The Legendary Fight That Changed History

The Fight That Changed History Muay Thai Destroys Kickboxing:

Throughout history, many have asked the question: What is the most effective striking martial art in the world? And one particular martial art never fails to come up as the answer; we’re speaking of Muay Thai, of course. Over the years, there have been many match-ups like the ones on this list that have proven just how effective the ancient martial art from Thailand is.

This battle was one of the most epic ones in the annals of martial arts history. It was the 1st time that 2 World Champions from different disciplines competed against one another. World-renowned fight expert Lawrence Kenshin describes it as “the fight that changed the world”. Taekwondo and Karate stylist Rick Roufus was an undefeated World Champion in kickboxing and Changpuek Kiatsongkrit was at the height of his Muay Thai career as a multiple-time Lumpinee Stadium World Champion.

Changpuek Kiatsongrit is truly a legend in the world of Muay Thai. Not many fighters have brought the level of attention to Muay Thai like Changpuek has. The seven-time world champion showcased the effectiveness of Muay Thai to the rest of the world in the 80s and 90s by taking on other fighters of other martial arts styles who were often stronger and larger.

Rick Roufus is a multiple-time World Champion in kickboxing who utilized his famous flashy Taekwondo and Karate kicks to take out many opponents. During his era, he was known as America’s toughest and most skilled striker with national titles and black belts in Taekwondo and Karate. However, this fight with Changpuek changed his entire style in the aftermath of this style vs style fight. For the remainder of his career, Roufus ended up abandoning his Taekwondo and Karate skills in favor of Muay Thai. In his words, Muay Thai opened his eyes and mind to the realities of stand-up fighting. Roufus would later spend many years in Thailand to become an expert in Muay Thai.

Changpuek Kiatsongrit was well known for his devastating leg kicks and powerful knees.

Back in 1993, Changpuek took part in the K-1 Illusion Karate World Cup held in Japan. His first opponent in the full contact karate rules tournament was Shin Ushkoshi, a Taekwondo black belt fighter. This fight is an accurate representation of the kicking speed and variety of Taekwondo against the power, defense, and simplicity of Muay Thai. While Ushkoshi was able to generate a greater output of kicks, the sheer strength of Changpuek’s kicks proved too much. Ushkoshi was overwhelmed and swept off his feet many times throughout the fight by the powerful Muay Thai low kicks and counter kicks thrown by Changpuek. Continue article below