Kickboxing Thread

[BayRaider]

I’ve never watched much kick boxing, but I don’t understand why it isn’t more popular? It’s almost a dying sport. When you really think about most casual MMA fans want a stand up war, which is basically a kickboxing match. Obv you have Muay Thai, Western Kick Boxing, Karate, etc. Basically all of these could be combined in a mixed sport of its own. 

I think Kickboxings biggest problem is the gloves. Most use 10oz. They should use 4oz like MMA. If people start seeing knockouts and overall great fights, people will definitely come. I also read marketing hs always been a huge problem. Perhaps rename the entire sport without boxing in the name?

I think it would take 10+ years like MMA to get popular, but with right marketing, could be a fantastic sport. 

[Hail Mary]

There's really nothing in Kickboxing or Karate(outside of techniques you can't perform with a gloved hand, like palm strikes, ridge and knife hands, etc) that isn't already found in Muay Thai.

On 10/11/2018 at 10:14 PM, BayRaider said:

Obv you have Muay Thai, Western Kick Boxing, Karate, etc. Basically all of these could be combined in a mixed sport of its own.

FTR(Full Thai Rules) is fine on it's own.

 

The problem with FTR is, unless they used international rules, it often proves to be... kind of boring. The upper body clinching makes the sport a bit difficult to watch, especially for newbies and casuals. Not to mention, it's a cultural thing. The name alone, "Muay Thai", is foreign, then you have the Wai Kru/Ram Muay, the music, how the fights are judged... plus, all the best fighters are Thai and fight in the Stadiums(Lumpini, Rajadamnern), with Thai commentary(the Thai language is very alien too) at weight classes 160 and below(alot of MMA fans don't have time for anything below 155). There's alot that keeps Muay Thai an underground, mostly Thai, sport.

 

Glory tried to market their brand of Kickboxing as a spectacular "knockout" sport that MMA fans would enjoy because it's "like MMA without the ground fighting". I think, even though MMA fans find the ground game boring sometimes, they still prefer MMA because it's ingrained in their minds that "90% of fights end up on the ground" "Wrestlers/BJJ guys beat strikers" that the ground game is essential etc, that sort of clever marketing by the Gracies and the UFC. Doesn't help that most of the Kickboxing/MMA crossover matches ended with MMA fighters KOing Kickboxers. 

 

Kickboxing will never be popular in North America I'm afraid. I used to watch alot of Glory and loved watching K-1 Max videos on YouTube, but I lost interest after awhile. The problem is, besides there being a bad history there, the talent pool is very low, the marketing isnt there and there are little to no North American stars to get behind. Joe Schilling, Simon Marcus and Joseph Valtellini(who's retired) weren't enough to catch the attention of potential fans.

 

They aired on Spike and few cared. 

 

Growing a third combat sport, when MMA and Boxing already have the attention of 99.9% of current fight fans is a lost cause I think. It sucks, but, what are you going to do?

[11sanchez11]

watched this today