Buakaw Banchamek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buakaw Banchamek |
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Buakaw in 2015
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| Born | Sombat Banchamek May 8, 1982 Ban Song Nong County, Samrong Thap, Surin, Thailand |
| Native name | บัวขาว บัญชาเมฆ |
| Other names | Buakaw (บัวขาว) The White Lotus Black Gold |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 71.5 kg (158 lb; 11.26 st) |
| Division | Featherweight Lightweight Welterweight Middleweight |
| Style | Muay Thai, Kickboxing |
| Fighting out of | Surin, Thailand |
| Team | Por. Pramuk Gym (1997–2012) Banchamek Gym (2012–present) |
| Trainer | Lt. Teerawat Yioyim |
| Rank | .svg){kind=small} Captain, Royal Thai Army |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 284 |
| Wins | 243 |
| By knockout | 74 |
| Losses | 25 |
| Draws | 14 |
| No contests | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Notable students | Superbon Banchamek |
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last updated on: June 16, 2017
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Buakaw Banchamek, whose real name is Sombat Banchamek (Thai: สมบัติ บัญชาเมฆ), is a very famous Thai fighter. He is known for his powerful Muay Thai and kickboxing skills. Many people think he is one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time! His ring name, Buakaw (Thai: บัวขาว), means "white lotus."
He started training at Por Pramuk gym in 1997. There, he won many championships. He became the featherweight and lightweight champion at Omnoi Stadium. In 2002, he won the Toyota Marathon tournament.
Buakaw became super famous when he joined the Japanese fighting show K-1 Max in 2004. He won the K-1 Max tournament in 2004 and again in 2006. This made him a household name in Thailand and around the world. After K-1, he won the Shoot Boxing S-Cup Champion title in 2010. He also won the Thai Fight Tournament Champion title in 2011 and 2012.
Besides fighting, Buakaw helps promote Muay Thai around the world. In 2023, he led the biggest Wai Kru performance ever, setting a Guinness World Record. He has also acted in Thai action movies like Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya (2010) and Thong Dee Fun Khao (2017).
Contents
Buakaw's Fighting Journey
Starting His Career
Sombat Banchamek was born in Surin, Thailand. He began his fighting journey at just eight years old in his home province. When he was 15, he moved to Chachoengsao to train at the Por. Pramuk Gym. His first fight name was Damtamin Kiat-anan.
Buakaw quickly started winning titles in Bangkok. His first big win was the Omnoi Stadium featherweight title. He then won the featherweight champion of Thailand title. After that, he won another Omnoi Stadium title, this time in the lightweight division. In December 2002, Buakaw won the Toyota Marathon tournament. He beat Satoshi Kobayashi from Japan in the finals.
Becoming a K-1 Star
In July 2004, Buakaw became the K-1 World MAX 2004 champion. He beat tough fighters like John Wayne Parr and Masato to win. In 2005, he almost won again but lost in a close fight to Dutch fighter Andy Souwer.
However, in the K-1 World MAX 2006, Buakaw faced Andy Souwer again. This time, Buakaw won by TKO, becoming the first person to win the K-1 World MAX title twice!
In 2007, Buakaw lost to Masato in the K-1 World MAX quarterfinals. Even though Buakaw landed many strong kicks, Masato scored a knockdown and landed more punches.
In 2010, Buakaw appeared in the martial arts movie Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya. This movie was about a Japanese adventurer in Thailand.
Buakaw also won the Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2010 in 2010. He beat Toby Imada in the final round.
Thai Fight Success
In 2011, Buakaw had a great year with seven fights, winning four by knockout. In the semi-finals of the 2011 Thai Fight tournament, he knocked out Mickael Piscitello with an elbow. On December 18, 2011, he won the 2011 Thai Fight tournament by beating Frank Giorgi.
That same year, Buakaw became a sponsored fighter for Yokkao. He helped promote Muay Thai at a big event in Italy with other famous fighters.
New Gym, New Wins
In January 2012, Buakaw fought in Italy and won against Dzhabar Askerov.
In March 2012, Buakaw left his long-time gym, Por. Pramuk. He explained that he had problems with the management since 2009. He felt disrespected and decided to train at his own new gym, Banchamek Gym.
His first fight after leaving Por Pramuk Gym was a big success. He knocked out Rustem Zaripov in the second round. Buakaw continued to win, beating Abdoul Toure in August 2012.
He also won the 2012 Thai Fight tournament. He defeated Mauro Serra and Tomoyuki Nishikawa before beating Vitaly Gurkov in the final.
In 2013, Buakaw returned to K-1. He knocked out David Calvo in the first round. He also beat Yoshihiro Sato and Enriko Kehl in other fights. In December 2013, he won a tough fight against Zhou Zhi Peng. He then beat Lee Sung-Hyun in February 2014.
Buakaw continued his winning streak in 2014. He defeated Victor Nagbe and knocked out Adaylton Parreira De Freitas. He also won the WMC Junior Middleweight World Championship by beating Djime Coulibaly.
In October 2014, Buakaw lost to Enriko Kehl in the K-1 World Max Final. He also lost a close fight to Khayal Dzhaniev in the TopKing World Series.
Recent Fights and Achievements
In 2017, Buakaw fought Chinese fighter Kong Lingfeng at Kunlun Fight 62 and won. He also knocked out Marouan Toutouh in China.
He won against Azize Hlali and Sergey Kulyaba at All Star Fight events in Bangkok.
