Tawanchai has no problems facing fellow Thai fighters: “You cannot really avoid each other”

ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai will willingly fight whoever is put in front of him.

This includes trading fists with his compatriots and fellow Thai warriors under the ONE banner.

Ahead of his highly-anticipated kickboxing showdown with Davit Kiria at ONE Fight Night 13 this Friday, Tawanchai gave his two cents on a hot topic as of late.

High-profile Thai fighters and ONE world champions Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Rodtang Jitmuangnon have received flak about their non-committal attitude towards fighting one another.

The pair of flyweight superstars have been vocal about their preference to face non-Thai fighters, citing their desire to keep the championship belts in Thailand as the main reason.

Even ONE rising star Phetjeeja recently echoed the same sentiments.

This, of course, has received mixed reactions from fans, who wish to see the best fighters pitted against one another, regardless of their nationalities.

While Tawanchai respects his fellow compatriots’ opinions, he doesn’t exactly agree with them.

At the end of the day, the insightful 24-year-old says professional fighters must approach match-making with a business-like mindset and take nothing personally.

He told the South China Morning Post:

“I just consider this as a sport. So eventually, you cannot really avoid each other. Eventually, you have to face each other, Thai or non-Thai. Anyone that ONE Championship gives to me, I can fight them. I have no problem with that.”

True to his word, Tawanchai gladly accepted an offer to defend his world title against fellow Thai destroyer Superbon Singha Mawynn at ONE Fight Night 15 in October.

But before returning to “The Art of Eight Limbs”, Tawanchai must focus on the task at hand and deny the upset-minded Davit Kiria a chance at victory on August 4 at the iconic Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok.

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Watch Tawanchai’s full SCMP MMA interview: