Mexico’s Laura Burgos won the WMC World Championship in the Super Bantamweight 55.35 kg division in Greece, after defeating Thailand’s Janchira Parunai in a world title bout. The victory once again placed the belt of the World Muaythai Council -WMC-, an organisation under Royal Patronage, among the major references in professional Muaythai.
The contest brought together two athletes with strong international records. Burgos arrived with several IFMA World Championships titles, a gold medal at The World Games, the WMC Pan American Championship, a medal at the World Combat Games and recognition as a finalist for the World Games Athlete of the Year Award. Opposite her was Parunai, champion of Thailand and a member of the Thai national team, who moved up in weight to challenge for one of the most important titles on the professional circuit.
A champion with international pedigree
The evening began with the traditional Wai Kru, accompanied by a live Pi Muay orchestra from Thailand, in a ceremony that underlined the cultural dimension of Muaythai. Before the fight, respect, humility, honour and gratitude took centre stage as part of a tradition the sport preserves on its major international stages. In the ring, the unanimous decision confirmed Laura Burgos’ victory and made her the new WMC world champion.
Burgos’ title also strengthened the place of women’s Muaythai at the international elite level. For more than three decades, IFMA and the WMC have defended the vision of One World, One Muaythai, an idea that has accompanied the sport’s growth through equality, inclusion and opportunity. Within that framework, women have competed on the biggest stages under the same rules, with the same respect and with recognition equivalent to their male counterparts. The event also brought together international figures such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Mike Zambidis and Dauren Kurugliev, alongside representatives of the international sporting community, in an evening that combined high performance, tradition and global growth.
Greece and the international growth of Muaythai
Ioannis Papadopoulos described the event as another important step for the sport and highlighted Greece’s growing reputation as a host of major international Muaythai competitions. He also underlined the development of the discipline, its commitment to equality and inclusion, and the country’s readiness to stage new international championships in the coming years.
Dr. Sakchye Tapsuwan congratulated Burgos on her victory and praised both athletes for showing Muaythai at the highest level, with excellence, respect, friendship and fair play. Stephan Fox presented Burgos with the WMC World Championship belt, recognising a performance that placed both competitors at the level of the title’s prestige.
Malaysia 2026 and IFMA’s global dimension
The international context of Muaythai was also reinforced by the finals of the IFMA Senior World Championships Malaysia 2026. The competition brought together athletes from every continent and showed the sport’s growing universality, with representatives from all five regions among the top 20 nations and 48 National Federations returning home with medals. Broadcast coverage through Olympic Channel also expanded the global visibility of the championships.
Malaysia 2026 was also the first official IFMA World Ranking event of 2026, with qualification points available on the road to the World Combat Games 2027. The competition featured Team Russia under its national flag and colours, alongside leading Muaythai nations such as Ukraine, Türkiye, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Iran, Australia and Malaysia. IFMA, recognised by the International Olympic Committee -IOC-, presented the championships as another milestone on Muaythai’s Olympic journey and in the consolidation of a sport built on integrity, equality, cultural heritage and respect.
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