“The competition in ONE is elite” - Tawanchai excited to face international competition in ONE Championship

Featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK.Saenchai feels fortunate to be fighting in ONE Championship as he is given the chance to compete against elite athletes and showcase his abilities to a wider audience.

The 23-year-old star fighter made his promotional debut in May 2021 and has steadily proven his mettle against top athletes in his division. It picked up a great deal last September when he became world champion after defeating former featherweight Muay Thai king and fellow Thai Petchmorakot Petchyindee by unanimous decision.

Tawanchai shared in a ONE video feature how it has been an eventful journey for him so far in the promotion, saying:

“The competition in ONE is elite. In Thailand, I could only face other Thais. Here in ONE, the whole world will know who I am. That’s the scale of the competition here.”

Watch the feature in the video below:

Tawanchai’s ONE campaign continues on February 24 at ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video in Bangkok, where he will make his first title defense. He takes on another accomplished fighter in Jamal “Yeniceri” Yusupov, 39, who is out to make it a short reign for the Thai champion.

ONE Fight Night 7 will be broadcast live from the famed Lumpinee Boxing Stadium and will be aired for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.

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Tawanchai wants to surprise Jamal Yusupov with "the ultimate weapon"

Reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK.Saenchai has a few surprises for fight fans when he makes his first title defense this week.

The Thai superstar shared this during a pre-fight interview for ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video, where he is putting his title on the line against Turkish challenger Jamal Yusupov, against whom he wants to unleash his “ultimate weapon.”

He said he has studied his opponent and now has an idea of how to get the job done. However, he did not go into detail and instead wanted fans to see it for themselves.

“I'm not sure about the knockdown because Jamal is a very strong fighter. Also, the ultimate weapon, I would rather not say. I would want you guys to watch me in the fight,” the ONE featherweight Muay Thai king said.

Tawanchai became a champion in September last year, defeating former division champ Petchmorakot Petchyindee by unanimous decision. Since making his promotional debut in May 2021, he has compiled a 4-1 record with a 75% finishing rate.

His opponent at ONE Fight Night 7, Yusupov, has equally impressed in his short time with ONE, compiling a 3-0 record while showcasing his seasoned striking skills. He is coming off a unanimous decision victory last December over Thai Jo Nattawut.