“I wanted to take a break” - Thai star Panpayak felt he needed to take some rest during his sabbatical from competition

Fighting takes a lot out of a person, even if he's a multi-time world champion like Panpayak Jitmuangnon.

The Thai superstar revealed in an interview with ONE Championship that he decided to take a sabbatical following years of punishment from the competitive Muay Thai circuit.

Panpayak said he felt burned out after realizing the toll his body went through. Nevertheless, he decided to return after he became a father to a baby girl.

'Angel Warrior' will face Silviu Vitez in a flyweight Muay Thai match at ONE Friday Fights 83 on Oct. 18 at the historic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

Ahead of his return, Panpayak said:

"The main reason I decided to stop fighting was because I felt burned out and had no motivation anymore. I felt that I had been using my body for a long time, so I wanted to take a break and do something else.”

Panpayak is one of the best Muay Thai fighters of his generation, with multiple world titles under the famed Lumpinee and Rajadamnern Stadiums.

The 28-year-old captured the Rajadamnern mini flyweight and light flyweight world titles in 2012 and 2013, respectively, before holding gold for Lumpinee Stadium.

The next two years saw Panpayak collect the Lumpinee Stadium bantamweight and featherweight world titles on multiple occasions.

Panpayak would arrive in ONE Championship in 2018 where he's since racked up four wins.

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Panpayak says he's ready to unleash all of his pent-up energy in his return

Panpayak may have taken a sabbatical for almost two years, but never turned his focus away from Muay Thai.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Panpayak said he was helping his mother take care of her work and his business venture during his break.

This kept him from competing, but that desire to return to the ring grew stronger by the passing day.

Panpayak said he's ready to unleash his brand of Muay Thai violence once he touches gloves with Silviu Vitez:

"We're gonna give you 100% on the training and on the fight, but I think I can come back to how I normally am. It doesn't matter if it's one fight, two fights, three fights, but we're gonna give 100% to all the fights we're going to take and we're going to give the best we can to take the win."

Watch Panpayak's interview below: