Danial Williams is laser-focused on beating Rui Botelho

At ONE Fight Night 8 on March 24, Danial Williams will step inside the circle for his first fight of 2023.

‘Mini T’ will be competing under the Muay Thai ruleset in ONE Championship for the first time since his promotional debut when he takes on Portugal’s Rui Botelho.

In 2022, Daniel Williams competed four times in the strawweight MMA division, solidifying himself as a legitimate contender in multiple sports by producing a three-fight win streak.

The Aussie fighter has always made it clear that he dreams of becoming a multi-sport world champion. To further that journey, he needed to prove himself as a contender in MMA. After four outings in the sport last year, it is now time for him to return to his striking roots.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Danial Williams said that while he has bigger goals to accomplish in the future, he is fully focused on getting his hand raised on March 24:

“Focus is the key word out there. So staying focused on him and working on the skills as much as I can and all the things I needed to work on, I'm doing that every day. So far, it's probably been one of my longest camps. I'm getting ready for a striking match.”

---

Danial Williams recalls how he started training Muay Thai as a teenager in Thailand

After making his name in ONE Championship with his Muay Thai debut, Danial Williams will return to the striking ruleset for his next fight on March 24.

At ONE Fight Night 8 in Singapore, ‘Mini T’ will take on Rui Botelho. Ahead of his upcoming Muay Thai contest, Danial Williams has been looking back at how he got started in the martial art in the first place.

In an interview with ONE Championship, he said:

“First of all, I came [to Thailand] about 13 years ago. I was only 17. I [had] just finished high school, and I always wanted to do a bit of training in Thailand. My Muay Thai was really ramping up. I had my first fight when I was 15. And then when I finished high school, I really ramped it up around my studies.”

Williams then revealed that convenience was a big factor in finding his martial arts home:

“Northern Thailand, my mum's from the north. I was born in the north of Thailand before I went to Australia when I was one year old. Because my dad's Australian. I wanted to pick a gym in the north, just so it's close to family, if I ever needed to visit them on my mom's side. And Chiang Mai is about three hours from where my entire family lives, in Chiang Rai.”

He added:

“So when I was looking on Google, picking gyms, there were a few gyms, and Santai just seemed more appealing online. I hit them up, and I only just started as well. It had only been a few months since they started their gym. It was the best decision I ever made, because I came here, and then I really loved it, absolutely loved it, and then I ended up getting offered a sponsorship to come back. Over the three years, I just came back quite regularly, around my studies. And that's how it all began.”

Like many of the top Muay Thai strikers in the world, Danial Williams was able to become an accomplished competitor in the sport thanks to competing on a regular basis.

Danial Williams said:

“This is where I developed my Muay Thai skills, because I could regularly fight when I was here. I feel like fighting is the best place to learn. So, yeah, that's how it all came to fruition.”

ONE Fight Night 8 will be live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 24. The entire event will also air live and for free via Prime Video for North American viewers.