Saturday saw what is purported to be the first ever match featuring women at Thailand's fabled muay Thai venue, Lumpinee Stadium, as Sanaejan Sor Jor Tongprajin won a decision over Buakaw MorKorChor Chiayaphum for the WBC 105 lb. championship. Lumpinee, along with rival Bangkok stadium Rajadamnern, are renowned as the two major sites for muay Thai. And while women have fought at other stadiums in Thailand, they've traditionally been forbidden from fighting, or even entering the ring, at Lumpinee and Rajadamnern.

---

Though this weekend's female bout took place in a makeshift outdoor ring due to COVID restrictions, it's still being trumpeted as the first ever bout by women on the hallowed grounds of Lumpinee. However, the website 8limbsus.com has reported stories of a short-lived series of female bouts promoted at Lumpinee in the 1960s in a separate ring than the one used by male fighters. And in 2017, Rajadamnern broke with tradition by allowing the first ever transgender fighter, Nong Rose Baan Charoensuk, to compete there. Nevertheless, this weekend's women's bout at Lumpinee would seem to be a permanent turning point for female fighters in Thailand.