Buakaw Banchamek: Kickboxer, Movies & Net Worth

Buakaw Banchamek is a famous Muay Thai kickboxer who has won a lot of championship titles.

He was born on 8th May of 1982, in Bansongnong County, Samrong Thap, Surin Province, Thailand.

In the fighting ring, he is known as Buakaw Por. Pramuk and is Omnoi Stadium champion and Lumpinee Stadium Toyota Marathon champion.

He started fighting from the young age of 8 and fought out of Por. Pramuk Gym, in Bangkok, Thailand. He is a former #1-ranked fighter in Lumpinee Stadium.

Banchamek has won Thailand Featherweight Championship, K-1 World MAX Championship, and Thai Fight tournament.

Banchamek is ranked the #10 lightweight kickboxer in the world as of now.

Quick Facts

Here are some quick facts about Buakaw Banchamek:

Buakaw Banchamek: Early Career and Education

When he was a child, Banchamek attended a local Muay Thai fight show. Then, he decided to become a Muay Thai fighter.

Moreover, the show inspired him, so he started his fighting career at eight years old in Surin.

Then, under the name Damtamin Kiat-anan, he started training with Por. Pramuk Gym at the age of 15.

Banchamek’s first-ever belt was the Omnoi Stadium featherweight belt. After that, he became the featherweight champion of Thailand.

Then he won the Omnoi Stadium lightweight belt, and in 2002, he beat Satoshi Kobayashi to win the Toyota Marathon 140 lbs tournament at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Similarly, in 2013, Buakaw was awarded an honorary Masters of Science degree in Sports Science from Kasetsart University.

Moreover, in 2014, the kickboxer also received a Ph.D. in Regional Development Strategies from Surindra Rajabhat University.

Career

Buakaw beat Takayuki Kohiruimak, John Wayne Parr, and previous champion Masato to become the 2004 K-1 MAX World champion in July of 2004.

Banchamek lost in the extra round due to a debatable decision to Dutch boxer Andy Souwer in 2005.

However, Buakaw beat Souwer in the 2006 K-1 MAX World Grand Prix with a TKO.

Similarly, in the 2007 K-1 MAX World Grand Prix, Buakaw lost to Masato in the quarter-finals.

He also reached the semi-finals in 2009. However, because of his frustration towards the biased official’s decisions, he didn’t participate in 2010.

Instead, he participated in the Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2010. He beat Imada in the second round with a TKO to claim the title.

Then, Buakaw defeated Frank Giorgi unanimously to claim the 2011 Thai fight 70 kg Tournament title.

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Buakaw Banchamek: Leaving Por. Pramuk

For some time in the first week of March in 2012, Buakaw did not turn up for training in the Por. Pramuk training camp.

Later on, he apologized to his fans and explained his disappearance in a Thai talk show.

Furthermore, he stated he had problems with the gym and felt insulted by the management.

After canceling the visit to Japan with the Prime Minister for an exhibition fight, he parted ways with the training camp.

After the incident, he said, “I can stand tough training, but not poor treatment. It is about the mind, not the body.”

After leaving Por. Pramuk

After his exit with Yokkao Boxing, his sponsor built Banchamek gym to continue his training and help the children in his village discover Muay Thai.

He knocked out Zaripov in his first game after he left Por. Pramuk. The kickboxer wanted to end the dispute with Pro. Pramuk.

Buakaw beat Mauro Serra in the quarter-finals, then Tomoyuki Nishikawa in the semi-finals, and Vitaly Gurkov to win the Thai Fight tournament.

In a free and public staged exhibition match, Buakaw faced his friend and teammate Harlee Avison on March 27, 2013.

On May 6, 2013, Buakaw again knocked out Malik Watson in the second round in an exhibition match at MAX Muay Thai 1 in Surin, Thailand.

Buakaw Banchamek: Retirement and Comeback 

During the few months Buakaw spent away from the ring, there were many sightings of Buakaw training in Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Wrestling classes.

There was some speculation that he was practicing for an MMA career, which made sense as it was not against the agreement with Por. Pramuk Gym.

However, the transition into MMA never happened, and the kickboxer returned to the ring in August 2012.

Buakaw returned to fighting with a win over Dong Wen Fei in a kickboxing match at MAX Muay Thai 3 in China on August 10, 2013.

