Muay Thai: "Dude was doing capoeira" - Fans stunned by IShowSpeed's "freakish athleticism" during spar with top fighter in a Muay Thai gym in Bangkok

Darren Watkins Jr. — a stream commonly known as 'IShowSpeed' — has continuously increased his presence in combat sports media. Watkins furthered his impact on Sept. 9 with a live stream in Thailand, during which he ventured into a Muay Thai gym to spar with local fighters.

Clips of Watkins' stream made its way to X, where MMA fans were entertained by his sparring footage. The influencer requested to spar with the "top fighter" of the team despite having no previous experience.

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Fans loved the video from Watkins, with some even being impressed with his raw striking skills. The unnamed Thai fighter he worked with clearly took their session lightly but some fans still felt that Watkins "cooked" him.

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One fan commented:

"Speed highk3y cooked bro. Dude was doing capoeira."

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Other fans, however, noticed the lackadaisical effort of the Thai fighter, believing that he allowed Watkins to look better for the video.

Other fans commented:

"He's a freakish athlete and I love his enthusiasm, but if they wanted to send him out on a stretcher, they could have"

"It's low-key crazy how good of an athlete this kid is"

"People in the comment section don't realize that the Muay Thai fighter can literally break Speed's orbital bones with a single elbow if he wanted to"

View more fan reactions to IShowSpeed sparring with a Muay Thai fighter in Thailand below:

Fans react to IShowSpeed training at a Muay Thai gym in Thailand. [via @dovysimumma on X]

Watch the full video from IShowSpeed on YouTube below:

Is IShowSpeed a fighter?

As one of the most popular streamers in 2024, IShowSpeed is recognized by most MMA fans. However, while he occasionally posts fight-related content, he has no formal combat training experience.

Although he has no high-level athletic experience, fans often recognize Watkins for his natural athleticism. Beyond fighting, he has also posted videos on soccer and American football content, showing his athleticism in that realm as well.

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Watkins also frequently shows off his natural speed in foot races, hence his streaming name. The 19-year-old recently accepted a lucrative bet with Jake Paul for a $25,000 foot race.

About the author

Jaren covers MMA and boxing for Sportskeeda. He has a total experience of over a year and also writes for FanSided MMA and BetSided.

Jaren is a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Media with high distinction from Butler University in 2023 and chose a field that interests him the most to begin his professional journey. He has over four years of experience practicing boxing and kickboxing and is also a two-stripe Brazilian jiu-jitsu white belt.

His all-time top-five list of MMA fighters includes Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and Amanda Nunes.

Jaren's first memory of becoming a fan of the sport dates back to the UFC 195 event in January 2016, which was headlined by the Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit title fight. While compiling pieces, he focuses on quality and fact-checking by going through multiple credible sources, such as UFC, Sherdog, and ESPN.

His other interests include training in jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, and watching basketball and American football.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard