Buakaw Por Pramuk: 'I Enjoyed Trying Mma But Never Considered Competing'

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Buakaw Por Pramuk: 'I enjoyed trying MMA but never considered competing'

by Rob Cox

BANGKOK: -- First there was his acrimonious departure from Por Pramuk, then he shocked the world by announcing his retirement from Muay Thai and was photographed training MMA amidst widespread rumours that he was in preparation to make his professional debut.

Finally his dispute with Por Pramuk was resolved and Buakaw Banchamek (as he is known when he is not competing) is now free to fight again and will be appearing at the Thai Fight show at Leicester City football club in England later this month.

Since leaving Por Pramuk he has built his own camp, The Banchamek Gym, in his native Surin and a small branch also recently opened in the Huay Khwang area of Bangkok.

Combat Asia caught up with Buakaw and in a rare interview he discusses the events of the last few months and also reveals just how real the rumours about him giving up Muay Thai in order to compete in MMA were.

Rob Cox, who also runs the Muay Thai 2000 website, is asking the questions:

How happy are you that the dispute with Por Pramuk has been resolved?

I’m very happy it finally got resolved and it was treated in a fair way by the courts. I’m glad it is over now and both sides are happy.

How difficult was the decision to leave Por Pramuk?

It wasn’t difficult at all, it was something I had been thinking about a long time already. I decided it was time and was prepared to accept whatever happened, if it meant not fighting anymore I could accept that, it was an easy decision.

How does your life now compare to when you were living and training at Por Pramuk?

I enjoy that I can choose myself now more what I want to do in my life and I dont feel I have so much pressure on me. I also enjoy that I have much more time now to be closer to my family.

How long do you think you will carry on fighting for?

I dont have a set date to retire, I want to carry on as long as I can for my fans and I will fight as long as my body allows, but more importantly if I mentally want to continue to fight, if my heart isn’t in it anymore it will be time to stop.

What do you plan to do when you retire from fighting?

I don’t have any plans yet, I just want to carry on fighting for now and see what happens. I have my own gym now too so it shouldn’t be too difficult for me.

How is the Banchamek camp going? Do you have many fighters and do any foreigners train there?

It is going ok. I have about five or six Thai fighters. We have had some foreigners come to train already, but we are not really a hundred per cent ready or sure about training foreigners fully yet.

Do you regret never having won a belt at either Lumpinee or Rajadamnern?

No not really, I feel that I achieved success in the paths I have taken so far as a fighter, whether winning Thai Fight tournament or K-1 MAX. I also won other titles in Thailand such as Omnoi stadium champion and the Thailand title belt, which is close to Lumpinee and Rajadamnern titles.

Were you serious about wanting to take up MMA?

It was something I wanted to try training wise, when I had some free time as I enjoy sports and training and enjoyed the experience of training, I never really considered competing in it though.

What do you think of MMA?

It is exciting to watch and there are a lot of technique which are different from Muay Thai, especially when it comes to the grappling on the ground side of it. Although it hasn’t taken off in Thailand I enjoyed trying it.

Do you agree that MMA should be banned in Thailand?

It is something I haven’t really thought about, I leave that to the powers that be to decide. I am a sportsman and I prefer to do what I do best, to train and compete. I don’t really have a strong opinion on that.

Would you ever consider moving abroad to teach Muay Thai or do you think you will always stay in Thailand?

I would think it would be possible yes, maybe for short trips to help spread the art of Muay Thai around the world. Though I would probably prefer to stay in my home country and help to spread the art and bring more people from outside Thailand to come and visit.

For all the latest Muay Thai news visit: Muay Thai 2000

Source: http://combat-asia.c...ered-competing/

-- combat-asia.com 2012-08-04