No. 5: Suan Paredes
Discipline: Muay Thai and… Capoeira?
Strengths: Athleticism, confidence, length
Analysis: Sagat from “Street Fighter” uppercut aside, Suan Paredes makes it this high on the list for both his style on film and fighting experience in real life.
A childhood friend of Van Damme, Morrocan-born actor Michel Qissi (famously known for his role as Tong Po in “Kickboxer”) actually trained and fought muay Thai in Thailand.
Although the writing and production of this movie appear to introduce Paredes as some type of capoeira fighter, Qissi smartly flows the movements as he mixes in a more traditional sect of muay Thai to his style. He attacks well to both the body and legs, as I could see his athleticism and length giving some modern-day fighters surprising problems, depending on the style.
Muay Thai, of course, is one of the best striking styles to deal with grapplers on paper, as grappling is not-so-quietly layered into the fighting format if you’re training proper muay Thai. For that reason, Paredes cracks the top five of this list.