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As he prepares for his first appearance inside the circle in 2023, Danial Williams has been reflecting on his upbringing in Australia.
‘Mini T’ is now known for being one of the most exciting fighters on ONE Championship’s roster. You’re always going to see a scrap when Williams is on the card, and this will likely be no different when he faces Portugal’s Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video.
However, this wasn’t always the case for Danial Williams. In his younger years, he was a very anxious person, but he believes that this has played a part in turning him into the fighter that he is today.
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In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Williams spoke about his upbringing in greater detail than ever before and how it made him such a tough competitor:
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“Why do we fight? Is it because we’re so uncomfortable with ourselves that we like to endure that pain? I don’t know. It’s like saying my fighting style, especially earlier, was that because I was so uncomfortable with myself that I could get hit? I don’t know. Those thoughts crossed my mind. Maybe it was when I was a little bit uncomfortable myself.”
He added:
“I didn’t love myself enough. That was an outlet for me that, just like, one, punish myself, but two, let that frustration out. Because you would be in your head a lot. And I feel like that’s what happens when you’re shy and nervous and anxious all the time. Like, it’s just a lot of built-up frustration, and you just need that release.”
Danial Williams returns to Muay Thai to face Rui Botelho at ONE Fight Night 8
Throughout 2022, Danial Williams shifted his focus towards becoming a highly-ranked contender in the strawweight MMA division. After going 3-1 in his MMA matches, Williams will be returning to Muay Thai for his first fight of 2023.
It was a very successful year for Williams despite it ending with a loss to Jeremy Miado. The Aussie fighter proved his credibility in the division, setting himself up for big fights in the future. At ONE Fight Night 8 on March 24 in Singapore, ‘Mini T’ will take on Portugal’s Rui Botelho. This upcoming contest will be the first Muay Thai bout Danial Williams has taken place in since his ONE Championship debut.
Back in April 2021, Williams stepped inside the circle for the first time to face ONE flyweight Muay Thai world champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon and the two men put on a classic, announcing Williams to the ONE Championship fans. With goals of competing for world championships in several martial arts disciplines, it was only a matter of time before Danial Williams returned to the sport that he made his name in.
ONE Fight Night 8 is set to be one of the year’s biggest events, literally. Live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium and live and free for North American viewers via a Prime subscription, the heavyweight world championship belts will finally be unified. ONE heavyweight world champion Arjan Bhullar will take on interim world champion Anatoly Malykhin in one of the promotion’s most-anticipated fights, and fans have had to wait a long time to see it.
