ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee event is the most popular Muay Thai show in all of Thailand. The event goes down every Friday night at Bangkok’s esteemed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and often breaks television viewership records in the country. But thousands of fans also flock to the stadium to capture the action live and in person. If you want to be one of those people, here’s everything you need to know about ONE Lumpinee.
ONE Lumpinee Vs. ONE Friday Fights Vs. ONE Fight Night
ONE Championship promotes two different events at Lumpinee Stadium – a weekly series that goes down every Friday night and a monthly show on Saturday mornings. The weekly series in called ONE Lumpinee in Thailand or ONE Friday Fights when broadcast to the rest of the world. Because I live in Thailand, I refer to the show as ONE Lumpinee on this page and everywhere else on MuayThaiStadiums.com. Just know that, despite the name difference, they are the same show. The monthly Saturday show is called ONE Fight Night and is different from ONE Lumpinee.
If you’re looking for an exciting Muay Thai experience, go to a ONE Lumpinee event. It has 12 fights (two MMA and 10 Muay Thai). ONE Fight Nights on Saturday mornings also have Muay Thai, but these cards are usually more focused on MMA and even submission grappling.
Lumpinee Boxing Stadium Series
After you read this guide be sure to check out all the other guides in this series.
ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee Muay Thai Fights
Although all of ONE Championship’s events feature Muay Thai fights, the weekly Friday night ONE Lumpinee show has more of them. Most times, there are two MMA fights and 10 Muay Thai fights on the Friday night shows. A good deal of them feature the best international and local Thai fighters. ONE Lumpinee cards are generally split into two halves. The first half of the show features six fights between non-Thais and Thais. The second half of the show features six fights between Thais. The format does change once in a while.
It’s also good to know that the fights at ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee event fall under the entertainment Muay Thai category. That is, they consist of three, three-minute rounds and the referees make sure the fighters push the action from beginning to end. But, you don’t always get the traditional pre-fight dance, or wai kru, before every fight. Most times, the fighters come to the ring in two groups before the event starts and perform the wai kru together. However, if time permits, at least one or two fights per night feature the wai kru before the bout. This differs from traditional Muay Thai, which consist of five, three-minute rounds and features the wai kru before each fight.
ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee Event Schedule
ONE Championship holds ONE Lumpinee events every Friday night starting at 7:30 PM. The 12-fight card usually runs until 11:30 PM. I’ve created a dedicated Muay Thai event schedule page, and I update it every Sunday night. The link is below.
The Best Seats At ONE Lumpinee
You may be tempted to equate the most expensive seats with the best seats at Lumpinee Stadium, but I want you to read this section carefully. After all, the seats you pick determine how enjoyable your viewing experience is.
ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee Ringside Seating (Front Row)
Ringside at ONE Lumpinee isn’t technically front-row seating. As you can see from the Lumpinee Stadium seating chart above, there is a big gap between the first row of seats and the ring. On the right side (RS C), the gap is where all of ONE Championship’s ringside staff sit. On the left side (RS A) is the path where the fighters walk to enter the ring. The gap between the bottom of the ring at RS B is where the fighters’ cornermen walk toward their respective corners.
The fighters walk out from the black rectangle between zones C and B. Then they walk by RS A and, once they get to the corner between RS A and RS B, their cornermen remove the traditional mongkol and they’re checked by ringside officials. This gives you enough time to take some photos or videos of the fighters while they go through the process. Once finished, the fighters enter the ring from that corner. So, if you want to see the fighters pass by you when they walk out, pick zone RS A.
Once the fighters enter the ring, they go to their respective corners. One corner is between the black rectangle and RS A and the other is between RS B and RS C. This is good to know because if you sit close to these areas, you get a good view of the corner action, which is sometimes better than the fight itself. The cornermen in Thailand become very animated, making it an entertaining spectacle to behold.
The only downside to ringside seating is that sometimes, when the fight moves to the opposite side of the ring from where you’re siting, the ropes and referee block the action. This doesn’t happen for the entire fight, but rather bits and pieces of it.
Lastly, you must reserve ringside seats in advance. They sell out fast, so buy your tickets ahead of time and pick them up at Lumpinee Stadium’s ticket window. I’ve left details on how to do this in the How To Buy Tickets To ONE Lumpinee section below.
Zones B And C
At ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee events, the fighters walk out between zones B and C. These zones are tiered seating areas with individual stadium-style seats. The blue color of both zones gets you a little closer to the ring than the orange color, hence the increase in ticket price. I’ve sat in the blue color of zone B a few times, and I’ve had a great time from that vantage point. However, this section tends to be reserved for media and press during big events, so you might not always find a seat available in this section.
The only disadvantage to seats in zones B and C is that if you sit close to the corner of the ring, the ring posts and cameramen sometimes block the view of the fights. It doesn’t happen often though, and when it does it’s not for long periods.
