Petchtanong on how he overcame his stress competing Muay Thai: "Go out there and have some fun"

Striking icon Petchtanong Petchfergus revealed how he overcame high levels of stress and anxiety before competing in Muay Thai fights. The former ONE bantamweight kickboxing world champion didn't have all the secrets to the trade in spite of his long and successful career as a Muay Thai artist.

There are tonnes of hurdles to overcome when you're competing at the highest level of this sport. With that, comes the anxiety and stress to meet expectations. Petchtanong recently revealed to ONE Championship how he deals with these little debilitating emotions — that if allowed into the mind, can seriously impact your performance. He said:

"In the past, [Muay Thai] was very stressful to me. But as I gained more experience, I told myself that fighting really doesn't have to be stressful or pressure. Just go out there and have some fun and do your job to the fullest."

Petchtanong certainly looks like a more confident striker after being out-of-competition last year. But the only thing that will make him feel like he's a lot closer to reclaiming his throne, is another resounding victory over surging superstar Nabil Anane at ONE Fight Night 26.

ONE Fight Night 26 airs live from the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, via Prime Video in North America.

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"Learn from my mistakes" - Petchtanong explains how his suspension from competition was the toughest thing he had to overcome

Petchtanong has definitely learned the tough lessons that come from taking Muay Thai too seriously. Back in June 2023, the 39 year-old veteran failed a drug test and was suspended for a whole year. As a result, he was stripped of his newly-attained world title, which he won in November 2022 against Japanese sensation Hiroki Akimoto.

The time away from action made an impact in Petchtanong's life since all he knows is Muay Thai. That said, it was an opportunity for him to grow and evolve. Explaining how regretful he felt after being suspended, he told ONE:

"I tried hard to come back as soon as possible. I tried to review and learn from my mistakes until I could stand again."