Rarely do rematches live up to the intensity of their first meeting, but Tawanchai PK Saenchai and 'Smokin' Jo Nattawut more than live up to their billing at ONE 167 this past Friday, June 7.
With Tawanchai's ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship being on the line this time though, the fighting was much more intense compared to their first meeting.
The main event dragged on to the fifth round where both men emptied everything in their tank in the hopes of leaving ONE 167 with 26 pounds of ONE Championship gold.
ONE Championship posted the most fiery exchange that Tawanchai and Nattawut had in the final frame via Instagram which can be seen below.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
When it was all said and done, the judges had Tawanchai winning via majority decision to make it his third successful defense while improving his ONE record to 9-1.
The fight, however, raised more questions than answers as some fans believe Nattawut had every right to be crowned the new world champion.
Chatri Sityodtong eyeing Tawanchai - Nattawut trilogy bout in the United States
Tawanchai retaining his featherweight Muay Thai world title was met with some resistance from fans and a trilogy fight at ONE 170: Atlanta inside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia might be in order.
ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong stated in the post-event press conference:
"I thought Jo Nattawut won. It was a very close fight, very close. I thought Jo did enough to win. For me, it would have gone to damage, and Tawanchai had more damage on him than Jo did. But, I want to do a rematch in Atlanta. That's the home of where Jo Nattawut is. That would be amazing."
Fans in the United States and Canada can rewatch ONE 167 on demand via Prime Video.