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World championship challenger Jamal Yusupov didn’t get to showcase his skills in the biggest fight of his career to date at ONE Fight Night 7.
In the co-main event of the evening, his fight with champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai ended in under a minute after a devastating leg kick that the challenger couldn’t continue from.
Yusupov came into the fight with a lot of momentum, providing a tough test for the champion in his first title defense on paper. However, the night ended up being a short one for Tawanchai.
With the fight ending so early on after all of his hard work, it’s understandable that Yusupov would be frustrated and hopeful for a second shot at the title.
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In an interview with ONE Championship after the events of ONE Fight Night 7, he said:
“I would like to get a rematch after I heal my leg, but it is likely the promotion won’t give it to me with this particular result.”
As he states, Jamal Yusupov isn’t likely to be granted a rematch once he has healed from his injuries after how one-sided the fight was, even if it didn’t last very long.
With the wins he has already put together under the ONE Championship banner, he won’t be too far away from earning himself another shot at the world champion.
For now, though, the fact is that Tawanchai made quick work of his opponent.
Tawanchai was surprised Jamal Yusupov fight ended so quickly
Tawanchai PK Saenchai successfully defended his world championship for the very first time with a 49-second TKO against Jamal Yusupov.
Whilst Jamal Yusupov was left frustrated that he wasn’t able to showcase his skills after a ruthless leg kick caused a sudden end to the fight, the champion also expected to be in for a longer night.
The featherweight Muay Thai world champion targeted his opponent’s legs from the very start of the fight, using his kicks to keep Yusupov back. The 23-year old Thai prodigy landed some damaging leg kicks before the stoppage, but the final blow was the one that really impacted the challenger.
From the moment it landed, it was clear that the fight was over and Yusupov couldn’t continue.
In an interview with Nicolas Atkin of the South China Morning Post, Tawanchai said that he didn’t expect the fight to end as early as it did:
"I’m very happy with the result. I have prepared a lot of game plans, I didn’t expect it to end this fast."
Watch the full interview below:
Having defeated his first challenger in under a minute, the world champion’s title reign is off to an incredible start.
Whilst many expected Yusupov to present a tough challenge, Tawanchai was coming off of an incredible 2022 that saw him become the world champion and he has clearly kept this momentum with him going into 2023.
