"He looked amazing for that fight" - Buakaw says Tawanchai's physique was at its peak heading into ONE 172

In the eyes of Thai combat sports legend Buakaw Banchamek, Tawanchai PK Saenchai was at his best shape when he fought Masaaki Noiri during their ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world title showdown last March 23 at ONE 172.

In his reaction video posted on his YouTube channel, Buakaw said that Tawanchai's physique was at its all-time best when he saw him walk out inside the packed Saitama Super Arena in Japan, as he said:

"Tawanchai looked chill when he walked out. His body was in top form. Honestly, he looked amazing for that fight. Solid and clean, like a traditional Thai fighter."

Watch Buakaw's interview here:

However, the match didn't end up in his favor after Masaaki Noiri scored a massive upset against Tawanchai with a third-round TKO finish to suffer his first stoppage loss under the world's largest martial arts organization.

This setback also snapped the reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion's nine-fight win streak across Muay Thai and kickboxing matches, which dated back to January 2022.

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Buakaw points out that Tawanchai was hurt by Masaaki Noiri's kicks to his lead leg at ONE 172

In the same YouTube video, the former multiple-time Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion also pointed out that Tawanchai was bothered by the Japanese star's kicks to his lead leg, eventually becoming his downfall in the championship showdown.

According to Buakaw, Tawanchai was clearly hurt on that leg because he wasn't moving quite well, as he explained:

"Tawanchai had to be careful towards the end of the round because Noiri has been targeting the same spot. His kicks are so effective. And he's hit Tawanchai quite a few times. You can suspect that Tawanchai was hurting by the end of that round. Look at how he's standing. His lead leg was clearly bothering him."

Fans can rewatch all the action at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang via watch.onefc.com.