Buakaw Banchamek

Sombat Banchamek arrived at Por Pramuk gym in 1997 and spent five years collecting belts at Omnoi Stadium, first at featherweight, then lightweight, before taking the Toyota Marathon at Lumpini in late 2002. The K-1 Max tournament in 2004 changed the trajectory: he won that year, beating John Wayne Parr and Masato Kobayashi, then claimed the belt again in 2006 as K-1's international marketing machine made him a name across borders. After K-1 he took the Shoot Boxing S-Cup in 2010 and back-to-back Thai Fight Tournament titles in 2011 and 2012. He has since spent as much time as an ambassador as a competitor - in 2023 he led the largest Wai Kru performance on record - and has appeared in two Thai action films, including Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya.