Muay Thai also known as the “ART OF EIGHT LIMBS OR THE SCIENCE OF EIGHT LIMBS” is the national sport of Thailand which dates back to more than three centuries and is practiced by millions of people around the world.

Though the exact origins of Muay Thai is unknown, it is believed that Muay Thai evolved from Muay Boran-ancient Thai Boxing, a system of unarmed combat method which may have been used by Siamese (Thai) soldiers after losing their weapons in battle. It is also believed that Siamese military developed Muay Boran, an early form of Muay Thai. The most famous folklore regarding Muay Boran is that of Nai Khanomtom, a famous boxer of 17th Century who won his freedom by successively defeating 9 Burmese kick boxers.

MMA is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground. Most predominantly one can see the usage of Muay Thai Kick Boxing and Brazilian Jutsu in MMA. The annals of contemporary mixed martial arts can be traced back to the ancient Olympics where an earliest form of well documented and organized martial art called Pankration was in existence. Various mixed style championships also took place throughout Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim during the early 19th Century. The combat sport of Vale Tudo that had developed in Brazil from the 1920s was brought to the United States by the Gracie family in 1993 with the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is currently the largest promoter of MMA. Prior to the this, professional MMA events were also held across Japan.

In due course, the ever dangerous crude form of early MMA bouts were made safer with the implementation of additional rules, leading to the popularly structured form of MMA seen today. Originally promoted as a competition with the intention of finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed altercations, competitors were pitted against each other with minimal rules. In due course, fighters employed multiple styles into their repertoire while promoters adopted additional rules aimed at increasing safety for competitors for mainstream acceptance of MMA.