Tawanchai PK Saenchai took another step in his quest for kickboxing gold last Friday, October 6.
The reigning ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion faced “Smokin” Jo Nattawut in a late-notice matchup at ONE Fight Night 15: Le vs. Freymanov on Prime Video, and he managed to get the job done after three hard-fought rounds.
Tawanchai was originally preparing to defend his Muay Thai gold against fellow Thai superstar Superbon Singha Mawynn, but an injury to Superbon forced a switch in both opponent and rule set.
As a result, the Pattaya native didn’t get as much time to prepare for the less familiar kickboxing format. And while he was happy to defeat a tough “Smokin” Jo, he thinks his performance could have been better.
The 24-year-old told onefc.com after the bout:
“I had to adjust to get myself ready to fight with Jo Nattawut. I’m not too proud of myself. I feel 80 percent satisfied. I feel like I’m less experienced in this rule set.”
Given Tawanchai’s current form and the way he blitzed through Davit Kiria in his ONE kickboxing debut earlier this year, many expected a similar outcome against Nattawut.
However, the grizzled 34-year-old veteran pushed his younger rival all the way, eating heavy shots and continuing to fire back in search of victory.
Admitting he was surprised by the resilience of his compatriot, Tawanchai said:
“[Nattawut’s] toughness was beyond my expectations. Once I saw his body, I knew he had been training well and preparing himself.”
Superbon Is The Only Opponent On Tawanchai’s Agenda
With another kickboxing win in the bag, Tawanchai PK Saenchai is edging closer to his dream of two-sport gold in ONE Championship, but that’s not his most pressing concern.
After his highly anticipated ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Title defense against Superbon Singha Mawynn was postponed, Tawanchai is laser-focused on resolving that challenge before anything else.
He explained:
“[The Superbon World Title fight] is something that I want because all the fans are looking forward to it.
“There’s no one else on my list or my mind right now. I only want to finish my fight with Superbon once and for all.”
Another solid performance last Friday proved that the surging Thai favorite is going from strength to strength with every outing, and that could mean even more problems for Superbon when the pair finally clash.
For his part, Tawanchai doesn’t know whether he’s hit his peak yet, but he’ll continue trying to level up for the obstacles ahead.
He added:
“It’s hard to say [whether I’m in my prime yet], but I will definitely try to keep improving myself until I reach it.”
