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Tawanchai dethroned Petchmorakot in the ONE 161 headliner last week to attain the promotion's featherweight Muay Thai world championship. Though satisfied with the title-winning performance, Tawanchai knows this is only the beginning.
Expectedly, the 23-year-old feels good after reaching the mountaintop. In a post-fight interview with ONE Championship, he said:
"I'm glad. I'm proud that I can achieve my dreams. Overall, I feel very glad."
Still so young, the rising star believes he has a way to go before reaching his prime. He continued:
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"I think I can improve much more. For me, I think this is only just the start. There's much more to come."
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Tawanchai is the new ONE featherweight Muay Thai king
The Thai phenom's rise to the top was rapid, having only joined ONE in May 2021. His 100% finish rate, along with his fan-friendly style, led to this iconic moment at ONE 161.
Like most fighters, Tawanchai has a close relationship with his gym, PK Saenchai Muay Thai. He's looking forward to celebrating before getting back to work:
"It means so much to my boss. Everyone in the gym is waiting for me. For sure, we are going to celebrate when we get there."
Upsets were a common theme of the ONE 161 event, with Petchmorakot losing his featherweight title adding to that. From the jump, the challenger was pushing the pace. Ultimately, the belt changed hands by way of unanimous decision.
The Muay Thai sensation proved to be one of the brightest young stars in mixed martial arts. Despite his young age, the striker has been training the art for over 15 years.
Since joining ONE, the newly-crowned featherweight champ has displayed relentless pace, vicious power, and an extremely technical skillset. Deservably, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong awarded him a $50,000 performance bonus for his electric performance in the main event.
Like most, Sityodtong views and speaks very highly of the Muay Thai featherweight champ. Considering his age and talent, it's possible the belt won't change hands for quite some time.
