ONE Championship is facing a lawsuit on claims that it is not staying true to traditional Muay Thai.
The Boxing Association of Thailand is reportedly taking action against the promotion on grounds of violating the Boxing Act of 2022.
This states that sanctioned organizations can’t profit from boxing matches unless their bylaws are filed with the Federal Trade Commission — most specifically tackling their “Muay Thai” promotion of kickboxing bouts.
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“Upon inspection, it was found that Boxing ONE does not follow standard rules and regulations for Boxing Competition (No. 2) 2013, Region 4,” a supporter of the lawsuit against ONE said in a statement (per MMA Mania).
“I’ll give you an example to see if in this regulation: Muay Thai fighters must pay homage to teachers, wear auspicious clothes, and dress up to be neat like Muay Thai that fight each other today. But ONE doesn’t follow the rules.”
ONE Championship is arguably one of the biggest stages for Muay Thai matchups.
They are hosting their first event in the U.S. on May 5. They have yet to comment on the legal action.