Panpayak reveals major weakness he discovered in comeback: "I didn't have strength"

Many ONE Championship fans were elated to have witnessed Panpayak Jitmuangnon's win over Silviu Vitez this past October in his long-awaited return to the circle. However, he knew something was off about his game.

Ahead of his Muay Thai bout with Egor Bikrev at ONE Friday Fights 92 on Friday, Dec. 20, 'The Angel Warrior' was asked during the virtual press conference what he worked on after his stunning return.

The ONE flyweight MMA star responded:

"I went back for weight training because I missed weight last time around. During the third round, I didn't have strength or power to fight back. For the rankings, I think within three fights, I will be better, and I will be in the rankings."

Watch the press conference replay below:

Panpayak's assessment of his performance against Vitez lines up with what fans observed, especially with how he appeared to have run out of gas in the second and third rounds.

The Jitmuangnon Gym star cannot afford to have such difficulties against Bikrev because of his dynamite-like hands, which propelled him to a TKO win in his promotional debut in November.

ONE Friday Fights 92 will occur inside the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The event will be available live on Asian primetime via pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.

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Panpayak reveals why he went away for a while

Highly revered by his fans and peers alike for his highly technical striking, Panpayak decided to take a break from being an active competitor to focus on his family.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the 28-year-old said:

"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 here: