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Thai superstar Tawanchai PK Saenchai admitted to having a hard time against Jo Nattawut in their first showdown last year. But he said it was an offshoot of the veteran fighter coming in as a late-replacement opponent.
The two collided back in October in a restructured kickboxing showdown after ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion's original opponent Superbon withdrew from their title clash because of injury.
'Smokin Jo' stepped in as a replacement, but with the match played under kickboxing rules instead of Muay Thai.
Tawanchai said the change in opponent and discipline got him off, preventing him from putting up a more formidable performance. However, he still went on to win the contest by unanimous decision.
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He told Sportskeeda MMA in an interview:
"I had no time to change anything. It was too sudden. I was training for Muay Thai but I had to switch to kickboxing. And maybe that's why I wasn't at my best."
It is something he is looking to redeem himself from when he defends his world title against Nattawut at ONE 167 on June 7 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
The contest will mark the third time that the featherweight Muay Thai champion will be defending his belt.
ONE 167 will be available in U.S. primetime to North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Tawanchai says preparation for Nattawut rematch doing well
To help him in coming up with a far better showing in his reengagement with Jo Nattawut at ONE 167 on June 7 in Thailand, Tawanchai PK Saenchai said he and his team are training hard and satisfied with the results.
The 25-year-old PK Saenchai Gym standout will be defending his ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title against 'Smokin Jo', who he faced off with last October in a kickboxing clash and had to go through the wringer against to get the win.
In an interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Tawanchai said training camp for his upcoming title fight has been running smoothly and with the desired results.
He said:
"I don't see any obstacles at all, everything flows with no problem."
The 25-year-old champion successfully defended his world title in his last match in December with a majority decision win over fellow Thai superstar Superbon.
