2019 Combat Sports Awards, Part 2: Muay Thai/Kickboxing
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We cover many combat sports, so it’s only fair that each team (and other interested staff) put together awards for each sport! We’ve already given out our awards for the overall ‘Combat Athlete of the Year’ and our MMA awards, so without further ado let’s take a look at both Muay Thai and kickboxing!
Muay Thai Awards
Fighter of the Year
Ryan Wagner: Sangmanee Sor Tienpo
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Sangmanee Sor Tienpo
Kevin (Yodsanan): Sangmanee Sor Tienpo
Lucas Bourdon: Sangmanee Sor Tienpo
Kyle McLachlan: Sangmanee Sor Tienpo
Sangmanee Sor Tienpo - Muay Thai Fighter of the Year
Ryan Wagner: As our overall combat sports athlete of the year, it’s no surprise that Sangmanee Sor Tienpo tops our list, selected unanimously as the year’s best Nak Muay.
Sangmanee's year was nothing short of exceptional. He had a rough start in March, where he was routed and knocked out by the #1 pound-for-pound Nak Muay in the world, Tawanchai. After that lone defeat, he went 6-0 on the year, with 5 of those victories coming against world-class opposition.
Sangamnee upset Tawanchai in a rematch, putting his kicks and punches together to stifle the master technician en-route to a clear decision victory.
He not only beat plenty of incredible competition, but he dismantled a wide variety of styles. Aggressive clinchers like Yodpanomrung and Chujaroen, a pressure-fighting tank in Yodlekpet, a master outside technician in Tawanchai, and the all-round generalist Rafi Bohic - all fell to the great Sangmanee. What makes Sangmanee's run all the more impressive is that it constitutes an unlikely return to form.
Since 2014 he has overcome rough patches in form, an apparent pre-fight poisoning, and another tough couple of losses back in 2018 to be far and away the most impressive Nak Muay Thai in 2019.
Fight of the Year
Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Saeksan Or. Kwanmuang 2 (2019-09-12)
Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Jonathan Haggerty (ONE: Dawn of Heroes)
Rungnarai Kiatmuu9 vs. Chanalert Meenayothin (2019-12-13)'
Ryan Wagner: Rungnarai-Chanalert
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Rodtang-Saeksan
Kevin (Yodsanan): Rodtang-Haggerty
Lucas Bourdon: Rodtang-Saeksan 2
Kyle McLachlan: Rodtang-Haggerty
Rodtang vs. Haggerty + Rodtang vs. Saeksan - Muay Thai Fight of the Year
Kyle McLachlan: For all of our categories we tried to drum up extra votes from friends of The Fight Site if there was a tie. In this instance, we felt this tied result only demonstrates what an all-action fighter Rodtang is. In lieu of renaming the award ‘Fighter Most Guaranteed To Provide Action’ (especially as the first of Rodtang’s bouts with fellow warmonger Saeksan was seen as a mild disappointment) we decided to honour Rodtang for his savage efforts inside the ring this year.
Knockout of the Year
Nuenglanlek Jitmuangnon over Muangthai PKSaenchaimuaythaigym (2019-03-27)
Nuenglanlek Jitmuangnon over Kulabdam Sor.Jor.Piek-U-Thai (2019-02-12)
Mo Abdurahman over Craig Coakley (YOKKAO 38)
Ryan Wagner: Nuenglanlek-Muangthai
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Nuenglanlek-Kulabdam
Kevin (Yodsanan): Abdurahman-Coakley
Lucas Bourdon: i dunno
Kyle McLachlan: Nuenglanlek-Muangthai
Nuenglanlek over Muangthai - Muay Thai Knockout of the Year
Kyle McLachlan: For years, Muangthai has been the scariest knockout artist in the game, managing to get massive power on short elbows and leave top competitors unconscious with what is often seen to be a blow designed to open cuts.
Muangthai got a taste of his own medicine in this one, as the superb Nuaenglankek destroyed him with elbows not once, but twice! Nuenglankek was awarded the prestigious Lumpinee Stadium ‘Fighter of the Year’ award for 2019, but none of his superb wins over Muangthai took place there, showing what an excellent year he had.
This shot from November 2019 is what we voted as the Muay Thai knockout of the year. Be sure to watch both knockdowns though!