In 2018, Buakaw won against Nayanesh Ayman by knockout. He also fought and won three more times at All Star Fight events.
In 2019, Buakaw headlined All Star Fight: World Soldier. He won against Artem Pashporin.
He also won against Chris Ngimbi in a special 9-minute round fight.
In 2021, Buakaw became the executive director for the Kickboxing Association of Thailand. He helped lead the Thai national kickboxing team to win two gold medals at the 2021 SEA Games.
After a break, Buakaw returned to fighting in July 2022. He won against Dmitry Varats in Cambodia.
Exhibition Matches at Rajadamnern Stadium
In 2022, Buakaw became the chairman of the Board of Development for Rajadamnern Stadium. He helped improve Muay Thai and competitions there.
He also took part in exciting exhibition kickboxing matches at the new Rajadamnern World Series (RWS).
- On August 19, 2022, Buakaw knocked out Kota Miura.
- On October 28, 2022, he knocked out Yoshihiro Sato in a rematch.
- On December 9, 2022, his fight with Oleksandr Yefimenko ended in a draw.
In 2023, Buakaw fought Rukiya Anpo at Rizin 42, which ended in a draw. He also had two "no contest" fights due to accidental headbutts or rule confusion. In December 2023, he won against Nayanesh Ayman.
In March 2024, Buakaw defeated Minoru Kimura by knockout at Rizin Landmark 9.
Big Exhibition Fight and K-1 Return
Buakaw was set to fight boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition match. This big fight was first planned for January 2024, then April 2024, but has been postponed. It will be a six-round boxing match under international rules.
After the Pacquiao fight was postponed, Buakaw entered the K-1 World MAX 2024 tournament. He lost to the eventual winner, Stoyan Koprivlenski.
Bare-Knuckle Fighting
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
In July 2022, Buakaw signed a deal to fight for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). He made his debut in September 2022 at BKFC Thailand 3. He knocked out Erkan Varol in the first round.
In November 2023, Buakaw fought fellow Muay Thai legend Saenchai in a special bare-knuckle Muay Thai fight at BKFC Thailand 5. Buakaw won the fight by unanimous decision.
Football Career
| Personal information | |||
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| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
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Current team
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RBAC | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2015 | RBAC | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Buakaw also played association football! He joined RBAC F.C. in February 2014. This team is connected to Rattana Bundit University, where Buakaw earned a degree in Business Administration in 2016. He played as a forward and made his debut on February 16, 2014.
Buakaw Village
Buakaw owns a special place called Buakaw Village in Mae Taeng, Chiang Mai province, Thailand. He started this project in April 2018. His old gym in Bangkok was too small for all the people who wanted to train there. Buakaw Village has a Muay Thai gym, a restaurant, and bungalows. People can rent these bungalows when they come to train.
Championship Titles
Kickboxing Titles
- K-1
- 2006 K-1 World MAX Champion
- 2004 K-1 World MAX Champion
- Wu Lin Feng
- 2015 Wu Lin Feng 70 kg World Championship
Muay Thai Titles
- Omnoi Stadium
- 2001 Omnoi Stadium Featherweight Champion
- 2002 Omnoi Stadium Lightweight Champion
- Professional Boxing Association of Thailand
- 2001 Thailand (PAT) Featherweight Champion
- Toyota Cup
- 2002 Toyota Muay Thai Marathon Tournament 140 lbs Champion
- World Muaythai Council
- 2014-2015 WMC Muaythai Junior Middleweight World Champion
- 2011 WMC Muaythai Junior Middleweight World Champion
- 2009 WMC/MAD Muaythai Super Welterweight World Champion
- 2006-2007 WMC Muaythai Super Welterweight World Champion
- WBC Muay Thai
- 2014 WBC Muaythai Diamond World Championship
- Thai Fight
- 2012 Thai Fight 70 kg Tournament Champion
- 2011 Thai Fight 70 kg Tournament Champion
- S-1 Muaythai
- 2005 S-1 Super Welterweight World Champion
- Muay Thai Association
- 2005 MTA World Champion
- Kunlun Fight
- Phoenix Fighting Championship
- 2016 PFC Junior Middle Weight Championship
- King of Martial Arts
- 2003 KOMA GP Lightweight Champion
Shoot Boxing Titles
- S-cup
- 2010 Shoot Boxing S-Cup World champion
Other Accomplishments
- LiverKick.com
- 2013 LiverKick.com Comeback of the Year
- Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame
- 2016 Hall of Fame - Martial Arts History Museum
Fight Records
Buakaw has an amazing fight record with many wins! Here's a summary of his professional fights:
- Kickboxing / Muay Thai Record: 244 Wins (74 by Knockout), 25 Losses, 14 Draws, 2 No Contests.
- Exhibition Kickboxing Record: 2 Wins, 1 Draw.
- Bare Knuckle Muay Thai Record: 1 Win.
- Bare Knuckle Boxing Record: 1 Win (by Knockout).
- Exhibition Boxing Record: 1 No-scored bout.
Movies and Documentaries
Buakaw has also appeared in several films:
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2010 | Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya | Ai-Seua | His first Thai movie |
| 2012 | Crazy Crying Lady | Colonel Chuchai | Guest appearance |
| 2013 | Buakaw – Boxer, Legend, Legacy | Himself | A documentary about him |
| 2017 | Thong Dee Fun Khao | Thongdee | Main role |
See also
In Spanish: Buakaw Banchamek para niños
- List of K-1 events
- List of K-1 champions
- List of male kickboxers
