All fight fans have their own opinion on what they regard has the more elite level of fighters in that sport.

A lot of MMA fans consider it to have the more elite level of fighter as they are skilled in various martial arts and it is the truest form of fighting.

However, as gruelling as MMA can appear, it hasn’t been around as long as Thaiboxing or boxing.

What is an Elite fighter?

An elite fighter is someone who has reached the very best or highest performance in their professional combat sport. For instance, an elite MMA fighter will be competing at the top in the U.F.C.

The dictionary states the term elite means:

A select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society.

So Does MMA have the best level of elite fighters?

To get to the top level in MMA, you must of first had a background in other styles of fighting like kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling etc.

This is the reason why MMA can get a lot of mixed opinions when comparing who has the more elite fighters to other combat sports like Thaiboxing. Many people may think as they are skilled in various fighting styles that would make them much greater and more of an elite fighter than a Thaiboxer.

Whereas, others may think a MMA fighter might not be at the same level as someone that solely focuses on one style, like Thaiboxing or boxing.

Kieran Keddle who was a former world champion Thaiboxer recently put out a social media post that got some controversy.

Kieran stated:

“The elite level of Thaiboxers and boxers is much greater than the elite level of MMA fighter.”

We caught up with Kieran to get a more in depth view on his professional opinion.

Thaiboxing vs MMA – The Verdict

Thaiboxing and boxing have reached there peak in terms of fighting. You have had over 20-30 years maybe more on Thaiboxing and boxing and they have had the best fights you will ever see and witness.

MMA is only 32 years old, it’s evolving and it hasn’t even reached its peak yet of fighters.

Elite level in MMA is nowhere near the elite level of Thaiboxers and boxers.

So here is my thinking behind it.

MMA doesn’t have an amateur scene. It’s OK if you have had 10 kickboxing fights and 3 boxing fights and then move to MMA.

My point being, is with boxers solely concentrate on an amateur boxing till they turn pro. They may of had 30, 40, 50, even 100 fights, Lomachenko who nearly had 400 amateur fights in that sport.

When MMA has a system going, no doubt they will do in maybe the next 5 – 10 years, which will be an amateur scene, then your going to see a next level of MMA fighters in the professional scene.

Not guys from different backgrounds of martial arts, guys from an amateur MMA scene.

This is why an elite MMA fighter is nowhere near the level of an elite Thaiboxer or boxer, that go through all the C and B class and junior fights etc in that chosen sport before they even get to a peak. The I.Q and everything is completely different.

Final thoughts

Even though elite fighters in combat sports like MMA or Thaiboxing may be at a different level, each sport is still great in its own way.

It all comes down to what the individual personally enjoys the most. MMA is very popular as the UFC is the largest fight promotion in the world.

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