The 23-year-old Muay Thai phenom, Tawanchai PK.Saenchai, is at a very exciting juncture in his career. This Thursday night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Tawanchai will face reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Petchmorakot Petchyindee for his golden strap.
The fight serves as the main event of ONE 161: Petchmorakot vs. Tawanchai and will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Thursday, September 29.
If he’s able to defeat the elder Petchmorakot, snatch his ONE Championship belt away, and effect a new reign as a world champion, Tawanchai says that he will be going after the iconic Superbon Singha Mawynn in a super-fight for the ONE featherweight kickboxing world title.
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In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Tawanchai made his plans known. He said:
“Yes, if i could capture this Muay Thai belt, my next goal is to compete and get a chance to fight with the current champion in that division. This is one of my goals to complete after I fight with Petchmorakot because I want to fight with some of the best athletes that can always challenge me to work harder to make every fan and my team proud of me.”
Of course, Superbon is one of the most recognizable superstars in ONE Championship. His spectacular head-kick knockout of Giorgio Petrosyan in 2021 will remain in the pages of history for as long as the sport exists. A Tawanchai vs. Superbon showdown would be absolutely massive.
Tawanchai PK.Saenchai’s master plan involves a lot of moving parts. First, he needs to get past Petchmorakot, which is certainly easier said than done. The 28-year-old Petchyindee Academy representative is a ONE Championship veteran with a plethora of memorable performances in the circle, the most notable of which is a 2020 war with the legendary Yodsanklai.
Suffice to say, Petchmorakot is hands down one of the most dominant strikers in ONE Super Series. Tawanchai needs to fight the perfect fight in order to defeat Petchmorakot and capture the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title.
Tawanchai PK.Saenchai believes he has the skills necessary to unseat Petchmorakot Petchyindee
Although Tawanchai PK.Saenchai appears confident ahead of his ONE 161 main event showdown with Petchmorakot, there’s still a lot up in the air. Anything can happen, and nothing is guaranteed in the circle.
In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Tawanchai said that he wants to show fans that he’s "good enough" to be crowned the new ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion.
“I will work hard -- as much as I can to show that I'm good enough to beat him and become the champion.”
Only one man will leave the circle with ONE Championship gold draped over his shoulders. Will it be Tawanchai PK.Saenchai? The ball is in the 23-year-old phenom’s court.