What is a Muay Mat?

Meaning

What is repeatedly misunderstood by foreign athletes (see Muay Farang) is that the term Muay Mat is not a particular fighting style, but an attribute attributed to a fighter.

In earlier times, such terms were mainly used to advertise combat pairings to the betting public. At that time, the focus of the betting audience was less on the question of victory or defeat, but on whether and how, for example, a fist specialist (Muay Mat) would prevail against a foot specialist (Muay Tae). Bets were placed for or against the success of certain techniques. In the event of success, the fighters were rewarded with bonuses by the bettors.

A special form of Muay Mat is the term “Muay Thierabsung”, which describes a fist fighter with high resistance and high offensive power. This type of fighter is often found in “Muay Khao Niao”.