Zones A, D, And E
In my experience, zones A, D, and E offer some of the best all-around views of fights at Lumpinee Stadium. Sure, you’re not up close to the action, but you get to take in all of what makes the experience at Lumpinee so unforgettable. The fights, the animated cornermen, the passionate crowd — it’s all there for you to absorb. If you buy tickets to one of these sections though, go with zone E. And if you sit in the middle of zone E, you’ll have the best views of the fighters walking out to the ring and the fights themselves. But you have to get there early for a good spot, as these seats are first-come-first-serve. That is, you cannot reserve a spot in any of these zones.
The only downside to sitting in zones A, E, or D is that there are no seats. You have to sit directly on concrete bleachers, which could be irritating if you have back issues, or a bony backside like me. So, bring a soft cushion to sit on.
ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee Ticket Prices
Tickets to ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee event range from 1,200 Thai Baht ($35) for tiered seating to 3,000 Thai Baht ($90) for ringside seating. The Premium Ringside seating is only available for ONE Championship’s monthly Fight Night events.
| ONE Lumpinee Seating Area | Cost In Thai Baht | Cost In USD |
|---|---|---|
| Zones A, E, D | 1,200 | $35 |
| Zones B and C (Lower) | 2,000 | $60 |
| Zones B and C (Upper) | 2,500 | $75 |
| Ringside (RS A, RS B, and RS C) | 3,000 | $90 |
| Premium Ringside (ONE Fight Night only) | 10,000 | $300 |
How To Buy Tickets To ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee Events
You have two ways to buy tickets to ONE Lumpinee – at Lumpinee Stadium or online.
Buy ONE Lumpinee Tickets At The Stadium
Occasionally, some ONE Lumpinee events do sell out. But for the most part, you can buy tickets to ONE Lumpinee at Lumpinee Stadium’s ticket window. When you arrive at the stadium, walk straight up the stairs and veer toward the left of the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium sign. You’ll find a row of ticket windows there. The windows on the right are for media or reserved tickets. Go to the window on the left to buy your tickets. Once you get your ticket, be sure to go right into the stadium and pick a good seat if you’re in zones A, D, or E.
Buy ONE Lumpinee Tickets Online
If you want to buy ONE Lumpinee tickets online, I’d recommend going to ThaiTicketMajor.com. I have no affiliation with them, but I’ve found them to be the most reputable ticket selling agency in all of Thailand. I’ve bought tickets to various events through its website and never once had a problem. Once you buy your tickets online, you can pick them up at Lumpinee Stadium’s ticket window.
Directions To Lumpinee Stadium
Lumpinee Stadium is easily accessible from the BTS, SRT, taxi, and soon, the MRT.
From The BTS
Get on the BTS and take it to Wat Phra Sri Mahathat station. From there, you can take a 5-minute taxi ride down Ram Inthra Road to Lumpinee Stadium.
From The SRT
Get on the SRT and take it to Lak Si station. From there it’s a 10-minute taxi drive to Lumpinee Stadium.
From The MRT
The MRT is still working on the new line down Ram Inthra Road. When it’s finished, you’ll be able to get off the Ram Inthra 3 station and walk about 10 minutes down the road to Lumpinee Stadium.
By Taxi
Catch a taxi from anywhere in Bangkok and tell the driver you want to go to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Alternatively, you an show the driver Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thai script: สนามมวยลุมพินี.
Leaving Lumpinee Stadium
People often get so excited to watch Muay Thai in Bangkok at Lumpinee Stadium that they sometimes focus only on getting there. But getting to where you’re staying from Lumpinee can be quite challenging. First, there are more people than taxis so, unless you’re really lucky, you’ll have a hard time finding a taxi. Second, because there’s construction on Ram Inthra Road for the new MRT line, there tends to be heavy traffic on Friday nights. You can plan in advance by hiring a Grab or simply to walk to one of the overpasses and cross the road to catch a taxi on the other side.
Final Thoughts On ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee Event
For a long time, it seemed that Lumpinee Boxing Stadium was a dying destination for locals and tourists. But ONE Championship’s ONE Lumpinee event has revived the iconic landmark and made it a weekly destination for anyone who wants to experience Thailand’s greatest pastime — Muay Thai.
Hi, I’m John Wolcott, a former long-time English-language Muay Thai commentator who’s been living in Thailand since 2014. Over the last decade, I’ve commentated Muay Thai fights at MAX Muay Thai, Rajadamnern Muay Thai Stadium, Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, World Siam Stadium, and more. In 2022 I stepped away from commentating to focus on writing about the sport. Although I still occasionally commentate, my goal nowadays is to share with you everything I’ve learned (and continue to learn) about watching Muay Thai in Thailand so that you can have an unforgettable experience.