Lerdsila Expresses His Personality Through His Legendary Muay Thai Style

This Friday, 16 August at ONE: DREAMS OF GOLD, Lerdsila Phuket Top Team will bring one of the most unconventional and exciting styles of Muay Thai back to the global stage.

The icon of “the art of eight limbs” will compete in his homeland for the first time since 2014 in a ONE Super Series flyweight clash with Savvas “The Baby Face Killer” Michael, and he is sure to put on a show for the fans in Bangkok, Thailand.

Lerdsila may be 18 years older than his Cypriot rival, but he still has the speed, agility, and creativity to confuse, break down, and defeat the best in the world – including his opponent at the Impact Arena.

Over the past 30 years, his slippery evasiveness, combined with super-fast, high-flying striking earned the man from Issan the nicknames “Mr. Lightning” and “The Eel On Rollerskates.”

More importantly, his attributes gave him the ability to outscore and outwit some of the best and most dangerous opponents, win eight World Championships, and become a martial arts legend.

Lerdsila‘s approach in the ring comes naturally to him as an extension of his cheeky and vivacious personality.

“My style is like a technical muay femur style mixed with an element of sneakiness. I like to bother my opponents and break their concentration,” he says.

“My personality is like that too, I like to play and have fun.”

The Chaiyaphum native’s signature technique is as frustrating for his opponents as it is electrifying for the fans to see. When kicks fly at his body or head, he has the near-supernatural ability to lean back almost parallel to the canvas to slip the strike, and then pop up to return fire with his own blows.

However, the humble Muay Thai master never regarded that skill as anything particularly out of the ordinary.

“No matter who was kicking, I would always see it coming and just lean back,” the 38-year-old explains.

“It was automatic for me. It made me famous, but I never really thought about it, it just came out naturally.”

After making a name for himself in his home region, Lerdsila was scouted by the famous Jocky Gym in Bangkok.

It was there that his style was honed to near perfection, but not just through strict instruction. The athletes there – including his idols, Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion Silapathai Jocky Gym, and Olympic boxing gold medalist Somrak Kamsing – were encouraged to go with the flow.

“Most of the fighters at Jocky Gym had similar styles. We were fast, sneaky and complex,” he explains.

“We sparred a lot there, and it was always a lot of fun. We were never too serious in training, and the gym owner was always very kind.

“Sparring with the older, more accomplished fighters at the gym made me better. I looked up to them a lot and learned so much from them.”

As a young prodigy of these all-time greats, Lerdsila took his talents to the Thai capital and his career soared to new heights.

The Thai media gave him his memorable monikers as he danced around his rivals and racked up the wins, while the stadiums filled with fans that were keen to get a glimpse of him in action.

His approach to competition has also helped him to stay strong and in peak condition to this day – despite now being 225 bouts and three decades into his career.

While some of his peers’ bodies are broken down after a lifetime of battle, Lerdsila moves like a man half his age, and he is still young at heart. That has made for energetic performances that have taken him to a perfect 3-0 record in The Home Of Martial Arts so far.

“My style is good for longevity. I didn’t take a lot of hard shots during my career, and am still feeling really good,” he says.

Although Lerdsila is one of the most exciting and entertaining performers out there, he insists that there is nothing special about the way he developed his style.

Though not everyone can imitate it, he says anyone can find success by working hard to perfect what they are good at.

“You’ve got to do what you are best at in the ring. This was just what I was good at – it came naturally to me,” he says.

“Everyone will have their own talents. You need to follow your natural aptitude. If you’ve got really hard, heavy punches, then you need to focus on that. If you are fast and nimble, then use that to your advantage.”