The reason why Muay Thai icon Sam-A Gaiyanghadao continues to fill up the seats is because he's an absolute wonder to watch.
The 40-year-old warrior has seen many battles over his long career in kickboxing and Muay Thai, and yet, he's still active, competing amongst the most dangerous up-and-coming stars in ONE Championship.
By now, we can all agree that Sam-A brings an intensity into the arena like no other. His performances are as thrilling as they are exciting, just like his complete demolition of Irish kickboxer Ryan Sheehan at ONE Friday Fights 9.
The Irishman got the wind knocked out of him in the second round of their strawweight Muay Thai bout on March 17, 2023.
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Watch the free full fight below:
Sam-A returns in full throttle once again on September 27 at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand.
He is booked to face French-Algerian powerhouse Akram Hamidi in another strawweight Muay Thai showdown at ONE Friday Fights 81, which will be spearheaded by a featherweight Muay Thai barnburner between Superbon and second-ranked contender 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut.
ONE Friday Fights 81 will air live in Asian primetime via watch.onefc.com.
Watch Sam-A unleash the power behind his kicks as he prepares to take on Akram Hamidi in Bangkok
Sam-A was last seen launching missiles ahead of his Muay Thai war against Akram Hamidi this week.
The former ONE strawweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion looks like he hasn't aged a bit in a new clip ONE Championship shared on Instagram below:
Sam-A has achieved nearly every accolade in the sport, which was made possible only because of his dedication to his craft. As you saw from the clip above, he's still very sharp and agile for his age - a rarity in the combat sports world since athletes tend to slow down after their prime. But not Sam-A. He's ready to give his next rival a run for his money this Friday.