Yodkhunpon Sitmonchai

Like all Thai fighters, Yodkhunpon uses his gym name as his surname for his fighting career. He trains and fights out of the Sitmonchai Gym in Kanchanburi, a town in western Thailand.

Born in November 1994, the young Yodkhunpon got the attention of everyone in Thailand's Muay Thai scene early on via a large number of knockout wins and a quick entry into the top ten of the Lumpini Stadium rankings in his weight class.

Fighters from Sitmonchai Gym are a rarity in the modern age of Muay Thai in Thailand. The frequency of competition schedule has fighters competing as often as every two weeks, so self-preservation instincts on both sides can ruin what should be a good fight.

Sitmonchai fighters don't do that. They get in the ring looking to do damage and win by stoppage wherever possible. Their style is a lot more ‘western’ than most Muay Thai fighters - they emphasize low kicks, damage and power punching – so it is little surprise Yodkhunpon found himself drawn into the world of kickboxing.