Watch: A different look at ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters' new co-main event

ONE Championship had a major reshuffling of their event on January 14, ONE: Heavy Hitters.

Due to the cancelation of several fights due to COVID-19 restrictions, the main card bout between Tawanchai and Saemapetch has been promoted to co-main event.

The bout between the Fairtex fighter and the Saenchai Muay Thai gym standout is a tale as old as time; a fight between brothers.

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In a video recently released by ONE Championship, we see the unique predicament the two kickboxing geniuses find themselves in. The two Thai boxers have a very close friendship but are willing to put their personal relationship aside.

This kind of conflict is not new in combat sports, as we've seen friends go to war like sworn enemies then resume their friendship after the final bell rings.

Though pro-fighting has had a lot of trash-talkers as of late, the sport itself is still rooted in honor and respect.

When fighters with tremendous respect for one another lock horns inside the ring, the only way to show respect is to never hold back. In the video, Tawanchai affirms this statement:

"It's a fight, so we leave our friendship out. I won't hesitate because that would insult him. I'm going for a knockout, and I challenge him to do the same."

The same goes for Saemapetch, who vows to never let their friendship get in the way of his goal of getting his hand raised. The winner could possibly get closer to getting a shot at ONE Championship bantamweight Muay Thai champion Nong-O.

Watch the fight preview here:

The co-main event of ONE Championship: Heavy Hitters is a clash of two different knockout artists

With both fighters coming off questionable losses, their stocks are still intact.

Saemapetch, coming off a three-fight winning streak, got finished with a cut over his eye in a bout he was arguably winning. As for Tawanchai, he lost a razor-close split decision against the equally talented Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.

The stakes are high and the drama is through the roof on this one. Aside from the friendship, this bout is also a compelling tale of two different kinds of knockout artists.

Though both are known to end fights instantly, the two Muay Thai savants have different approaches to getting there. Saemapetch uses brute force and power, while Tawanchai utilizes speed and technical precision.

This epic Muay Thai clash is a dream for any fan of the martial art. Tune in on January 14 to see the action and drama unfold.

About the author

Duane is an expert MMA writer at Sportskeeda with 15 years of experience working for the likes of Philippine Star, Esquire Philippines, Playboy Philippines, etc. A major in English, he has written over 2000 articles for Sportskeeda section, extensively covering UFC and boxing fights.

Duane is a practicing MMA fighter with a 11-7 record. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt and trains Muay Thai. His connection with MMA dates back to 2005, when he turned into a fan after watching Fedor Emelianenko defeat Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic at Pride FC - Final Conflict 2005.

Emelianenko finds himself right at the top of Duane’s Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters, alongside other big names like Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

Duane’s love for the sport is reflected in his writings, where he believes in speculating but not insinuating. He uses his intensive knowledge and skills in MMA to provide unique insights to the readers, along with sourcing information only from reliable sources.

Outside of work, Duane enjoys martial arts training, visual arts, film criticism, video games, and creative writing.

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Edited by Harvey Leonard