"I will improve" - Petchmorakot Petchyindee retains ONE Championship title in razor-close Muay Thai clash

Headlining ONE 157 was Petchmorakot Petchyindee putting his ONE Muay Thai featherweight title on the line against France's Jimmy Vienot. Both fighters were looking to walk away with ONE gold. Ultimately, the Thai champion retained his title against Vienot via split-decision.

A vital knockdown in the fourth round secured the bout for the champion in what was a razor-close fight. The contest also earned him a $50,000 performance bonus.

Petchmorakot said in his post-fight interview:

"I'm very happy tonight because I retained my belt... I think I have done my best but not as good as I expected. I will improve for next time for sure."

The challenger, Jimmy Vienot, is a decorated Muay Thai fighter who has held titles in every organization he has competed in. These include Lumpinee Stadium, WMC, and WBC.

Meanwhile, Petchmorakot has held Muay Thai titles all over Thailand. Furthermore, he has defended his ONE Championship title three times with his latest success.

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Petchmorakot Petchyindee vs. Jimmy Vienot play-by-play

In round one, the two featherweights exchanged heavy kicks aimed at their opponents' legs and head. Vienot was able to catch a few sweeps from the champion and even managed to sweep him. A heavy punch landed for Vienot and he ended the round looking confident, taking almost no damage from the champion.

In round two, Vienot caught a kick and dumped the champion twice in the opening stages. However, the featherweight king came back and landed a heavy punch in return. Vienot began to pick up the pace, throwing kicks to the legs and head of his opponent and landed punches as well. The French challenger successfully dumped his opponent three more times in the round.

Round three began with Vienot again scoring dumps against the champion. Petchmorakot was more aggressive but was getting tagged by the challenger. The two exchanged punches in the four-ounce gloves. The titleholder, now abandoning his kicks, was creating more exchanges and openings and was able to push Vienot back with punches.

The Thai champion was dumped again in round four, but he returned with a hard hook that dropped the challenger. After the mandatory count, Vienot clinched and pushed the champion back. He landed a few more sweeps.

Regarding the knockdown, the champion commented in his post-fight interview:

"I have been training and waiting for that moment."

The two exchanged a series of punches in the opening stages of round five. It was clear that both fighters were fighting with more urgency. Vienot once again landed a big dump. The two exchanged kicks to close the fight.