Thai stadium and still one of the most prestigious places on earth to fight. The modern RWS format mixes that history with big production: open scoring after every round, elite fighters from Thailand and around the world, and a betting crowd that gives the night a completely different energy from the tourist-only shows.
The card
Seven professional bouts, and barely a dull minute. The fight of the night for us was China’s Liao Shixu against New Zealand’s Jason Khun, three wild rounds of heavy hands and brutal kicks that ended in a majority draw. Pure chaos, in the best way.
The biggest fight of the card was also the first female bout: Brazil’s Barbara Aguiar against compatriot Maria Eduarda over five intense rounds for the Rajadamnern Stadium bantamweight title, with Aguiar announced as the new champion. Thai fighters Petchthongchai, Saenphon and Karaked rounded out a card that ran from tactical chess matches to all-out wars.
If Bangkok is on your itinerary and you want to see the national sport as locals see it, RWS runs every Saturday night, seven three-round bouts plus a five-round title fight. Sit close if you can. You don’t just watch Muay Thai at Rajadamnern; you feel it through the floor.
There’s more from this trip on our YouTube channel, we film the real sights and sounds, no fluff. You’ll also find us on TikTok and Instagram.