Isuzu Cup 22 Kicks Off, Will Determine Thai Representative for Thai Fight 2012

Omnoi Stadium has put together its next big offering in the world of Muay Thai, as eight of Thailand's top fighters at the 67 kg. mark will meet to the determine the nation's Thai Fight 2012 representative at that weight class. The Isuzu Cup 22 kicked off last weekend, and will be running through the rest of the year. In addition to the spot in the Thai Fight 2012 tournament, competitors will be fighting for a grand prize of one million baht (about $33,000) and an Isuzu vehicle.

Fans are likely to recall that the Isuzu Cup 21, which ran from late 2010 into the early part of this year, was ultimately won by Kem Sitsongpeenong. Kem is now scheduled to take on Yokoyama Shigeyuki in the Thai Fight 2011 quarterfinals on September 25th. You can check out the final bout from Isuzu Cup 21 here.

While the Thai Fight 2011 tournament still isn't over, neither Kem or any of the other fighters who competed in the last qualifier will be present in Isuzu Cup 22. The tournament will still follow the same format, however, with two four-man groups competing round-robin style. The top two fighters from each group will ultimately advance into the tournament final bracket, where an overall winner will be determined.

The groups for Isuzu Cup 22 are as follows:

Group A
Noppakrit Namplatrahoymuk
Singhmanee Kaewsamrit
Ikuysang K. Rungthannakiat
Samranchai 96 Peenang

Group B
Saksurint Kafaesai
Saenchainoi Pumpanmuang
Superbon Lookjaomaasaewaree
Petchasawin Seatransferry

The tournament started off on August 27th with a bout between Noppakrit and Ikuysang in Group A. You can find the video below the jump.