Tawanchai feels "a little bad" about injuring Jamal Yusupov

Despite his flawless performance, Tawanchai PK Saenchai has some regrets about his first world title defense at ONE Fight Night 7 on February 24.

The ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion defended his belt in under a minute, stopping Jamal Yusupov with a devastating leg kick that his opponent couldn’t continue from.

Many fans expected Yusupov to be a tough test for the 23-year-old prodigy despite Tawanchai’s recent run of stellar performances inside the circle. The Turkish fighter was on a run of three victories under the ONE Championship banner, but was unable to showcase his skills inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium after his legs were damaged early on.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, the world champion spoke about two things that he wish had gone slightly different despite being happy with his performance:

“I respect Jamal, so I feel a little bit bad that he’s hurting. I was hoping to fight him a little bit longer because I prepared for this fight for a long time.”

Watch the full interview below:

Tawanchai targeted his opponent’s legs with kicks from the very start of the fight, keeping Yusupov back with his vast arsenal of strikes.

After landing a few kicks to his opponent’s legs, the final blow was a devastating shot that immediately caused a stop to the contest after it was clear that Yusupov was unable to continue.

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Tawanchai still unsure if he wants to join Openweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix

After a successful first world title defense at ONE Fight Night 7, ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK.Saenchai remains uncertain as to whether he will take part in the upcoming ONE Openweight World Grand Prix.

For the first time ever, ONE Championship will be hosting an Openweight Muay Thai World Grand Prix that has got fans dreaming up potential matchups that they couldn’t have hoped to see take place before.

Prior to ONE Fight Night 7, Tawanchai spoke to SCMP MMA about joining the roster in the 16-man tournament. The world champion expressed some hesitation in taking part due to the fact that he could be matched up against his friends.

Given how much excitement there is around the 23-year-old prodigy, it was only going to be a matter of time before fans started to get excited at the prospect of him fighting in the tournament.

After his swift finish against Jamal Yusupov, the champion once again caught up with SCMP MMA, saying:

“I’m focusing on Muay Thai and kickboxing right now, the Grand Prix is still 50/50 so we will see what’s happening.”

The tournament is set to be one of the biggest events that ONE Championship has ever put on, with dream matches taking place throughout the Grand Prix.

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently announced Sinsamut Klinmee as the first fighter to put his name into the mix, with many more striking all-stars to be announced soon.