Chinese star Wei Rui says Thai legend Buakaw’s “influence in society” played a role in his decision to switch to kickboxing from Sanda

Wei Rui often felt that superstar athletes have a certain pull on society, and one fighter whom he saw to have such influence was Buakaw Banchamek.

The Thai icon is often regarded as one of the greatest Muay Thai strikers of all time, and he is also an influential figure in the overall public sphere in Thailand.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Wei said there was never a fighter on whom he molded his kickboxing style.

Yet, Buakaw's influence over the public was one of the reasons why Wei decided to leave his native discipline of Sanda and move to kickboxing.

"Some early kickboxing stars like Buakaw Banchamek and so on, their influence in society gave me a lot of yearning for kickboxing," said Wei Rui.

Buakaw started his career in Muay Thai but eventually transitioned to kickboxing when he began fighting overseas.

The now 38-year-old captured world titles across multiple organizations including WBC Muay Thai, WMC, Kunlun, Omnoi, Wu Lin Feng, and K-1.

As fate would have it, Wei won one of his Wu Lin Feng titles in the same year Buakaw did in 2015.

Wei is also the first Chinese fighter to win a K-1 championship, pushing his influence over his fellow athletes in his home nation to a tremendous level.

The Chinese star now has a chance to reach greater notoriety when he makes his ONE Championship debut this Friday.

Wei will face former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion Hiroki Akimoto at ONE Fight Night 22 at the hallowed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

ONE Fight Night 22 is available live and free to all Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada.

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Wei Rui not ruling out move to Muay Thai in ONE Championship

Wei Rui has yet to make his ONE Championship debut, but he's already looking for potential moves he could make within the organization.

It's not uncommon for Muay Thai artists and kickboxers in ONE Championship to crossover between disciplines, and Wei isn't ruling out the possibility that he could one day sport the four-ounce gloves.

Wei said he's focused solely on his impending kickboxing run in ONE Championship, but a move to Muay Thai is a plausible career move.

"I want to stay focused on the current fight now. If it's a perfect fight, I will consider Muay Thai later," said Wei.