Performance of the Year
Sangmanee Sor Tienpo over Tawanchai PK Saenchaimuaythaigym (2019-06-26)
Satanmuanglek CP Freshmart over Phetsommai Sor.Sommai (2019-12-26)
Ryan Wagner: Sangmanee-Tawanchai
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Sangmanee-Tawanchai
Kevin (Yodsanan): Satanmuanglek-Phetsommai
Lucas Bourdon: Sangmanee-Tawanchai
Kyle McLachlan: Sangmanee-Tawanchai
Sangmanee over Tawanchai - Muay Thai Performance of the Year
Kyle: Little surprise that Sangmanee’s masterful dissection of Tawanchai (covered in other awards summaries) won out, as it was a incredible performance against an incredible opponent.
Kickboxing Awards
Fighter of the Year
Yoshiki Takei (K-1 Super Bantamweight champion and World GP 2019 -55kg winner)
Alex Pereira (Glory middleweight champion and light-heavyweight interim champion)
Ryan Wagner: Yoshiki Takei
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Alex Pereira
Kevin (Yodsanan): Alex Pereira
Lucas Bourdon: Yoshiki Takei
Kyle McLachlan: Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira - Kickboxing Fighter of the Year
Hamady Diagne: Scary Brazilian Alex Pereira and Japanese sensation Yoshiki Takei were toe to toe until the very last minute for this one. We all wanted to wait and see if Takei would crush Surinyanlek, or if he’d show the same struggles as in 2018 encounter with another Thai in Yodbuadeng. Even if he had a strong start and sent Surinyanlek on the canvas multiple times, Take spent a large part of the fight circling for his life, trying his best to escape the furious onslaught his challenger was dishing. The kid is a wonder no doubt, and one of the most incredible tournament run ever, and went 5-0 in 2019, but that last fight probably sealed the deal for the winner, Alex Pereira.
The Brazilian started the year as the undisputed Glory Middleweight champion, fresh off 2 wins in 2018, a 1st round KOTY contender over his arch rival Yousri Belgaroui, and a dominant decision win over former champ Simon Marcus. Heading into 2019, Alex was known as a very good boxer with a fantastic left hook, who was improving his kickboxing abilities with each new showing. He also gained fame over MMA Fans because of Israel Adesanya’s meteoric rise in the UFC rankings.
After sitting out the early months of 2019, Alex’s first showing was in May, to defend his belt against one of his most harsh critics, Jason Wilnis. The former Glory champion held 2 wins over Pereira, the 1st one via stoppage, and was very vocal about the champion’s inability to kick, saying he’s not a kick boxer, but just a boxer who happens to kickbox. Well, it’s safe to say those comments didn’t sat well with the indigenous. Starting the fight aggressively with a spinning hook kick right off the bat, Alex stayed right in front of Jason throwing strong middle kicks, before throwing a huge high kick, which sent Jason flying to the canvas an opened a nice cut right above his eye. Wilnis barely beat the 8 count but was sent back by the ref, only for Alex to land a perfect flying knee scissor on his opponent’s chin. Game over. A superb beatdown.
Next up for the middleweight champ was a chance to flow the new combat sports trend, and become a two-division champion. The LHW champion Artem Vakhitov injured yet again, Glory matchmakers decided Alex would battle Surinam’s Donegi Abena fir the interim belt. Abena just lost a decision to Vakhitov in Paris in a lackluster bout. Even if Alex was moving up, he was the clear favorite to win, as he was more experienced bringing the momentum with him. Abena—only 21 years of age—had some very good wins on his resume, but was still regarded as a prospect who was not championship material yet.
The first two rounds saw Pereira showing off a lot of his new kickboxing tricks, including some heel shots to Abena’s things. After establishing his domination, Pereira managed to send Abena to the canvas with a splendid combination of kicks, punches, and knees. The Surinamese beat the count, but Pereira’s infamous finishing skills were on display yet again, this time with his trademark thunderous left hook that face planted the poor Abena. An absolutely frightening KO of the year contender in all of combat sports.
