"Am" Kanjanat Patrabunsorn, female MMA athlete in the 54 kg division, is confident in her physical readiness ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Japan, having been in training camp since March
13 Sep 2026 · association · TAMMA
· via TAMMA
Summary
"Am" Kanjanat Patrabunsorn, female MMA athlete in the 54 kg division, is confident in her physical readiness ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Japan, having been in training camp since last March, having won SEA Games, World and Asian championships…
AI summary AI-generated from the transcript
TAMMA interviews Thai women's 54 kg MMA athlete Kanjutha Patrubonsorn (“Am”) ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Japan. Am says she is about 80–90% ready physically and mentally, with the last 10% to come on competition day, after training camp continuously since March. She confirms she has won both a world championship and an Asian championship. On Asian Games opponents, she says every country has sent qualified athletes, many are familiar rivals she has beaten before, and qualification paths can rotate by venue. Am admits she feels pressure as Thailand's top hope but says she is not overly stressed and uses spirituality in preparation. She competes at 54 kg, usually below max weight, expects to weigh around 53 kg on fight day, and trains with 52–54 kg loads. She targets a gold medal, cites a well-rounded game across Muay Thai and grappling plus team coaching, and names Japan as her main concern because of home crowd support. She has a private vow related to a gold medal but will not reveal it until the medal ceremony, and asks Thai fans to support her and the national MMA team.
Caption
"Am" Kanjanat Patrabunsorn, female MMA athlete in the 54 kg division, is confident in her physical readiness ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Japan, having been in training camp since last March, having won SEA Games, World and Asian championships. For this Asian Games, she has faced opponents before but will not be complacent, aiming to win gold but definitely not underestimating her opponents #กัญจุฑาภัทรบุญซ่อน #MMAไทย #TAMMA #เอเชียนเกมส์ #มวยสยามสยามมวย
Transcript (facebook_whisper)
Kanjanat Patrabunsorn. I compete as an amateur MMA athlete in the 54 kg model category. 54 kg, yes. I need to ask a little about Am's preparation — how is it going? We're in the final stretch now. About 80 to 90 percent there; the other 10 percent will show on fight day — both physically and mentally. The other 10 percent we'll see on competition day. You've been training for a long time — overall, how many months or years? Since March. We've been in camp the whole time and built up fitness to where we are now. Yes. This is another sport that Thai people are quite interested in, especially Am. Am has been through a lot of tough battles — SEA Games, and what else? World champion. And Asian champion too — yes, all 3 titles. For this Asian Games, how do you assess Am's opponents? Every country qualified fully, so they're all top level. Every country sends their strongest fighters; we know each other. Yes, we all know each other, and we've beaten them before. Yes. Some countries we've faced before, some not as much, because qualification paths rotate — like Am qualified at the first venue, so Am got quota there; at the second venue Am wouldn't go. Other countries competing for quota the same way would go as reserve athletes. Many people say Am is the one carrying the pressure — is that true? I'd be lying if I said no pressure. There is pressure, but it's comfortable; I don't feel too stressed, not stressed or pressured to the point where mentally it feels like I must win. It's more of a relaxed feeling. Is mental training involved too? Yes, mental training is part of it. That's a good thing for MMA — it's a combat sport across almost every discipline, so emotional state matters a lot, and competing under pressure affects you greatly. Having mental training helps us prepare mentally for competition situations, so when we face those situations we can adapt more easily. A bit about the division Am will compete in — Am competes in women's 54 kg, yes, 54 kg in this division. How is Am's weight cut and body weight? Am doesn't usually fight at max weight — will probably be about 2 kg lighter, but now trying to maintain and eat a lot of protein so on fight day should be around 53, not over 54. Maybe not max weight but shouldn't be at a disadvantage on weight, and have to perform at a high level. Yes, have to perform at a high level. Many people worry — won't that make you sluggish? Definitely not, because in training we always work with fight weight — there's 52–54, so striking power isn't a problem and movement isn't a problem for sure because we train constantly. Yes. What are Am's expectations for the Asian Games? Of course expecting gold, but MMA — there's decisions, knockouts, anything can happen, but I think going in Am won't be complacent for sure. We'll try to bring gold back to Thailand. What are Am's strengths — where do we have an edge for gold? The three titles before built our confidence — probably completeness of the game. Whether Thai boxing we can handle the game, or every style on the ground, we think ours is well-rounded, plus game-planning from the coaching team — I think that's Am's strength. If we're talking who's strongest in Asia, honestly probably Thailand is the favorite, but to be precise, Japan is the real concern because as host country their crowd support and morale will be very strong. Before traveling, did Am make any vows — like if you win gold, what would you offer? There is, but I'll keep it secret first because we'll find out on medal ceremony day — where to offer what. It's more about setting intention. I thought maybe... never mind, keeping it secret, gone now. A message to Am's fans and Thai brothers and sisters who follow MMA — please cheer for amateur MMA too. Cheer for Am and Sakdsith, and all Thai national team athletes at the Asian Games in Japan, because Am believes everyone will give their best and make you proud. Thank you. Am, good luck.