In 2004, at the K-1 World MAX tournament, an event occurred that changed the face of world kickboxing forever. The legendary Buakaw Banchamek was responsible, as his dominance proved so overwhelming that the organizers were forced to introduce strict restrictions. Buakaw used the classic school of Muay Thai, against which kickboxers of that time had no defense.


His primary strength was the relentless clinch, where he literally locked his opponents and prevented them from attacking. Brutal series of knee strikes to the body and head broke the enemy's will and made the fights one-sided. To stop the Thai fighter and save the entertainment value for other styles, the K-1 league introduced emergency changes to the regulations.


According to the new anti-Buakaw rules, a clinch was permitted only for the delivery of a single strike, followed by an immediate break. Holding the neck with two hands for a long period became illegal. The overall focus of the fights was deliberately shifted to hand strikes to neutralize the advantage of Thai masters in close combat.


Buakaw's victory proved that the technique of Muay Thai is so effective that world organizations have to change the rules to give other martial arts a chance. Buakaw remains the only fighter in history for whom the regulations of an entire league were rewritten.