When the Sports Writers Association of Thailand created its “Best Muay Thai Hybrid Fighter” award last year, it signaled a shift in the sport. This year, the group crowned a new king — Nabil Anane.
Anane came up competing under traditional five-round Muay Thai, but in 2023 he signed with ONE Championship and began fighting under the promotion’s three-round entertainment Muay Thai format.
That year, he initially fought in the flyweight division, taking on Superlek Kiatmoo9 in his first fight at ONE Friday Fights. Anane lost, but he later moved up to bantamweight and defeated Nakrob Fairtex and Muangthai PK Saenchai.
Fans began to catch glimpses of a fighter whose style would define the new generation of Muay Thai – a style that included techniques from traditional Muay Thai with added flare to fit the entertainment format. With his wiry 6-foot-3 frame Anane could do it all, and do it all so well he did.
In 2024, the man with the coolest hat in Muay Thai ripped through Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai, Felipe Lobo, and Soe Lin Oo in a span of just three months, earning him this hybrid version of an award four decades old.
To understand the significance of Anane’s achievement, one must look back to the award’s beginnings. The Sports Writers Association of Thailand started giving out its prestigious Fighter of the Year trophy in 1984, with Kongthoranee Payakaroon being the first-ever recipient.
Every year thereafter, the organization awarded the trophy to the fighter(s) in Thailand they deemed the best, and the criteria was always the same. The writers looked at not whether a fighter had won a stadium title but how often they fought, who they fought, and how well they did. Most importantly, the fighter had to compete in five-round traditional Muay Thai.
To win meant you were considered the best of the best. It was something every stadium fighter wanted to achieve.
Fast forward three-and-a-half decades later and COVID-19 brought Muay Thai to a screeching halt. Due to the lack of fights, the association didn’t award anyone the trophy in 2019. In the years that followed, it seemed stadium Muay Thai itself was suffocating on the aftereffects of the pandemic.
Then, suddenly, the sport was born again. Entertainment Muay Thai took off and purists leaned in — at least most of them.
At first, the Sports Writers Association resisted the change that Muay Thai was going through. They simply refused to award fighters competing in three-round Muay Thai while wearing small gloves.
But as more of Thailand’s best fighters began signing with promotions like ONE Championship, the association couldn’t deny where Muay Thai was heading. So, they created the “Muay Thai Hybrid Fighter of the Year” award in 2023 and awarded it to Tawanchai PK Saenchai.
Anane, then, is only the second recipient of the title. He embodies entertainment Muay Thai. He has personality to match his skills, a wiry build that reminds the older generation of Dieselnoi, the legendary “Sky Piercing Knee,” yet a look that appeals to younger crowds.
There is no doubt that the gatekeepers of these awards finally appreciate where the sport is heading, and Anane appreciates them right back.
“I feel incredibly happy and honored to receive the ‘Best Muay Thai Hybrid Fighter’ award,” he said. “I want to thank all the fans, as well as my family and friends, who have always supported me and stood by my side. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Thank you all so much.”
With pioneers like Anane leading the evolution, Thailand’s most prestigious Muay Thai award has embraced the future while honoring the past — a sign that the sport’s next chapter has only just begun.