“I’m ready to fight with anyone” – Saemapetch says Mohamed Younes Rabah’s height advantage won’t be a factor in rematch

Thai veteran Saemapetch Fairtex is not concerned about the significant height advantage that his Mohamed Younes Rabah will bring to the ring with him on February 16.

Saemapetch — who stands at 5’8” tall — will run back his December 2023 clash with the 6’2” Rabah on Friday night after their first meeting ended in controversy. ‘The Eagle’ appeared to be on his way to a first-round KO against the Muay Thai superstar, but in the process, Rabah landed a blatantly illegal knee. With Saemapetch unable to continue, the fight was called off and Rabah was handed the victory via knockout.

Speaking with ONE Championship ahead of their highly anticipated sequel, Saemapetch spoke about Rabah’s size advantage, saying:

“The biggest difference is that Mohamed is much taller than me. I’m ready to fight with anyone. Even when they asked me to fight at 68kg, while my natural weight was 65kg. But I’m okay with it. But when the fight day came, my opponent couldn’t make the weight."

He added:

“So I’m at a disadvantage in many aspects. But this fight, we’ll fight at our natural weight.”

Mohamed Younes Rabah looks to go 15-0 in rematch with Saemapetch

Aside from the accidental knee to his already-downed opponent, Mohamed Younes Rabah’s ONE Championship debut could not have gone any better. He’ll look to deliver a repeat performance — minus the illegal blow — when he heads back to the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium for his sophomore appearance with the promotion.

Overall, ‘The Eagle’ is 14-0 in his combat sports career. By comparison, Saemapetch is closing in on 150 career fights, giving the Thai a significant experience advantage that could make all the difference come fight night.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in North America can catch all the action at ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo live and for free in US primetime on February 16.