View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaCNLcZAGPs
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I-LOhvQmjc
I'm not the biggest fan of Muay Thai when it comes straight from the Stadiums, the way it's judged as a sport I find really fucks over the style of fighter I like(guys who use their hands as a main weapon), but I love it as a martial art and when you see Thai's compete in Kickboxing they can be very good to watch(Sittichai, Buakaw, Jomthong and Yodsanklai are four of my favorites, someone like Sangmanee is great aswell)
Some of my favorite Kickboxers are Muay Thai based with great Western Boxing fundamentals like Petro and Levin.
Anyway, I'd really like to see a few 18-20 year olds who've been training and competing from a young age make the crossover, train Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu for half a decade or so, and take on the Fly and Bantamweight divisions... show MMA fans what REAL Muay Thai looks like. Muay Thai is already a bit like Greco, lots of upper body clinching(more too it than just the Plum/controlling the head you almost never see this in Stadium Muay Thai because everyone knows how to clinch), off balancing and trips, I'm willing to bet many of them could adapt too Wrestling quite comfortably and good luck too the guys who actively want to clinch with them anyway.
If Thai's really want to make good money(1 US dollar is worth like 35 Thai Baht, a 25 and 25 pay cheque is 1 and 3/4 mil baht), they should go to MMA, there just needs to be one or two breakthrough stars that can have some success in the UFC and then you'll see more guys do it . They often dominate Euro and Japanese Kickboxing and without the ability to use all of their tools(when they can it's really no contest), sometimes that being a detriment as these guys are often strongest in the clinch or with their elbows... we think we've seen great clinch fighting from Jones, DJ and both Silva's, wait until you see someone who's lived and breathed Muay Thai since before they were an adolescent.
We already see guys with Boxing and Kickboxing backgrounds do pretty well in MMA.