‘War in the Cage 4’ flouting Thailand MMA ban this Saturday at Thammasat

Bangkok is bracing itself for this Saturday’s MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) event “War in the Cage 4” at Thammasat University’s Pathum Thani campus.

The amateur only tournament is open to those who have never  fought in an MMA event before, with the emphasis on introducing the sport at grassroots level to try and increase its popularity in the Kingdom.

The brazen publicizing of the event on Facebook shows that the organizers have chosen to ignore the fact that hosting an MMA event in Thailand is illegal after SAT Deputy Governor Sakol Wannapong, who oversees professional sports, said in 2012: “It is brutal and it is not boxing. It is against the 1999 boxing law. Organising a MMA event here would hurt the image of Muay Thai. If you want to do this kind of business, you should do it in another country, organising MMA here could mislead the public into believing that Muay Thai is brutal.”

MMA is a full contact sport that allows competitors to use striking and grappling techniques from any combat sport. Over 60 fighters will battle it out in a Hexagon cage set up at the Thammasat University Campus.

“War in the Cage 4” runs 9am-8pm this Saturday.



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