A Foreign Land, A Different Sport, Yet He Challenged with His Fists—Kazuki Osaki vs. Jarnnsuk [Martial Arts Amateur Column #77]

At the RWS Rajadamnern Stadium 80th Anniversary event, a match took place between
Rajadamnern-certified Bantamweight Champion Jarnnsuk Boonlanna Muay Thai and RISE World Super Flyweight Champion Kazuki Osaki.

Osaki, who usually fights under kickboxing rules, stepped into the home turf of Muay Thai.
As I am a fan of the Osaki brothers, I was looking forward to seeing what kind of match it would be.

As for the match, there were moments when Osaki landed calf kicks and low kicks, causing Jarnnsuk's legs to buckle.
However, Jarnnsuk kept his guard tight, entering with vertical elbows, followed by knee strikes in the clinch, and elbow strikes whenever there was space—a strategy that thoroughly neutralized the kickboxer.
Osaki tried to change the flow with calf kicks and low kicks, but
with his punching and kicking distance being constantly stifled,
Osaki was forced to fight back on sheer willpower.
The result of the match was a decision victory for Jarnnsuk.

It was a match that vividly demonstrated that Muay Thai and kickboxing are different sports.
Muay Thai allows for many more techniques, which means the range of countermeasures is also wider.
Muay Thai fighters can throw various scenarios at you; if one thing doesn't work, they try another.
Even so, in order to grasp victory,
Kazuki Osaki, who challenged himself in Muay Thai, was truly cool.

I believe that fighting in a foreign country under different rules is truly difficult and challenging.
However, recently, more and more fighters from Japan are challenging themselves on the world stage.
Seeing a champion like Osaki fight globally,
I hope that even more Japanese fighters will take on the challenge of the world.

At the same time, I want to make sure I never forget to show respect to fighters from other countries and other sports who come to compete in Japanese kickboxing.