Slamm 6 Brings Muay Thai to Holland

For fans of Muay Thai action, we have full details on one of the year's biggest international Muay Thai events. Slamm 6 will take place on November 29 and will be headlined by four Holland v. Thailand fights: Khalid Bourdif vs Yodsaenklai Fairtex, Mosab "the Jaguar" Amrani vs Bovy Sor Udomson, Mo Khamal vs Anuwat Kaewsamrit, and Warren Stevelmans vs Saiyok Pumphangmuang. The complete card is as follows:

Slamm 6
November 29

Khalid Bourdif vs Yodsaenklai Fairtex
Mosab "the Jaguar" Amrani vs Bovy Sor Udomson
Mo Khamal vs Anuwat Kaewsamrit
Warren Stevelmans vs Saiyok Pumphangmuang
Rachid Belani vs Anthony Kane
Brian Douwes vs Ismael Londt
Mohammed Charkaoui vs Delon Carrilho
Jemyma Betrian vs Adi Rotem
Dennis Schneidmiller vs Shemsi Beqiri
Germaine de Randamie vs TBA
Kuku Victor vs Danial Shariffi

Click here to watch the new preview video.

The event will be broadcast on a live PPV internet stream available for $15 at http://livestream.slamm.nl. Those who tried to watch K-1 ColliZion know that these streams can be highly unreliable, but Slamm is doing their best to make it a good experience, offering a free pre-show to allow viewers to check out the quality of the stream, as well as a hotline and support link during the show. Smart moves here that will hopefully net them more viewers.

For fans who may not be as exposed to Muay Thai, keep reading after the jump for some Muay Thai basics.

One of the ley selling points for Slamm is that they are one of the few (or only) European organizations to use full Muay Thai rules. These rules have three essential differences from K-1 rules.

1. Throwing knees from the clinch is allowed. While in K-1, fighters are allowed to only throw one knee before releasing the clinch, repeated knees are a trademark of Muay Thai (as any Wanderlei Silva fan knows). This used to be the same rule in K-1 as well, but was changed specifically to not give too much advantage to Muay Thai fighters (or, specifically, just Buakaw).
2. Elbows are allowed. This is a huge difference that has a significant impact on how fights end. Because of elbows, it is very common for fights to end due to cuts, and unlike in K-1 (and MMA for that matter), a cut stoppage is viewed as a perfectly legitimate way to win a fight.
3. Fights last 5 x 3 minute rounds.

One other practical difference is in scoring. In Muay Thai, judges score based on variety of technique, heavily emphasizing the use of knees and elbows, and de-valuing traditional boxing. As a result, scoring can seem odd to those unaccustomed to the difference, but a fighter connecting consistently with his hands, while never throwing kicks, elbows, or knees, will not score as well as a fighter who connects with one or two solid elbows and knee strikes.

For fans of kickboxing who may not know much about Muay Thai, this is a great event to check out. Based in Holland, Slamm is an annual event focused on presenting European audiences with the best worldwide Thai fighters, and this year they are delivering, as the four featured Thai fighters (Yodsaenklai, Bovy, Anuwat, and Saiyok) are all Muay Thai elite and among the best known names in the sport. Yodsaenklai in particular stands out as the winner of season 1 of The Contender Asia, and is strongly rumored to replace Buakaw should Buakaw leave MAX.

We'll have more coverage of Slamm in the coming weeks, as well as other Muay Thai fights to get you ready.