ONE 169 results: Sam-A Gaiyanghadao vs Zhang Peimian

It was a battle of legend vs. future at ONE 169 on Friday night when Thai icon Sam-A Gaiyanghadao squared off with ‘Fighting Rooster’ Zhang Peimian in an exciting strawweight kickboxing scrap inside the legendary Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

Round 1: Zhang gets things started with a high kick and Sam-A offers one right back. The Chinese fighter pops Sam-A with a nice right hand and follows it up with another one. Both fighters exchange kicks and Sam-A lands with a nice straight left. Zhang lands a left hook and rips to the body before going back to the lead leg attack.

Zhang keeps the frantic pace coming with 60 seconds left in the round, but Sam-A lands another straight left that backs up 'Fighting Rooster' momentarily. Zhang comes right back and Sam-A throws a knee up the middle that partially lands. Sam-A then connects with a left just before the round ends.

Round 2: Zhang comes out and immediately goes for the Thai legend, attacking the body and keeping the pressure on. Sam-A goes back to the knee, but can’t get much on it as Zhang continues to keep his back against the ropes. Sam-A lands a left that momentarily stops Peimian in his tracks, but the ‘Fighting Rooster’ refuses to let up.

Zhang goes back to the body again and Sam-A is slowing down significantly. The 21-year-old throws a combination to the body and Sam-A attempts to respond with a head kick that fails to get through the guard of Zhang. Sam-A lands a body kick and circles away, getting his back off the ropes. Sam-A lands a left with mere seconds left in the round and Zhang appears to have a busted nose as he walks back to his corner.

Round 3: Zhang picks up right where he left off and Sam-A immediately tries to make him pay with a barrage of stiff calf kicks. Sam-A switches it up and throws a kick to the head. Zhang keeps the volume up, but Sam-A appears to be landing the more impactful strikes, tagging his foe in close and using his already bloody nose as a target.

Sam-A unleashed another knee up the middle and Zhang gets tripped up during the exchange. Sam-A lands a nice one-two combination punctuated by a straight left that pops Peimian’s head back.Zhang eats a stiff right as he closes in. That prompts him to back off and let the final seconds tick off the clock.

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ONE 169 - Sam A-Gaiyanghadao vs. Zhang Peimian Official Result

After three rounds of intense back-and-forth action, it was the 41-year-old Thai fan favorite who would see his hand raised, scoring a unanimous decision victory over the up-and-coming Chinese star.

The victory moved Sam-A to 2-0 in kickboxing bouts under the ONE Championship banner and earned him his 375th career victory. As for what he wants next, Sam-A has his eyes on the ONE strawweight kickboxing world championship. With a performance like that against a fighter 20 years his younger, we’d say the former ONE world champion has more than earned that opportunity.

Official Result: Zhang Peimian defeated Sam-A via (kickboxing - strawweight)