Champ-champ Prajanchai raves how ONE Championship “revitalized careers” during the COVID-19 pandemic

Prajanchai PK Saenchai could not have been more grateful for the opportunities ONE Championship gave Muay Thai, especially during one of the sport's most difficult times.

With the world closing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ONE Championship safely staged closed-door events in Singapore that allowed fighters to continue their careers.

In an interview with The ONE Podcast, the reigning ONE strawweight Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion said ONE Championship's bold initiative helped a multitude of fighters during one of the hardest periods in recent history.

He said:

"My goal was just to have the opportunity to fight on a world stage. I would have been proud just to achieve that. When ONE Championship arrived, it opened doors for all fighters, especially during COVID. It revitalized careers - fighters who had retired came back because they saw new opportunities."

Prajanchai was one of those fighters who benefited from ONE Championship's handling of its events since he made his promotional debut in the middle of the global shutdown.

Following his 2021 debut, the Thai superstar established a stellar 7-1 run in the promotion, with six wins in his seven world title matches.

Prajanchai is coming off a dominant fourth-round technical knockout win over Ellis Badr Barboza in an absolute display of power to defend his ONE strawweight Muay Thai world title at ONE Fight Night 28.

He's now set for an inevitable unification match against ONE interim strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella for the division's undisputed throne.

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Prajanchai says he never hesitated to join ONE Championship

Prajanchai PK Saenchai took a brief detour before continuing his Muay Thai career.

While some Muay Thai artists jump straight from the Thai stadiums or other promotions to ONE Championship, Prajanchai went on a brief boxing sojourn from 2020 to 2021.

After taking a perfect 3-0 boxing record and the WBA Asia South featherweight title, Prajanchai ultimately made his way to ONE Championship in 2021.

Prajanchai said it was his dream to join ONE Championship, and he never hesitated when that call finally came.

He told The ONE Podcast:

"It was during COVID, which was good timing. After I left the national team, I had two professional boxing fights and won championships in both. I was excited to join ONE. At that time, ONE was already famous in Singapore, though not yet in Thailand. It's every fighter's dream to compete in ONE."