In in his next and final outing of 2019, Pereira was back to middleweight to defend his belt against Ertugrul Bayrak. The Turkish kickboxer earned his shot at the title by defeating two very good rising contenders in Jakob Styben and Donovan Wisse. Fresh of his two fantastic wins, Alex entered the bout as the sizable favourite, and was expected to beat his challenger rather easily, but Bayrak is a durable fighter. Alex also had a hard time reaching championship weight, and needed 3 showing to make the middleweight limit. It did not matter in the end, because he was on a mission. The stage was Glory Collision 2 with Rico Verhoeven vs Badr Hari 2 as the main event, so Alex was not about to waste the opportunity to gain from the worldwide exposure. He immediately started chasing the challenger and landing his feared left hook, which he did very early and left Bayrak absolutely shook from the impact. From that point, it was a matter of time, as Bayrak began circling away as much as he could, but was eating combinations after combinations, and finally got caught by humongous right to the body-left hook to the head combination that put him away and to sleep hanging on the ropes. An absolutely violent KO by the Brazilian, who very much likely cemented his place as the scariest man in kickboxing right now.
That was the best way for him to cap off a stunning year which saw him establish himself as one of the best pound for pound kickboxers in the world today. Yoshiki Takei would have also been a fair choice for the ‘fighter of the year’, and to be fair, he had my vote until the very last minute, but I finally went with the fearsome Indigenous Brazilian. What waits for him now his a probable defence of his interim LHW belt against the very good Luis Tavares. And if he beats him like he did the others, well, he probably won’t pass on an opportunity to jump ship and go after his arch nemesis Israel Adesanya in the UFC.
Fight of the Year
Takeru Segawa vs. Yuta Murakoshi (K-1 WORLD GP 2019 JAPAN Yokohamatsuri)
Akihiro Kaneko vs. Shuhei Kumura (K-1 World GP 2019 Japan: K’FESTA 2)
Samy Sana vs Yodsanklai Fairtex (ONE: Enter the Dragon)
Ryan Wagner: Takeru-Murakoshi
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Kaneko-Kumura
Kevin (Yodsanan): Kaneko-Kumura
Lucas Bourdon: Sana-Yodsanklai
Kyle McLachlan: Kaneko-Kumura
Akihiro Kaneko vs Shuhei Kumura - Kickboxing Fight of the Year
Kevin Strobel: In hopes of finding a worthy challenger for Kickboxing mastermind Takei, K-1 was looking to set up a stacked Super Bantamweight Tournament. At K'Festa 2—three months short of the tournament—one of those spots was up for the taking, determined by the winner of Akihiro Kaneko vs Shuhei Kumura.
Kaneko had a meteoric rise up the ranks, plowing through opponents and winning the Krush title in only his sixth fight. Thanks to that, he was being awarded 'Prospect of the Year 2018' by K-1. Kumura was the more battle-tested fighter of the two, always game but never quite good enough for the very top. A classic match up.
The fight was a true roller coaster. Kaneko started the fight like he usually does. Pressuring, throwing stinging right straights and heavy hooks, working both head and body. Kaneko is one of the most physical fighters on the K-1 roster, so most of his opponents can't keep up with his high octane stream of varied attacks. Dominating the first round and scoring a knockdown midway through the second, Kumura was badly hurt. Just when Kaneko got a little too reckless, he got countered flush by Kumura’s signature spinning back fists, that would have KO'ed an Ox. Bloodied and on wobbly legs, Kaneko barely beat the count, just to be battered some more, for yet another knockdown. Ready to jump on his hurt prey, Kumura continued right where he left off but got stopped by the bell shortly after. Showing tremendous recovery, Kaneko looked rejuvenated coming into the third, out-working Kumura, who was still very dangerous, landing punching combinations throughout the round, and slugging it out till the last second. In true K-1 fashion, the fight had no other choice, than to go an extra round. Using his momentum from the third round, Kaneko used a more measured approach of working behind a stiff jab, that staggered Kumura multiple times. Whenever Kumura overextended, Kaneko looked to capitalize and close out the round strong with clubbing right hands over the top, followed by various flurries. In the end, Kaneko was awarded the win and put everyone in his weight class on notice.
Unfortunately, his tournament participation fell flat thanks to an injury, but coming into 2020 and with Takei running out of local competition, Kanekos eyes are right on the belt.
