ONE Championship news roundup
Welcome to today's edition of the daily Sportskeeda ONE Championship News Roundup, where we present the promotion's most important stories.
Today we’ll discuss Danial Williams looking for a potential match against Jonathan Di Bella, Superlek Kiatmoo9 wanting to take on Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a Muay Thai match, and Regian Eersel knocking out Sinsamut Klinmee to retain the ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title.
#3. Danial Williams keen on fighting Jonathan Di Bella for kickboxing belt
Danial Williams wants to be as active as possible this 2023, and a shot at kickboxing gold might just be one of his targets this year.
The Australian striker revealed in an interview with ONE Championship that he wants to take a shot at a world title after he beats Rui Botelho in their strawweight Muay Thai match at ONE Fight Night 8 on Prime Video.
Williams said that he wants to challenge ONE strawweight kickboxing world champion Jonathan Di Bella if he comes away victorious against Botelho this March 24, US primetime, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium:
“I'm understanding kickboxing scoring really well now. That'll be awesome to be able to fight [Jonathan Di Bella] this year as well, especially if we get the wins. I've just watched him fight, and I feel he's very beatable. And he's super keen to fight as well. I've said that I wanted to be a three-sport champ. That's just my goal. At least try my best anyway.”
ONE Fight Night 8 is ONE Championship’s third Amazon card this year and will be aired live and for free to all Prime Video subscribers in North America.
#2. Superlek open to fighting Rodtang under Muay Thai rules after kickboxing world title clash
ONE flyweight kickboxing world champion Superlek Kiatmoo9 wants to join ONE Championship’s exclusive club of two-sport world champions.
Before he does that, however, Superlek must first defend his kickboxing gold against Rodtang Jitmuangnon in the main event of ONE Fight Night 8 in Singapore.
It’s after he retains his belt that Superlek would want to challenge Rodtang for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title.
In an interview with ONE Championship, Superlek said:
“I’m happier than disappointed. I’m a champion, and defending my throne is my job. I can fight him as the [kickboxing] titleholder or as a (Muay Thai) contender. But honestly, I wonder why I didn’t have the chance to challenge him first [for his belt] because I am a champ right now. If I could choose, I would fight him in Muay Thai first. But it’s fine for me. I am just focusing on defending my kickboxing gold. Muay Thai is another story for another time.”
ONE Championship has, so far, four fighters who’ve held two world titles across two sports simultaneously. Sam-A Gaiyanghadao, Stamp Fairtex, Regian Eersel, and Janet Todd are the only members of the exclusive group.
#1. Regian Eersel knocks out Sinsamut Klinmee, retains lightweight Muay Thai gold
Regian Eersel made sure that his second victory over Sinsamut Klinmee left nothing to doubt.
The two strikers met in a highly volatile rematch at ONE Friday Fights 9 for Eersel’s ONE lightweight Muay Thai world title at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
Regian Eersel became the inaugural world champion when he beat Sinsamut via split decision at ONE on Prime Video 3 in October 2022. A result that close had the community divided in two, but Eersel guaranteed that their second match would be far from debated.
Things looked as close as ever in the first three rounds with both fighters throwing nasty shots at each other. It was in the fourth where Eersel showed why he’s ‘The Immortal’ and for good reason.
Eersel launched a blast of a left hook down Sinsamut’s solar plexus effectively putting the Thai star down and out 1:17 into the fourth.
The win pushed Regian Eersel, who also owns the ONE lightweight kickboxing world title, to a perfect 9-0 record in ONE Championship. His knockout of Sinsamut also earned him a cool $50,000 bonus from ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong:
“Thank you Chatri Sityodtong, thank you ONE Championship once again for the opportunity to fight. This is my favorite organization you know.”
Quick Links
C. Naik