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ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai has also been competing in kickboxing under ONE Championship and has made significant inroads in it. He shared that his kickboxing game now is way better than where it was when he was starting in it in his teenage years.
The 26-year-old Thai superstar recalled his beginnings in kickboxing in an interview with fellow Thai fighter Sinsamut Klinmee on the latter's official YouTube channel, highlighting how his skills then were limited to just kicking. Tawanchai said:
"When I was 19-20, I went to fight in China, and I had no kickboxing experience. I fought in a division over 67 kg. My natural weight is 68 kg, but I only cut 1 kg. All of my opponents were over 70 kg! I had no basic kickboxing skills at all. I could only kick.
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"In the end, I won the first round and made it to the final four, but I couldn't go on. I kicked him like 10 times, and he just punched me once, and I got dizzy!"
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Tawanchai has largely competed in Muay Thai in his martial arts journey. In 2023, however, he made the decision to also compete in kickboxing in ONE Championship.
So far, it has been a successful venture as he holds a 2-1 record. His lone defeat came in March when he lost to Japanese kickboxing star Masaaki Noiri by TKO in their showdown for the interim featherweight kickboxing championship belt.
Tawanchai seeks to add kickboxing world title to his list of achievements
Despite falling short in his push for the interim featherweight kickboxing world title last time around, Tawanchai PK Saenchai is still determined to make a push for the belt, believing it will further enhance his legacy as a martial artist.
The reigning featherweight Muay Thai king shared this goal of his in an interview with ONE Championship earlier this year, relaying that his kickboxing game, by and large, is still a work in progress but it is not stopping him from growing in it and going for greater heights. Tawanchai said:
“Compared to Muay Thai, let’s just say I love Muay Thai. Kickboxing is another challenge. I try to adjust my style to be the most suitable for kickboxing.”
The ONE featherweight kickboxing division is currently ruled by divisional king Superbon, with Japanese star Masaaki Noiri serving as the interim champion.
