Bangkok, Thailand — Chusak Tidjaidee, known throughout the Muaythai world as Chu Jai, successfully defended his Channel 7 Stadium Featherweight Championship this past Sunday, earning a commanding unanimous decision (50–46 on all three scorecards) over Pornsanae S. Phumipat.

For most athletes, winning one of Thailand’s most prestigious stadium belts would define a career. For Chu Jai, it is only one chapter in a journey that reflects Muaythai’s unique sporting structure one in which athletes can pursue the highest individual honours while also representing their country on the world’s biggest sporting stages.

After winning silver at the 2025 IFMA World Championships in Türkiye, Chu Jai returned in 2026 to capture gold at the IFMA Senior World Championships in Malaysia, winning five bouts, three by knockout, and earning IFMA Breakthrough Athlete of the Tournament.

Standing beside him throughout that journey has been Kru Manasak Pinsinchai, a former Rajadamnern Stadium champion, WMC World Champion and 2016 IFMA World Champion, whose experience now guides the next generation from his gym in Chiang Mai. Once an IFMA World Champion himself, Manasak is now passing on not only elite technical knowledge but also the values of respect, discipline and service that lie at the heart of Muaythai’s Olympic movement.

Their partnership embodies the strength of IFMA’s sporting pyramid, a pathway that allows athletes to pursue the sport’s greatest individual championships while proudly representing their country in IOC-recognised international competition.

Through IFMA’s sporting structure, athletes can aspire to compete at the SEA Games, the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, The World Games, the Military World Games, the Military World Muaythai Challenge, IFMA Continental Championships and IFMA World Championships, winning medals not only for themselves but also for their nation.

At the same time, Muaythai’s single-elimination championship pathway offers athletes the opportunity to compete under WMC rules for the sport’s most coveted individual honours. Having captured and now defended the prestigious Channel 7 Stadium Championship, Chu Jai has earned the opportunity to pursue the WMC World Championship Belt widely recognised as the pinnacle of single-elimination Muaythai competition.

Together, the International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) and the World Muaythai Council (WMC) provide a complete athlete pathway unlike any other in combat sports. Athletes can pursue legendary individual titles under WMC rules while also representing their country through IFMA at the highest level of international competition and the IOC-recognised sporting movement.

Dr. Sakchye Tapsuwan, President of IFMA and the Muaythai Association of Thailand, said:

“This is what the true martial arts way looks like. A former IFMA World Champion passing on his knowledge to the next generation, and that generation becoming both a stadium champion and a world champion for Thailand. This is the strength of our sporting pyramid. Through IFMA and WMC, athletes have the opportunity to compete for the sport’s greatest individual championships while proudly wearing their national colours at the world’s leading multi-sport events. Chu Jai and Kru Manasak are a perfect example of how tradition, excellence and opportunity come together to inspire the future of Muaythai.”

Chu Jai’s Thai name—ชูใจ, meaning “to lift the spirit”—has become increasingly fitting. Every victory has lifted not only the hopes of Thai supporters but also demonstrated what is possible for a new generation of Muaythai athletes.

Chu Jai’s successful Channel 7 title defence is about more than retaining a championship belt. It reflects the evolution of modern Muaythai under the unified pathways of IFMA and WMC, where athletes no longer have to choose between individual achievement and representing their nation. Instead, they can pursue both.

From Thailand’s legendary stadium championships and the coveted WMC World Championship Belt, the pinnacle of single-elimination Muaythai competition, to standing atop the podium at IFMA World Championships, the SEA Games, The World Games, the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the Military World Games and other IOC-recognised events, athletes can build a legacy that extends far beyond the ring. They can win championships for themselves while earning medals for their country.

It is a sporting pyramid unlike any other in combat sports, one that preserves Muaythai’s traditions, celebrates excellence at every level, and provides a genuine Olympic pathway for future generations. Chu Jai’s journey is living proof that the highest ambitions in Muaythai no longer end with a championship belt; they continue on the world stage, where individual triumph becomes national pride.