Banchamek defeated Djime Coulibaly to take the WMC World Junior Middleweight Championship at Monte Carlo Fighting Masters in Monaco in June of 2014. 

In the final against Enriko Kehl in the K-1 World MAX Championship, he lost due to forfeit in Pattaya.

Similarly, he lost the TopKing World Series Semifinal Tournament against Russian fighter Khayal Dzhaniev.

During the fight, Buakaw also suffered from deep cuts in his head caused by Khayal’s elbows, while Khayal suffered broken ribs.

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Kunlun and All-Star Fights

Buakaw beat Chinese fighter Kong Lingfeng by decision in the main event at Kunlun Fight 62 in 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Similarly, in Bangkok, Thailand, he defeated French Azize Hlali by knockout in the first round at All-Star Fight on August 20, 2017.

The fighter won against Sergey Kuliaba of Ukraine at All-Star Fight 2 in Bangkok on September 30, 2017.

Although on December 10, Buakaw was expected to fight Fabio Pinca at All-Star in Paris, but Fabio was not able to fight.

He defeated Nayanesh Ayman via first-round knockout in China at Kunlun Fight 69 on February 4, 2018.

Banchamek fought Spanish Jonay Risco for the 70 kg title on March 9, 2018, at Enfusion kickboxing promotion in Abu Dhabi. However, Risco won the match.

He fought Portuguese Luis Passos on April 28, 2018, on All-Star Fight 3 in Bangkok, Thailand. He defeated Luis and won the title.

Banchamek won three more times by points in 2018 on All-Star Fight events held in Hong Kong, Prague, and Pattaya, respectively.

Buakaw headlined All-Star Fight: World Soldier, which was organized to promote the national sport of Muay Thai, on March 9, 2019, in Bangkok, Thailand.

With the Royal Thai Army promoting the show, he fought against Russian kickboxer Artem Pashporin and won.

Buakaw Banchamek: Body Measurement

Even though Buakaw is 41 years old, he has an athletic body.

Moreover, the kickboxer is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs around 69 kg. He has black eyes with short black hair.

Buakaw has a strict training routine and follows a very healthy diet which has helped him to remain fit.

Buakaw Banchamek: Personal Life and Net Worth

Like most celebrities, Buakaw Banchamek tries to keep his personal and love life as private as possible.

Buakaw is single & has not been previously engaged. As of now, Buakaw Banchamek’s is not dating anyone.

Buakaw Banchamek has an estimated net worth of about 5 million dollars.

His primary income comes mainly from being a successful Athlete; his massive social media following and acting career also contribute to his income.

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Buakaw Banchamek: Life Outside the Fighting Ring

Also, he co-starred in the martial arts movie Into the Fire in 2010 and Kunlun Fight from 2015 to 2018.

 

Banchamek studied in Rattana Bundit University’s business administration, and in February of 2014, he signed for RBAC F.C., the association football club.

He represented the University in the Regional League Division 2 and is the reserve team of BEC Tero Sasana F.C., who plays in the Thai Premier League.

 

Banchamek played as a forward for the Rattana Bundit University and made his debut on February 16.

Social Media

Buakaw Banchamek is relatively active on his social media handles and regularly posts photos on Instagram and Facebook.

Banchamek has over 1 million followers on his Instagram and has over 4.3 million followers on Facebook.

Moreover, Youtube and TikTok’s audience loves him as the videos of his fights gain millions of views.

FAQs

Is Buakaw Banchamek retired? What is his record?

Buakaw Banchamek is not retired right now, although he had retired briefly but returned and continues to fight till now. 

Moreover, his professional kickboxing record stands as 239-24.

Which is Buakaw Banchamek’s best fight of all time?

Many considered the fight between Buakaw and Zhou Zhi Peng at the K-1 World Max 2013 World Championship Tournament Quarter-Finals his best fight.

Although Zhou tried to turn the fight into a brawl after the judges decided to take the fight to an extra round.

Even though he suffered severe cuts, Buakaw did not give up, and he won the match.

Why did Buakaw Banchamek leave Pro. Pramuk gym?

Due to the lack of respect shown by the management of Pro Pramuk gym, Buakaw later announced he wanted to leave the gym in a talk show.