About the league

Pattaya's
Muay Thai
league

The International Fighters League (IFL) runs Muay Thai fight nights at Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya. In 2026 it becomes a league: three fight nights, one bracket, and ฿250,000 in prize money for the league winners.

The format

  1. 01

    Three rounds of three minutes.

  2. 02

    Men at 63kg and women at 51kg in the opening round.

  3. 03

    Win and advance. Lose and your league run ends.

  4. 04

    New weight divisions join from November.

League winner
฿250,000

Prize money for the league winners

  1. 10.10Opening round

    16 fighters, 8 bouts. Men 63kg and women 51kg.

  2. 21.11Semi-finals

    The opening round winners fight on. New weight divisions join the league.

  3. 26.12Finals

    Boxing Day. League winners take the prize money.

The bracket →
Two fighters, one in red and one in blue, kneel and pray in the ring before a fight, each wearing a mongkol headband and prajiad arm cords
Before the first bell

Wai Kru. Ram Muay.

Before the first bell, both fighters perform the same sacred ritual side by side. It honours their teachers, their camp and their family. This is what you will see.

The ritual, step by step

  1. A fighter wearing a mongkol climbs through the ropes into the ring while his trainer waits in the corner
    01

    Into the ring

    ขึ้นเวที

    The fighter enters wearing the mongkol, the sacred headband. By tradition, men step over the top rope and women pass under the bottom rope, a sign of humility and respect.

  2. A fighter rests a glove on the top rope and bows his head at a corner of the ring
    02

    Sealing the ring

    เดินรอบเวที

    One hand on the top rope, the fighter walks the ring anti-clockwise and stops to pray at each corner. It seals the ring and keeps bad luck out.

  3. A fighter kneels and bows low to the canvas under a single spotlight
    03

    Wai Kru

    ไหว้ครู

    Kneeling on the canvas, the fighter bows three times in respect: to the Buddha, to their parents and to their teachers.

  4. A fighter dances the ram muay on one leg with his arms spread wide
    04

    Ram Muay

    รำมวย

    Then the dance. Every camp has its own moves, so a trained eye can tell where a fighter comes from. The Sarama music sets the pace.

  5. A trainer lifts the mongkol from his fighter's head in the red corner
    05

    The mongkol comes off

    ถอดมงคล

    Back in the corner, the trainer lifts the mongkol from the fighter's head. The ritual is complete. The music speeds up and the first bell rings.

Images are illustrations.

Three things to look for

  • มงคล

    Mongkol

    The sacred headband, often blessed at a temple. It is worn on the head, so it should never touch the floor.

  • ประเจียด

    Prajiad

    Cords tied around the upper arms for luck and protection.

  • สะระหม่า

    Sarama

    The live ring music of Thai oboe, drums and cymbals. Slow for the ritual, faster once the fight starts.

The camps behind the fighters

Every bow honours a teacher and a camp. These are the camps behind this season's fighters.

IFL-5 · 22.08.2026

Last time at Max.

IFL-5, Saturday 22 August 2026. The main event was a world title fight: Hamid Boughanem vs Lord Parsa. This season, both are in the league.

A fighter raises both gloves on the walkout stage under the IFL-5 world title fight screen
A head kick lands in front of the world title fight screen
Fighters face off on a pier in front of the Pattaya City sign with the IFL Muay Thai Champion belt
Two fighters trade punches at close range
A fighter goes down in the ring at Max Muay Thai Stadium
A fighter walks the ramp to the ring
A fighter throws a knee while the other lands a punch
A straight punch lands during an exchange
A fighter drives forward with a punch to the body

IFL is run by IFL Global Ventures Co., Ltd.

Pick your corner.

Red corner

Fight
in the IFL

Fighters and gyms can apply for future league divisions. Send your record, weight and gym.

Apply to fight
Blue corner

Back
the league

Sponsorship and partnership enquiries for the 2026 league season.

Sponsor enquiry