Free full fight: Tawanchai and Petchmorakot in five-round war for featherweight Muay Thai belt at ONE 161

The main event of ONE 161 between Petchmorakot Petchyindee and Tawanchai PK.Saenchai is now public for fans to enjoy. This was a war for the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship.

Tawanchai was the young and hungry prospect looking to prove himself. For the 23-year-old, it was a tall order to tangle with the veteran and then-world champion Petchmorakot. The young Thai fighter rose to the occasion and proved himself as the phenom many fans expected.

ONE Championship on YouTube shared:

"Petchmorakot Petchyindee vs. Tawanchai PK.Saenchai | ONE Championship Full Fight ... The back-and-forth battle between Petchmorakot Petchyindee and Tawanchai PK.Saenchai for the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 161"

In round one, the two Thai strikers exchanged heavy leg kicks. The young Saenchai-trained fighter found success rushing forward with punches and displayed a slight speed advantage.

The pair began a lightning-speed firefight by exchanging strong punches midway through round two. The 23-year-old caught a kick and returned with a strong overhand. At the bell, the two strikers shook hands in a show of respect.

A volley of punches was traded between the two expert strikers in round three which electrified global audiences. Tawanchai landed an overhand to assert his dominance as well.

In round four, Petchmorakot changed tactics and began attacking with elbows in close range. His foe rallied back in round five, catching kicks and answering with power. Strong overhands and leg attacks sealed the round for the younger fighter.

The judges read out the scores and the long reign of Petchmorakot was over. The young phenom is the new world champion.

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Tawanchai PK.Saenchai loves the heavy belt

The 23-year-old Thai striker took his new gold belt back to his gym to be welcomed with a volley of cheers from his training partners. In an interview with ONE Championship, he said the weight is just as he expected:

“It's really heavy, it's really heavy as they say. When I was tired from the fight, the belt was put on and I might have fallen down. So it's worth it, you know, this heavy type, it's worth it for ONE Championship to have a heavy belt like this.”

Regarding his world championship victory, he also added:

"I'm glad. I'm proud that I can achieve my dreams. Overall, I feel very glad. I think I can improve much more. For me, I think this is only just the start. There's much more to come."