Danial Williams explains how he started his return to Muay Thai action

Australian striker Danial Williams knew he would compete in Muay Thai again at some point. He found his way back to it rather seamlessly.

'Mini T' spent the whole of 2022 fighting in mixed martial arts and compiled an impressive 3-1 record. He is looking to continue his MMA campaign this year but made it known that he is open to fighting in Muay Thai if the opportunity presents itself.

That chance comes at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video on March 24 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Danial Williams will collide with Portuguese fighter Rui Botelho in a strawweight showdown.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the Scrappy MMA affiliate shared how his return to Muay Thai started and how his brother's wedding in February somehow helped pave the way for it.

Danial Williams said:

“This year, I knew I was going to have some Muay Thai fights again after having all MMA last year… So I was planning to do a little Thai trip because it has been so long and just brush up on my skills. Just to train, eat, sleep. A lot of noise back home sometimes, it's good to be distraction-free.”

He added:

“But my brother is pretty spontaneous. And he just hit me up. He's like, ‘Do you want to come over in February? Because yeah, I'm getting married, basically.’ And then I was like, that's a good time to actually just do that.”

Danial Williams went on to state that while training in Thailand lasted only two weeks since he needed to go back home to sort out some things, he has picked up from it and feels he is steadily getting back to the form he wants to be in.

He said:

“It's just good to be able to get at least two weeks in or just lots of hours spent on technique because starting off Muay Thai … I was so rusty, just sparring with everyone, just the kick, repetition and the blocks. And then now it's just all coming together. And yeah, I feel like I'm improving massively every day.”

His encounter with Rui Botelho will be the first Muay Thai fight 'Mini T' has had in ONE since his bout against reigning ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon in his promotional debut in April 2021.

All ONE Fight Night events are broadcast live and for free in North America via Prime Video.

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Danial Williams is eyeing two ONE Championship world title belts in 2023

Australian striker Danial Williams looks to remain busy in 2023, including laying his hands on two ONE Championship world title belts.

'Mini T' had it packed in 2022 with four mixed martial arts fights. He is now setting his sights on winning gold in Muay Thai and kickboxing to go along with his MMA campaign.

His Muay Thai push gets added steam on March 24 as he battles Portugal's Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video in Singapore.

It will mark Danial Williams’ return to the sport for the first time since his ONE Championship debut in April 2021.

While he has not competed in Muay Thai of late, the Scrappy MMA affiliate always knew he would return to the sport in line with his push to earn multiple world titles.

Rui Botelho, for his part, has been trying hard to find his footing in ONE since debuting in 2018. He hopes to catch a break in his showdown with 'Mini T'.