ONE Championship fans are welcoming back flyweight Muay Thai and kickboxing megastar Panpayak Jitmuangnon with open arms after his two-year layoff. In a video shared by ONE on Instagram, 'The Angel Warrior' gave fans a look at his progress in training camp:
Fans wrote in the comments section:
"The only one that can stop Superlek."
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"Would love to see him vs Haggerty or Rodtang. Haggerty and Rodtang need another match up, lol."
"I don't get who in their right minds would agree to fight Panpayak. He is the most gifted technical fighter of this generation. (Ajarn Wat own words regarding Panpayak's skill level in his victory over Michael Savvas). Not only his power, but he is a incredibly smart fighter. This gonna be interesting."
"The world needs more Panpayak! Glad he's coming back 👏"
"Bro please. The kick sounds already scares me."
Panpayak's last fight in ONE before his time away was in Dec. 2022 at ONE 164. In that fight, he pushed recently crowned double-champ Superlek Kiatmoo9 to his limits, but 'The Kicking Machine' ultimately eked out a split-decision victory.
The 28-year-old will return to the circle at ONE Friday Fights 83 on Oct. 18 inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, against Silviu Vitez.
Panpayak sheds light on why he took time off from fighting
Lauded as one of the most technical strikers of his generation, Panpayak took a break from fighting to spend time with his family.
Speaking with the South China Morning Post, the Jitmuangnon Gym star shared:
"I was at home, working with my family, helping my mom with some work. But I always missed Muay Thai and wanted to come back for a long time. I'm back now. I have a little daughter now, so I want to fight again to take care of her well.
Watch the entire interview below:
ONE Friday Fights 83 is available live on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.