Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn
Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn (Thai: นำศักดิ์น้อย ยุทธการกำธร, born October 13, 1979) is a retired Muay Thai fighter from Thailand. He holds one of the highest winning percentages (95% wins in 300 fights), and one of the longest reigns as a Lumpinee Stadium Champion in history, remaining undefeated for the 135 lbs title between 2000–2006. He held wins over Muay Thai legends such as Saenchai, Samkor Kiatmontep, Kaolan Kaovichit, and Neungpichit Sityodtong.[1] Namsaknoi was the camp senior of international Muay Thai superstar Buakaw when they both trained at Por Pramuk Camp.[2] He spent 6 years in Singapore where he was an instructor to the Evolve Fight Team at Evolve Mixed Martial Arts, coaching world renowned MMA fighters such as Rafael Dos Anjos, Tarec Saffiedine, and Shinya Aoki.[3]
| Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Muhammud Chaiyamart October 13, 1979 Chaiya, Surat Thani Province, Thailand |
| Native name | นำศักดิ์น้อย ยุทธการกำธร |
| Other names | The Emperor |
| Nationality | Thai |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 61.2 kg (135 lb; 9.64 st) |
| Division | Lightweight |
| Style | Muay Thai |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Years active | 1987–2010 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 300 |
| Wins | 280 |
| Losses | 15 |
| Draws | 5 |
last updated on: January 16, 2016 | |
Biography
Early life
Namsaknoi was born Muhammud Chaiyamart in a small fishing village in the Southern Thailand province of Surat Thani. He was the youngest of 7 siblings, of whom an elder brother (Ges Chaiyamart) was also a Muay Thai fighter. Namsaknoi’s parents struggled to feed the family on a fisherman's meager income, which was one of the key motivations that drove the young Namsaknoi to Muay Thai when he was 8 years old to help support the family.[4]
Namsaknoi adopted his fight name from his uncle, the original Namsak, who was a well-known fighter in the South. Proving to be a natural in the sport, he was fairly successful in his early fights in the Southern provinces. When he was 12, his trainer brought him to Bangkok where he would have access to higher quality training and fight opportunities.
Fighting in Bangkok
Namsaknoi spent his formative years in Kiatsingnoi Gym in Bangkok, alongside other golden-era champions such as Pairot, Wangchannoi, and Rattanachai. He climbed his way up steadily in the competitive fight scene of the country's capital, often matched against older and more experienced fighters and winning most of them.
When he was 17 years old, he was voted and won the highly prestigious Sportswriters Association of Thailand Fighter of the Year Award of 1996.[5] He was one of the youngest fighters to win the accolade at that time. He won another, different Fighter of the Year Award 3 years later, given by the Sports Authority of Thailand. Later, he was acquired by Por Pramuk Camp in the outskirts of Bangkok, where he would remain until his retirement.[1]
At Por Pramuk, his campmates include Chok Dee, Ponsawan, Kompayak, Nonthanon, and Buakaw, the golden boys that propelled the fame of Por Pramuk Camp internationally.[6] Throughout his fight career, he fought some of the best Thai fighters of the golden era, including Neungpichit Sidyodtong, Saenchai PKSaenchaimuaythaigym, Samkor Kiatmontep, Attachai Fairtex, Kaolan Kaovichit, and Lamnammoon Sor Sumalee.
