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Fourth-ranked ONE Championship bantamweight Muay Thai contender and former ONE world title challenger Saemapetch Fairtex feels a mountain of unfinished business with Algerian striking star Mohamed Younes Rabah needs to be resolved.
The two elite bantamweights met in December of 2023, with Saemapetch losing via a heartbreaking first-round knockout.
The Thai star got hit with a knee and seemed out but said he could have continued shortly after. The judges didn’t see it that way, but Saemapetch says that sequence changed the course of the entire fight. Without it, the 29-year-old Fairtex Training Center representative believes he would have been the victor.
With the painful sting of defeat still lingering, Saemapetch will now look to even the score with his Algerian rival.
Saemapetch Fairtex is set to face Mohamed Younes Rabah in a highly anticipated rematch at ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo on Prime Video. The event will broadcast live from the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, February 16th.
Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Saemapetch explained what happened with the knee.
The Thai warrior said:
“He was bigger, so he had more impact force than me. And that's when I fell. And after I got hit by the knee, I felt dizzy. I wanted to keep fighting, but the judges declared that I lost."
He added:
"At that time, I had to respect the referee's decision. If he's sure I lost the match, I will accept my defeat.”
Saemapetch Fairtex on what makes Mohamed Younes Rabah a ‘dangerous’ opponent
The good thing about Saemapetch Fairtex is that he isn’t taking Mohamed Younes Rabah lightly. The 29-year-old has studied his rival and knows what makes him so dangerous.
He told ONE Championship:
“What makes him dangerous are his flying knees, leg kicks, and additional elbows. These are some of the things I can pick out.”
ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo airs live on U.S. primetime on Friday, February 16. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch all the action absolutely free with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for all the latest news and updates surrounding the event.
