"Ready for the call" - Shannon Wiratchai on wanting to return to the ONE circle

Shannon Wiratchai is ready and waiting for ONE Championship’s call for him to return to the circle.

In an interview with Nick Atkin of the South China Morning Post, Wiratchai said that he had kept himself busy while preparing for his return to the ONE circle after a nearly two-year absence. Wiratchai last fought in July 2020, taking a split decision win over Fabio Pinca.

In the interview, Wiratchai said:

“I’m ready to get back on the ONE Championship circle and the last contact I got from ONE Championship was like last November. I’m ready, I’m here in Bongtao [Gym] staying ready, staying sharp, staying in shape, and ready for the call.”

The Thai star is one of the pioneers of the promotion, having started his career with ONE Championship in 2012 when he fought Mitch Chilson. Wiratchai has been active for so long that Chilson is now the company’s commentator. He saw his stock rise in the mid 2010s when he racked up six straight victories, four of which didn’t make it past the first round.

Watch the full interview in the video below:

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Shannon Wiratchai eyeing to get into featherweight’s top five

Shannon 'One Shin' Wiratchai fought several times at lightweight in ONE Championship but he said that he would go back to featherweight for his return. Wiratchai added that he wasn’t as nimble at 170 lbs compared to when he was at 155 lbs.

Shannon Wiratchai fought at lightweight in the second half of his career but he originally operated at featherweight when he started for ONE Championship. He said:

“At lightweight you can say that I was a bit chubby, I was a bit slow, my movement wasn’t very good and I’m not strong enough for lightweight. Physically I’m not strong enough, yet, for the lightweight division.”

Shannon Wiratchai’s plan to move to featherweight also brought with it the desire to take on the division’s top contenders. The featherweight division underwent massive changes after ONE X with Tang Kai jumping three places to become the No.1-contender to Thanh Le’s strap while Kim Jae Woong dropped to No.2. Former champion Martin Nguyen also slipped down to No.3 while Garry Tonon fell to No.4. He added:

“They’re all on fire, and I’m okay with all of them. At one point we have to be in the cage and have fun. They’ve been working hard and they earned their place to be there. Now I want to earn my place and be there [at the top five rankings].”