“Dared to be great” - Ellis Badr Barboza reflects on his failed world title bid against champ-champ Prajanchai in Bangkok

Ellis Badr Barboza won't ever regret flying too close to the sun.

The English slugger fell short in his world championship bid when he challenged Prajanchai PK Saenchai for the ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title in the main event of ONE Fight Night 28 this past weekend.

Barboza lost via fourth-round technical knockout when the cut above his left eye was deemed too deep to be quickly patched up, and the ringside physician had no choice but to call a stop to the contest.

Barboza took to Instagram and said he has no excuses for his defeat and that the only thing left to do is improve as a fighter.

Ellis Badr Barboza posted:

"Dared to be great. 🦁. Alhamdulillah in victory, Alhamdulillah in defeat. Didn't go my way yesterday. Had some setbacks in the last 10 days of camp, but that's part of life. No excuses, just lessons. Thank you to everyone for the support, always."

Barboza tried to press the action when he squared off against Prajanchai in the card's headliner, but the Thai superstar operated on a different level that befitted Lumpinee Stadium's hallowed mystique.

Prajanchai, who also holds the ONE strawweight kickboxing world title, utilized his boxing to break through Barboza's guard and he had 'El Jefe' second-guessing for much of the fight.

The fourth round ultimately became Prajanchai's defining moment of the fight when his reaper of an elbow sliced Barboza's left eyelid which stopped the fight in the penultimate round.

Prime Video subscribers in the United States and Canada can watch ONE Fight Night 28 replays on-demand for free.

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Prajanchai has all the respect for Ellis Badr Barboza's game

He may have lost the battle, but Ellis Badr Barboza still earned Prajanchai's respect.

Prajanchai had nothing but respect for how Barboza squared up against him during their world title showdown in Bangkok.

In the post-event press conference for ONE Fight Night 28, Prajanchai said:

"I think he did quite well today, because he is a skilled fighter, and his defensive mechanism is also quite good."

Watch Prajanchai's entire post-fight interview below: