Jamal Yusupov weighs in on Tawanchai’s strengths: “He’s very speedy”

ONE world title challenger Jamal Yusupov understands the strengths that Tawanchai PK.Saenchai possesses.

After scoring three impressive victories inside the circle, Yusupov has the opportunity of a lifetime when he meets the newly crowned ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai. The pair will battle in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 7 this Friday night as the promotion returns to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Ahead of their Muay Thai showdown in Bangkok, Jamal Yusopov shared some thoughts on his opponent during a ONE Fight Night 7 pre-event interview:

“He's good. He's stylistically strong. He is very fast on his legs. He's very speedy. So it's going to be a very interesting fight. I'm happy to have it and be challenged.”

Tawanchai displayed all of those skills during his spectacular 2022 run that earned him ONE Championship’s Muay Thai Fighter of the Year honors. Earning impressive victories over Saemapetch Fairtex and Niclas Larsen, the Thai star earned his shot at ONE gold. Meeting Petchmorakot Petchyindee in September, Tawanchai put on the performance of a lifetime, walking out with a unanimous decision and 26.4 pounds of ONE gold wrapped around his waist.

You can catch Tawancha’s first ONE world title defense against Jamal Yusupov this Friday night live on Amazon Prime Video with an active subscription in North America.

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Jamal Yusupov downplays experience advantage against Tawanchai

When Jamal Yusupov steps into the ring with Tawachai on Friday night, he will be 16 years older than the reigning ONE world champion. Despite that, Yusupov does not believe he will have any kind of advantage against Tawanchai when it comes to experience:

“I wouldn't say that he's less experienced. In Thailand, I know that they start fighting from a young age. I started my Thai boxing career when I was 21. So I believe we are more or less equal."

As it turns out, Tawanchai did begin competing at a very young age, as revealed in a video recently released on ONE Championship’s YouTube channel:

“I competed for the first time when I was just seven years old, I won by first-round knockout. It was a three round fight in a bar.”

With that taken into consideration, both fighters will walk into the bout with more than 15 years of experience competing in Muay Thai. With both fighters also sharing similar experiences competing on combat sports’ biggest global stage, it’s safe to assume that neither Jamal Yusupov nor Tawanchai will walk into ONE Fight Night 7 with a significant advantage, making for an even more exciting experience for fans watching around the world.