The MTGB British Championships provide athletes the opportunity to compete under fully sanctioned Amateur rules. The annual tournament crowns Senior and Junior champions in novice and British categories and is part of the Team England selection process for Worldwide WBC events.
Full details of how to enter and what to expect can be found below..
SECTION 1. PROCESS:
Clubs can enter athlete’s into either Novice or British categories (you can find details below in Section 4).
SECTION 2. LOCATION, DATE, TIMES
The next event will take place on Saturday, 3rd October 2026, at North Solihull Sports Centre, B37 5LA.
Weigh-ins and registration: 9am-10am (Passport must be shown at registration). If you miss the official weigh in window you will NOT be permitted to enter, this is to ensure the smooth running of the event and avoid having to re-organise confirmed categories allowing for a prompt start.
First bout: Midday.
SECTION 3. DESIGNATED TEAM COACH
Each club must have a designated team coach. This is a single person within your club who takes responsibility for all fighters.
The designated team coach responsibilities are:
Ensuring all athletes are suitable to enter the experience category they have selected.
Ensuring all applicants are entering at a suitable fight weight, which does not involve cutting dangerous amounts of weight over a short period.
Regular, prompt communication with MTGB in the lead up to the event, on behalf of their fighters.
SECTION 4. ENTRY CRITERIA
The following criteria must be met for a fighter to participate in either tournament:
Novice Championship Tournaments:
Minimum experience:
Entrants must be of a competent level to compete in a full contact bout, as judged by their designated coach.
Maximum experience:
Entrants may not have had more than three calendar years’ experience in Muay Thai.
All Entrants may not of had more than five competitive Muay Thai bouts, this specifically means individual bouts, If an athlete enters a one day tournament and has three bouts, that would count as three bouts.
British Championship Tournament:
Minimum experience:
Entrants must be of a competent level to compete in a full contact bout, as judged by their designated team coach. They do not necessarily need to have had a Muay Thai fight, although this is usually recommended.
Maximum experience:
There is no maximum experience criteria
SECTION 5. HOW TO ENTER
Fighters will register via Kihapp – a maximum of 8 fighters may enter each weight category in each tournament. (This will result in a maximum of 3 fights in a single day to win the tournament) – See appendix A for guidance on weight categories.
To avoid two fighters from the same club facing each other in the tournament, each club may only enter ONE fighter per weight category per tournament.
In the event that there are more than 8 entrants for the same weight category/tournament, entrants will be selected on a FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS (i.e., the first 8 entrants to register via the Kihapp).
In the event a fighter does not register in time (i.e. 8 fighters register before them for a given category), they are advised to keep training and submit their details directly in case of a drop out.
The fee for registration is £30 per fighter.
Additionally, all participating gyms must be members of MTGB. By joining MTGB all clubs agree to follow the rules and regulations of the organisation, particular attention should be paid to the athlete and coaches code of conduct – please refer to the following resources for more information:
SECTION 7. THE TOURNAMENT:
I. Format:
The championships will be divided into two knockout tournaments. Athletes will be designated to ONE based on their level of experience and proficiency (Novice or British). Athletes are then separated by age, gender and weight (see appendix A.) For each of the two tournaments, the winner of each weight category will attain the gold medal and be designated the title of either “British Champion” or “Novice Champion” accordingly.
1) British Open Tournament – (Intermediate/Experienced)
2) Novice Open Tournament – (Beginner)
All decision fights will be professionally refereed and judged by MTGB officials. A final rules meeting will take place on the day of the event.
A total of 2 cornermen/women may be present in an athlete’s corner during any single bout.
For a full list of rules and regulations as dictated by MTGB see Appendix B.
II. Experience Categories:
British Open Tournament
Format: Knockout tournament (maximum 3 fights in a single day)
Rules: Full contact fight, with decision. (See Appendix B for full ruleset)
Protective gear provided by MTGB unless stated:
Shin pads
Body Shield (All fighters under 16yrs)
Elbow Pads (All fighters over 15yrs)
Head Guard
Gloves 8oz (All fighters over 15yrs wear 10oz)
Groin protector (Not provided)
Gum shield (Not provided)
Female athletes may wear a breast protector (Not provided)
Round Times: See Appendix C.
Entry fee: £30 via Kihapp
Prize: Gold, silver, bronze medal.
Restricted Strikes: See appendix D.
Novice Open Tournament
Format: Knockout tournament (Maximum 3 fights in a single day) Rules: Full contact fight, with decision. (See Appendix B for full ruleset)
Protective gear Provided by MTGB unless stated:
Shin pads
Body Shield
Elbow Pads (All fighters over 15yrs)
Head Guard
Gloves 8oz (All fighters over 15yrs wear 10oz)
Groin protector (Not provided)
Gum shield (Not provided)
Female athletes may wear a breast protector (Not provided)
Round Times: See Appendix C.
Entry fee: £30 via Kihapp
Prize: Gold, silver, bronze medal.
Restricted Strikes: See appendix D.
III. Weigh ins:
ALL Weigh ins will take place on the morning of the tournament. There will be no weight allowance/tolerance - participants must weigh in strictly at or under the maximum weight of their category.
In the event that a fighter misses weight, they will be given the full weigh in window to re-weigh under the specified weight. If the fighter misses weight again, they will be disqualified.
Appendix A: Guidance on Weight categories
Appendix B: Rules
For the comprehensive, official MTGB amateur ruleset, please refer to:
MuayThai GB - Amateur Muay Thai Rules
Appendix C: Round Times
Appendix D: Restricted strikes
