A Muay Thai referee has been praised for his lightning-speed reaction that saved a fighter from a 'kill shot' illegal kick to the face. Check it out:
Being a ref can be a thankless job – especially in combat sports when you have to get between two fighters battling it out.
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As well as risking injury yourself, you're always going to upset someone.
Hopefully the mediator for this fight sees the applaud he's currently receiving from the online community for his quick-thinking move.
According to YouTube channel Suk Jai MuayThai, the footage shows a fight between Edu Molina and Chatchai Singwangcha in 2008.
Later on in the game, Edu takes out his opponent with a kick to the back of the knee, sending him falling to the mat.
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After failing to land a punch as Chatchai falls down, he goes in to deliver a brutal kick to the face – an illegal move when an opponent is grounded.
This could've ended with a broken nose or worse had it not been for the super speed reflex of the ref, who quickly kicks the fighter's leg away before putting his hand out, indicating for the man to stop.
Many people questioned whether Edu was penalised, although the full fight shows he actually won shortly after.
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As pointed out by one Redditor: "Considering the ref kick, ref check, the nod and then the glove punch it all seemed pretty above board and pretty sporting."
But the real winner from this fight is clearly the ref, with dozens of people praising his skills.
"Daaaamn, he saw it coming a mile away," wrote one. "My slow ass would of been like 'damn bro u good?'"
"No kill shots! This is on TV," wrote another, while a third added: "Muay Thai has some amazing refs, lots of them being former fighters themselves."
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A fourth chimed in: "Good ref for blocking the kick. Great ref for blocking it with an oblique kick. Incredible referee for blocking the kick with an oblique kick in shoes and not damaging the knee of the fighter.
"Bravo random muay thai referee. Bravo!"
While we're on the topic of heroic Muay Thai refs, check out Sittichai Ineiad who became an internet sensation after making sure fighter Neymar Paeminburee didn't smack his head on the canvas.
Neymar was fighting So Sovarathana in Cambodia in 2020 when Sovarathana landed a big elbow with just over a minute left of the second round.
The strike instantly knocked Neymar out and he looked to be crashing towards the mat when the referee threw himself down and wrapped his arm around the fighter to make sure he didn't suffer damage on impact.
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Once again that was some quick thinking, proving refs truly are the unsung heroes of the combat sport world.
Daisy Phillipson