A video recently went viral showing a giant foreigner fighting against a much smaller Thai opponent in Puket, Thailand. The size mismatch sparked controversy and debate online, with many viewers questioning the fairness of the matchup.
According to the giant, named Max, this was only his second ever fight. He explained that they could not find any opponents close to his size and weight class, so they matched him up against a more experienced but significantly smaller Thai fighter.
Apparently this kind of mismatch is not uncommon in Thailand. If there are no opponents of similar size, they will match up fighters with big differences in size but try to balance it out with experience levels.
Max and his Thai opponent had agreed beforehand to not try to seriously hurt each other despite the size disparity. Max could easily do serious damage with his powerful kicks and knees against the smaller fighter. Still, the Thai fighter ended up throwing in the towel likely realizing he was overpowered.
The whole situation highlights the peculiarities of Muay Thai matchmaking in Thailand. Fights are often arranged based on availability rather than perfect weight pairings. This leads to many mismatches, upsets and surprises, which some find entertaining while others see it as problematic.
While Max was not happy with the arrangement, he took the experience in stride. Hopefully in his next fight he receives an opponent closer to his size and ability. The viral video brought lots of attention, both positive and negative, to this odd Muay Thai challenge.