While his camp junior Buakaw would gain international fame from his participation in K1 Kickboxing, Namsaknoi mostly fought within Thailand, against the crème de la crème of the sport. He only fought a handful of fights outside of Thailand, in Japan (where he won a 2nd round TKO against the dangerous Satoshi Kobayashi),[7] Korea, Macau, and Italy. Namsaknoi held the 135 lbs Lumpinee Stadium Belt for an astounding 6 years, until his retirement in 2006, ending his career with an impressive record of 280 wins, 15 losses, and 5 draws.[8] For his long reign as the unbeatable champion, the Thai media gave him the nickname of “The Emperor”.[9]
Namsaknoi is known for his graceful and elaborate Wai Kru Ram Muay, winning the award for the best Wai Kru Ram Muay of the year twice, in 2001 and 2006.[10]
Dispute with Por Pramuk
Namsaknoi left Por Pramuk camp after a bitter dispute over the mismanagement of his fight winnings.[11] The fallout that shocked the Muay Thai community forced Namsaknoi into retirement, as no gym was able to pay Por Pramuk's asking price to buy over Namsaknoi's contract.[12] Destitute with no money nor belts to his name (he left most of his physical possessions in the camp when he walked out),[11] Namsaknoi returned to his hometown of Chaiya in Surat Thani province, never to step into the rings of Bangkok again.
Transition to coaching
After retirement, Namsaknoi worked as a trainer in the tourist-heavy islands of Southern Thailand, spending a couple of years in Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, and Phuket. In 2010, he was approached by Chatri Sityodtong to join Evolve Mixed Martial Arts in Singapore, where he worked as a Muay Thai instructor for 6 years.[13]
In early 2016, Namsaknoi left Evolve MMA as their Head Muay Thai Instructor, and returned to Koh Phangan, Thailand to set up his own Muay Thai gym, named Namsaknoi Muay Thai Club. The gym was opened on 14 October 2016. However in December 2017, Namsaknoi left his gym in Koh Phangan, despite growing interest and success of the gym.
Titles and accomplishments
- 2010 WAKO World Muay Thai Champion 154 lbs
- 2000–2006 Lumpinee Stadium Light Weight Champion 135 lbs [14]
- 1999 Lumpinee Stadium Super Feather Weight Champion 130 lbs[15]
- 1995 Lumpinee Stadium Fly Weight Champion 112 lbs
- 1995 WMC World Champion 112 lbs
- Ford Ranger Tournament 126 lbs Champion
- Champion of South of Thailand 126 lbs
- Champion of South of Thailand 95 lbs
- PABA Boxing Champion 135 lbs[16]
- Best Fighter of the Year 1996 by the Sportswriters Association of Thailand[5]
- Best Fighter of the Year 1999 by the Sports Authority of Thailand
- Best Wai Kru/Ram Muay of the Year 2001[17]
- Best Wai Kru/Ram Muay of the Year 2006
Muay Thai
| Professional Muay Thai record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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280 wins (86 KOs), 15 losses, 5 draws
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- "York Muay Thai- Toronto: Fighter Profile: Namsaknoi Yutthakarnkamtorn". yorkmuaythai.blogspot.sg. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
- "Muay Thai Legend Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn Talks.. -". www.fightinglifestyleuae.com. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
- "Shinya Aoki Benefits From The Evolve MMA Effect at DREAM 17". The Tokyo Times.
- "NSN The Emperor - ::Inner Demons (part 2)". NSN The Emperor - ::Narratives. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
- "Muay Thai Fighter of the Year - From Past to Present". Muay Thai PROS.
- "Fighter Profiles". Por Pramuk Muay Thai Gym.
- "Namsaknoi vs Kobayashi". stylefights.wordpress.com.
- "NSN Club MuayThai". nsnclubmuaythai.blogspot.sg.
- "Top 10 Muay Thai Fighters of All Time". Muay Thai PROS.
- "Who is Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn?". mmaorient.wordpress.com.
- "NSN The Emperor - ::From the Ashes". NSN The Emperor - ::Narratives. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
- "NSN The Emperor - ::Tough Love". NSN The Emperor - ::Narratives. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2016-01-15.
- "Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn". Evolve MMA Singapore. Archived from the original on 2016-01-28.
- "Namsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn". My Muay Thai. 1979-10-13. Archived from the original on 2011-12-04. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
- "The 10 greatest Muay Thai legends of all time". Yahoo Sports Singapore. 22 July 2015.
- "Namsaknoi Yutthakarnkamtorn". BoxRec.
- "The History of Muay Thai". evolve-mma.blogspot.sg.