Namkabuan Nongkeepahuyuth

Kampiew Sijanteuk (คำเพียว สีจันทึก; 2 February 1973 – 7 April 2021), more popularly known by the ring name of Namkabuan Nongkeepahuyuth (นำขบวน หนองกี่พาหุยุทธ), was a Muay Thai fighter from Thailand.

He was the younger brother of elite Muay Khao fighter Namphon Nongkeepahuyuth.

Namkabuan was a fighter who exhibited functional Muay boran techniques in his evasive Muay Femur style, a combination of which made him famous in Thailand.

He was the undisputed Lumpinee featherweight title (130 lbs) for 6 years until the Lumpinee officials forced him to relinquish the title after he ran out of challengers.

Kampiew Sijantuek (nicknamed Piew) was born in the Nong Ki district of Buriram province on February 4, 1973.

He was the youngest of his 7 siblings which included famous Muay Khao fighter (knee fighter) Namphon Nongkeepahuyuth.

At first, Sijantuek would watch Namphon train at the Nongkeepahuyuth gym which was famed for producing fighters that excelled in knee striking as well as using Muay boran techniques in real fight situations.

He was disinterested in training Muay Thai himself after seeing Namphon's demanding Muay Khao training regimen.

Namphon later pushed him to participate in a Muay Thai fight despite the fact that Sijantuek did not have formal training, resulting in a draw and an 80 baht purse straight from the audience.

Sijantuek was noted to not give up during fights, prompting Pramot Hoymook, the owner of the famous Nongkeepahuyuth camp, to give him more matchups.

Despite not wanting to fight, he officially joined the Nongkeepahuyuth gym as he was pushed to take on more opponents.

Presumably around this time, would assume the ring name of Namkabuan Nongkeepahuyuth.

Namphon would become a popular fighter in the Isaan region and eventually ran out of opponents, prompting him to begin fighting in Bangkok.

Namkabuan was still fighting in his local area until he ran out of opponents as well.

He started fighting in different regions until he won the paperweight (95 lbs) championship in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

At 13-years-old he would start fighting in Bangkok himself but lost the first 3 fights as he was not skilled enough.

Under the advice of the Onesongchai promotion, Pramot Hoymook sent Namkabuan to the Muangsurin gym to further hone his skills for Lumpinee Stadium matchups.

Namkabuan would quickly improve to be able to handle different situations in the ring and became a well-rounded fighter.

In his second year of fighting in Bangkok, Namkabuan's purse reached 100,000 baht signifying that he was a yodmuay (elite fighter).

Regardless, in the late 1980s Namkabuan would reach the competitive peak of his career but was overshadowed by Namphon's fame.

At this time Namphon was fighting Samart Payakaroon, Jaroenthong Kiatbanchong, Petchdam Lukborai among other famous fighters.

During fights, Namkabuan would showcase his ability to land knees an varying spots on his opponent's bodies as well as using the Taina (ไถนา; lit: "plowing") technique on his opponents.

To perform a plow, Namkabuan would catch and hold his opponent's kicking leg and charged forward, putting the opponent off-balance until his opponent collided with the ropes of the ring.

He would take advantage of his opponent's vulnerable state to throw an unavoidable strike.

Namkabuan, like other fighters from the Nongkeepahuyuth gym, also took advantage of some centuries-old Muay boran techniques and properly used them in stadium Muay Thai, such as various unconventional jumping attacks.

He paired evasive footwork with the head movement of boxers to dodge punches or elbows, something that he used effectively against knockout artists like Jongsanan Fairtex or in his victories against Wangchannoi.

He began his rise to popularity in 1988 after beating Akaradej Sitkhosa for a 100,000 baht side-bet.

In 1989, once he was considered famous in the Kingdom of Thailand, Namkabuan's level of competition would continue to grow as he was matched up against Hippy Singmanee, Kraiwannoi Sit Kru Od, Karuhat Sor.Supawan, etc. In 1990, he was famously knocked out in 33 seconds in his first fight against Wangchannoi Sor.Palangchai via a left hook.

Pramot Hoymook claimed that Wangchannoi told Namkabuan to "take it easy" the day before the fight and that Namkabuan would beat him.

From 1989 and onwards Namkabuan was only matched up against fighters who fought at the competitive ceiling of the flyweight to junior lightweight divisions except for the 2 v 1 fight where he fought 2 heavier French fighters.

In the 1990s, Namkabuan's visually pleasing style combined with his unusual techniques using a wide array of strikes resulted in his nickname of "The Ring Genius" as well as becoming one of the most well-known fighters in Thailand alongside Namphon.

In December 1992, he was the favorite in his matchup against Robert Kaennorasing in Rajadamnern Stadium.

Robert surprised the audiences by controlling Namkabuan's aggression throughout the fight to the point where Robert Felt safe enough to taunt him; both fighters earned the 1992 Fight of the Year award.

They rematched in 1994 and Namkabuan dominated the fight on points.

Oley Kiatoneway and the heavier Sakmongkol Sithchuchok were 2 of the most significant rivals in his career, with Namkabuan having a record of 3 wins and 3 losses against both fighters.

Namkabuan was both praised and criticized for using many clinches to defeat Dokmaipa, Detduang, and Toto from the famous Por.Pongsawang gym.

His 2 fights against Sangtiennoi Sor.Rungrot were praised as the best in his career with Namkabuan beating him in both fights even if Sangtiennoi was fighting at 70 kg at the time.

Namkabuan also fought against Ramon Dekkers twice, losing the first time and winning their second fight in Morocco for the La Nuit des Titans promotion.

In their second bout, Dekkers did not cut weight and came in at 159 lbs while Namkabuan himself was at 137 lbs.

Despite the massive weight disparity, the French judges gave the win to Namkabuan.