More than extending his current win streak to two, Sam-A Gaiyanghadao's victory against Zhang Peimian has allowed him to reclaim his confidence to continue fighting at the highest level.
Additionally, Sam-A validated that he can still be at the peak of his physical form. He shared this during his interview with the promotion by saying:
"Winning the last fight gave me more confidence in myself and my physical condition. And it gave me the motivation to fight in the next fight."
The former ONE strawweight kickboxing and Muay Thai world champion and former ONE flyweight Muay Thai king is scheduled to face Jonathan Di Bella on March 23 at ONE 172 for the ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world title in front of the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
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Aside from winning another world title, Sam-A also aims to collect his 10th victory under the world's largest martial arts organization since his debut in January 2018.
Sam-A wants to correct his mistakes during first reign as ONE strawweight kickboxing king
The 41-year-old Thai icon was forced to relinquish his world title before due to several factors including weight cutting and personal problems, which is why he is eager to correct all of it with a win over Di Bella on March 23 at ONE 172.
Sam-A says that he has been thinking about regaining the championship he once held and making up for vacating it before, as he explained during a recent interview:
"I've been thinking about [the World Title] all along. Because back when I vacated the title, it was because of my body. I had problems losing weight and some personal problems."
Fans can purchase the ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang PPV card via watch.onefc.com. The event will take place at Saitama Super Arena in Japan on March 23.