One year after Sopon Najnugul, 28, filmed himself duking it out with another friend in a back alley, Fight Club Thailand is now a 30-man team, organizing large-scale tournaments. The group celebrated its first anniversary on Jun 24 with a huge 20-match punch-out. Like Brad Pitt in the film Fight Club, Sopon organizes the gatherings to help hot-blooded youths release their aggression through fair one-on-one fights. Unlike the film, he promotes safety, as well as a sense of brotherhood and friendship among the fighters. Last year, Fight Club Thailand met huge media attention after the police declared their meet-ups illegal. Here, we talk to Fight Club Thailand’s founder, fighter and cameraman about his experiences with the club.

I can’t be a professional boxer because I have a day job. I’m just like everyone else. We all have jobs. We even had a doctor who wanted to fight—he has a side of his character that loves fighting, but his duty is to be a doctor. We had two doctors actually, a dentist and a cosmetic surgeon. One has fought with us three times already. We also have lots of soldiers and police officers.

I’m a freelance photographer.

I want everyone to stop using weapons. If there’s a dispute then you should talk to find a solution. But if it’s beyond talking, then you have this place to vent your frustration. If you want to stop a dispute, you’ll have to stop yourself, not stop the other person. But we don’t allow for disputing parties to clear their problems inside this ring. All our matches are organized by a raffle. It’s for the communal benefit, not only for people arguing with each other.

I didn’t know how to fight. I just wanted to exercise but I didn’t want to play football or something boring. Only professional boxers are allowed to fight. Ordinary people can’t fight.

I just wanted to get in a scrap. If I didn’t try it then I’d have no idea how much I can take. It’s a good feeling though, like I’m crossing some kind of line in myself. I don’t have to be afraid anymore; I can just put myself into the fight.

It was my latest one. I got knocked out. But it’s OK. I like it. I’m here because I want to get beaten up. I don’t have a quarrel with anyone.

The police visited us because they didn’t know whether we were illegal under the Boxing Act. Now, I still don’t know what will happen because our country has Article 44. If the government wants us to stop, we’ll have to stop.

I don’t want to explain anything to the authorities, or anyone who doesn’t understand us for that matter. But if you’re interested in us, we definitely care about you. The world isn’t a nice place anymore. There’s enough killing all around. Isn’t it time for all that to stop?

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