“He's a generational talent” - Chatri Sityodtong offers high praise for Tawanchai PK.Saenchai

Muay Thai phenom Tawanchai PK.Saenchai is impressing crowds globally with his incredible striking talent. ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong is also a huge fan.

At the age of just 23, Tawanchai already boasts incredible accomplishments. He recently captured the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world championship at ONE 161, defeating decorated fighter Petchmorakot Petchyindee to earn the coveted belt.

While speaking to SCMP MMA, Chatri Sityodtong explained just how incredibly talented this young Thai athlete is. The ONE chief even compared him to arguably the greatest of all time in Muay Thai.

"[Tawanchai PK.Saenchai] is a generational talent. He reminds me of Samart Payakaroon, except he hits harder than Samart Payakaroon. Obviously, he's regarded as the greatest of all time in Muay Thai. He's faster, he moves in similar ways, but he's much more powerful. And he just has unbelievable eyes, he can see things happen as they unfold, wait until they unfold. So that's why he rarely gets hit with a solid shot."

See the full interview below.

The Thai-born athlete has gone a perfect 3-0 in 2022, capping off his landmark year by earning the featherweight throne in Muay Thai. With three impressive victories in ONE Championship, this 23-year-old has improved to 128 career wins professionally.

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Tawanchai PK.Saenchai - A Muay Thai phenom accomplishing his dreams

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai's dream was to capture a world title in ONE Championship, and he succeeded at ONE 161. Understandably, the young Thai was extremely happy with his world title win.

Speaking to ONE, he said:

“I was excited and happy when [the fight] came to the end of the fifth round. I knew my dream would come true soon and the belt was mine. When I took the belt on my shoulder, I felt like I was in a dream. I didn’t dare to think that an ordinary fighter like me would become the World Champion. I can’t describe my happiness right now.”

Petchmorakot is a well-decorated now-former world champion in ONE, with over 160 career victories to his name. With that said, defeating the featherweight king was no easy task.

Tawanchai explains how it felt to be in a battle against such a respected world titleholder. He explained:

“My game plan was to fight toe-to-toe. Because that was the world title match, I wanted to give my all. I wanted to show him that I am as good as him. So, I changed my style from passive to aggressive ... He was obviously out of gas. I was exhausted too, but I gritted my teeth and continued to fight. It was a battle between grit and gut.”

Combat sports fans can enjoy seeing Tawanchai PK.Saenchai capture his ONE gold in the video below: