Tawanchai was surprised Jamal Yusupov fight ended so quickly

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai was able to defend his ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title against 'Yeniceri' Jamal Yusupov just 49 seconds into Round 1.

A powerful leg kick ended the world title showdown as Yusupov was unable to recover. Officially, the 23-year-old Muay Thai prodigy defended his featherweight Muay Thai crown via knockout in the first round.

The Thai champion was surprised that the contest did not last longer. In an interview with Nicolas Atkin of the South China Morning Post MMA, the PK.Saenchai-trained fighter said:

"I’m very happy with the result. I have prepared a lot of game plans, I didn’t expect it to end this fast."

See the full interview below:

Tawanchai's previous bout was won after a five-round war. At ONE Fight Night 7, he needed less than a minute to defend his ONE featherweight Muay Thai world title.

The crowd at the Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand went wild for their national hero. With a thunderous roar, the audience was proud of the knockout win.

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Tawanchai's leg kick knockout

Earning a leg kick knockout win is a rare event, especially against such a game veteran as Jamal Yusupov. 'Yeniceri' is a three-time Russian national kickboxing champion with tons of experience. The Muay Thai phenom, however, needed less than a minute to stop the match.

In an interview with ONE Championship, Tawanchai discussed the leg kick knockout:

“I feel like all of my kicks were strong. Maybe the timing was right, that’s why the left kick landed at the right time. I tried kicking him a few times, and he wasn’t really blocking it. So [for the final shot], I tried to kick him hard. I knew that the timing was right. That’s when I knew that the fight would end.”

As for what's next for the featherweight Muay Thai king, he may try his luck by switching to the sport of kickboxing. The 23-year-old continued:

“I am interested in that fight with Chingiz Allazov. Chingiz is a top fighter, so I will probably try a few matches in kickboxing first, and afterward, I can meet with Chingiz.”