Knockout of the Year
Cedric Doumbe over Alim Nabiyev (Glory 66)
Alex Pereira over Donegi Abena (Glory 68)
Alex Pereira over Ertugrul Bayrak (Glory Collision 2)
Riamu over Sho Uchida (K-1 KRUSH FIGHT 109)
Ryan Wagner: Doumbe-Nabiyev
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Doumbe-Nabiyev
Kevin (Yodsanan): Riamu-Uchida
Lucas Bourdon: Pereira-Abena
Kyle McLachlan: Pereira-Bayrak
Cedric Doumbe over Alim Nabiyev - Kickboxing Knockout of the Year
Kyle McLachlan: In a brutal display, newly-crowned Glory Welterweight champion Cedric Doumbe crushed durable Georgian kickboxer Alim Nabiyev inside of two rounds, gaining revenge on him for a 2018 loss.
If their first fight was a competitive one, the second had a definitive ending: In what was a bizarre piece of refereeing, Doumbe saw Nabiyev able to continue after a second-round knockdown from a monster overhand right, and seeing his man still shaky he pounced, scarily sparking him with a right hand and not seeing his foe rise until long after he’d celebrated retaining his title.
This one has got to be seen to be believed! A worthy winner in a year of brutal knockouts, which says a lot!
Upset of the Year
Samy Sana over Yodsanklai Fairtex (ONE: Enter the Dragon)
Jamal Yusupov over Yodsanklai Fairtex (ONE: Age Of Dragons)
Zhu Shuai over Koya Urabe (K-1 KRUSH FIGHT 103)
Ryan Wagner: Sana-Yodsanklai
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Sana-Yodsanklai
Kevin (Yodsanan): Shuai-Urabe
Lucas Bourdon: Yusupov-Yodsanklai
Kyle McLachlan: Sana-Yodsanklai
Samy Sana over Yodsanklai - Kickboxing Upset of the Year
Hamady: ONE championship put together a cool 8 man tournament to crown it’s 70KG champion.The long awaited match between Giorgio Petrosyan and Yodsanklai Fairtex, 2 of the last men standing from the golden era of kickboxing, was about to finally come to fruition as they were both in opposite brackets. All they had to do was going through their opponents, to give the fans a fight they were waiting for quite some time. But combat sports likes nothing more than ruining your plans. French Algerian Samy Sana had been waiting forever a shot to avenge his 2013 loss to « Yod », and had no intentions to let the opportunity slip. He went in this with the focus of hitman on a mission, firmly believing in his chances while the odds were heavily in the Thai legend’s favor. The fight was one of the best kickboxing fights this year, and in recent memory. A total war which saw Samy drop Yodsanklai in the 1st round and keep it fast and furious en route to a decision win. A stunning upset, and indeed, the biggest kickboxing one in 2019.
Breakout Contender of the Year
Ryan Wagner: Yuuki Egawa
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Yuuki Egawa
Kevin (Yodsanan): Yuuki Egawa
Lucas Bourdon: Yuuki Egawa
Kyle McLachlan: Yuuki Egawa
Yuuki Egawa - Breakout Contender of the Year/ Performance of the Year
Kyle: Egawa had a superb 2019 (going undefeated) but it’s his wild and succinct showing in the K-1 Grand Prix on November 24th that see him win this performance (see ‘Performance of the Year’ below).
Performance of the Year
Yoshiki Takei’s K-1 Grand-Prix run (K-1 Super Bantamweight World Tournament)
Yuuki Egawa’s K-1 Grand-Prix run (K-1 WORLD GP 2019 JAPAN Yokohamatsuri)
Ryan Wagner: Egawa’s GP
Hamady (Baba) Diagne: Takei’s GP
Kevin (Yodsanan): Egawa’s GP
Lucas Bourdon: Takei’s GP
Kyle McLachlan: Egawa’s GP
Kyle: Egawa demonstrated a patient, technical pressure game which—inspite of him picking his spots well—got the fights finished for him very quickly! His combined fighting time of 5 minutes 38 seconds is the quickest in K-1 Grand Prix history. Using boxing combinations, a spinning back kick and at one stage even a rolling thunder attempt (!) Egawa destroyed three midsections in very quick fashion with punch combinations pro boxers would be prowd of. Even Yoshiki Takei’s masterful run back in June and a late entrant from superstar Tenshin Nasukawa on New Years Eve (demolishing Rui Ebata in the first round) were not quite as impressive as Egawa’s record-setting run.