ONE Championship recently posted the full fight between close friends Tawanchai PK.Saenchai and Saemapetch Fairtex.
Tawanchai had high expectations of becoming a world champion when he signed with ONE. After winning his promotional debut against Sean Clancy, the 23-year-old suffered a disappointing loss against the always-dangerous Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong in August 2021. He recovered from the split decision loss and returned several months later in January 2022.
Tawanchai’s next fight would be against his friend Saemapetch at ONE: Heavy Hitters. The PK.Saenchai fighter got back on track with an impressive first-round finish. A year later, ONE shared the special moment on YouTube with the caption:
“Before featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai PK.Saenchai makes his first World Title defense against Turkish-Russian powerhouse Jamal Yusupov on February 24, relive his brutal first-round knockout of fellow Thai star Saemapetch Fairtex in 2022!”
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The win against Saemapetch sparked momentum that carried on throughout 2022 for Tawanchai. The Muay Thai superstar went on to defeat Niclas Larsen and then dethrone Petchmorakot Petchyindee for the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion. He was also selected as ONE Championship’s 2022 Muay Thai Fighter of the Year and Breakout Star of the Year.
Watch Tawanchai take out his friend Saemapetch Fairtex below:
Tawanchai PK.Saenchai is hungry for a win against Jamal Yusupov
Heading into 2023, Tawanchai PK.Saenchai doesn’t plan on slowing down. The reigning featherweight Muay Thai king is looking to defend his throne for the first time against Turkish title contender Jamal Yusupov on February 24. During an interview with ONE Championship, Tawanchai had this to say about his key to victory:
“The key in this fight is my inner fire. I’m hungry for the victory. I’ll never give up on anything easily.”
Tawanchai vs. Yusupov goes down in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 7 on Prime Video. In the main event, Fabricio Andrade and John Lineker will settle their October no-contest with the vacant bantamweight world championship up for grabs. The event can be seen for free by North American Amazon Prime Video subscribers.
Check out the fight card for ONE Fight Night 7 below: