Danial Williams speaks on ‘challenges’ moving between striking-only disciplines and MMA

While he has successfully transitioned from different disciplines under ONE Championship, Thai-Australian striker Danial Williams admits it's not without its challenges.

“Mini T” returns to fighting under striking-only rules in his scheduled fight this week after spending the entire 2022 competing in mixed martial arts.

Danial Williams is to challenge for the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title against reigning champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the headlining bout at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video on March 24 in Singapore.

In an interview with SCMP MMA, the striker from Perth, Australia, shared that among the things he has to deal with in juggling between striking-only disciplines and MMA is finding his rhythm, especially in the early goings of preparation. But he was quick to say that he likes challenging himself that way.

Danial Williams said:

“Yeah, I mean of course it has its challenges. I was thinking that after the last MMA fight, stepping back into Muay Thai I was feeling a bit rusty, and I thought ‘you know what? I wanna go to Thailand for a little bit’ because I feel a little comfortable there.

“And it took me a couple of weeks to get that rhythm back, you know blocking kicks was the biggest one coming from MMA. And I was just thinking ‘Man am I making this super hard for myself’ but that’s what it’s about. Martial arts is like stepping out of your comfort zone constantly and I stepped off the top level of Muay Thai to do MMA, so I wanna have as many fights as I can and this is the best opportunity for it.”

Watch the interview below:

Williams was initially penciled for a return to Muay Thai at ONE Fight Night 8 against Portuguese Rui Botelho until he was bumped up to the main event against Superlek to replace injured Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Prior to competing in MMA in ONE, “Mini T” debuted in Muay Thai against Rodtang in April 2021.

ONE Fight Night 8 will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. It will be aired live and for free to all North American fans with an active Prime Video subscription.

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“They give us good fights” - Danial Williams hails ONE Championship’s lower weight class divisions

Always out for good competition, “Mini T” Danial Williams feels fortunate to be under ONE Championship as athletes like him fighting in lower weight class divisions are given a lot of opportunities to do their thing.

The Thai-Australian striker joined the promotion two years ago and has already featured in five matches, four of which taking place in 2022.

It is something that Danial Williams is very thankful for. He told ONE Championship in an interview:

“They put more effort into the promotion. They give us good fights, we’re active. There’s always a strawweight or a flyweight on the card, compared to some other promotions.”

But Williams is not exactly surprised by it, considering the type of competition present in the lower weight classes in ONE and in Asia in general.

Danial Williams is to make his sixth outing in the promotion at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video on March 24 in Singapore, where he will vie for the ONE flyweight kickboxing world title against reigning champion Superlek Kiatmoo9.

Against Superlek, “Mini T” seeks to fulfill his goal for the year of winning a ONE world title and win more after that.