WATCH: Featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai walks the streets of Bangkok as a Buddhist monk

ONE Featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK.Saenchai recently got ordained as a Buddhist monk.

The 23-year-old phenom is unrecognizable in new footage released by ONE Championship. He was seen walking the streets of Bangkok with a shaved head and wearing a traditional white robe as part of a Buddhist ritual.

Check out the footage below:

As seen from the footage above, the Muay Thai king took a short break from everyday life to reconnect with his faith.

Traditionally in Thai culture, it’s not uncommon to see young unmarried men enter monastic life for a short period of time at least once in their life. For Tawanchai, it’s equally important to exercise devotion and spirituality as much as enhancing his athletic growth and personal well-being.

Hopefully, the Muay Thai phenom channels his inner Zen before he returns to the circle on February 24. In his first world title defense, ONE Championship has paired him up against No. 2 contender Yamal Yusupov for the co-main event at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II.

The Turkish powerhouse, who is riding a three-fight win streak, will be Tawanchai’s toughest challenge yet. With both warriors having a lot to offer, ultimately there can only be one king.

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Tawanchai admits Yamal Yusupov is a dangerous and experienced contender

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai knows that defeating his next opponent Yamal Yusupov will be no easy task.

Yusupov is a battle-ridden athlete with loads of experience under his belt. He’s a six-time Russian national champion in both kickboxing and Muay Thai before joining ONE Championship in 2019.

Despite having a sporadic timeline under the promotion, having had only three fights in a span of four years, Yusupov continues to be a force to be reckoned with. His knockout power specifically is still a cause for concern for many fighters of his caliber.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the Muay Thai world champion illustrated exactly what a fight against Yusupov would look like:

“I have watched many of [Yusupov’s] fights. His punch is good. Our matchup would be exciting. If he can manage to land a clean punch on me, I may get [knocked] out. But if he doesn’t, he would be the one who [goes to] sleep.”