Rui Botelho is looking to venture into foreign territory and take out one of Thailand’s favorite stars at ONE Fight Night 25: Nicolas vs. Eersel II on Prime Video when he squares off with all-action brawler Thongpoon PK Saenchai.
Set to air live in U.S. primetime on October 4 from Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium, this Muay Thai contest will be the Portuguese athlete’s opportunity to make it two wins in a row and announce himself as a real player in the strawweight division.
As a decorated European Muay Thai Champion, Botelho certainly has all the skills to compete with the best of the best in ONE Championship. But he has struggled in the past few years, dropping several narrow decisions over the course of his tenure in the world’s largest martial arts organization.
However, he returned to the win column in November 2023 at ONE Fight Night 16 with a thrilling kickboxing victory over former ONE World Title challenger Zhang “Fighting Rooster” Peimian. That performance reminded fans of Botelho’s immense potential and proved he belongs in ONE.
The 29-year-old from Lisbon is quick to point out that ONE represents the highest possible level of striking. He told onefc.com:
“ONE Championship is the Champions’ League of pure striking. There is no easy match in the Champions’ League. You have all the biggest names around you, and there is never an easy fight. And people should never look at me as an easy fight, too, because I’m here in the league just like you.”
With that in mind, Botelho certainly isn’t about to look past Thongpoon.
Revered for his fearless – and occasionally reckless – approach to combat, the Thai burst onto the global scene with a trio of electrifying wins at ONE Friday Fights. However, he has since gone 1-2 in U.S. primetime events.
Botelho knows that Thongpoon will have his back against the wall and will be as dangerous as ever at ONE Fight Night 25. But the Portuguese star is confident that he will emerge victorious and make a statement in front of Thai fans:
“I think both of our styles are very aggressive and more of a boxing style. I think our styles will make for a fun fight for the fans, it will be a crazy entertaining fight with a very fast pace. I think beating Thongpoon on his home soil in Muay Thai will make people realize how deadly I am.”
Indeed, given each fighter’s penchant for forward pressure and fan-friendly action, the clash between Botelho and Thongpoon has fireworks written all over it.
The Dinamite Team representative expects as much and is readying himself for an all-out war for as long as the bout lasts:
“I will win. Like I said, this is Champions’ League. No easy fight. I’m going to try and take him out within the distance, but putting on a great showing in my return to Muay Thai is my main objective.”
Botelho Targets Kickboxing Gold
While Rui Botelho is pumped to showcase his elite Muay Thai skills against Thongpoon PK Saenchai, that doesn’t mean he’s done with kickboxing.
As he’s proven time and time again, the Portuguese star is willing to take on the world’s most dangerous strikers no matter the discipline. To that end, he’s gone the distance with the likes of decorated Thai icon Panpayak “The Angel Warrior”Jitmuangnon and current two-sport kingpin Superlek “The Kicking Machine” Kiatmoo9.
He explained:
“I really like Muay Thai in the small gloves. I think I have better luck in kickboxing, but I’m dangerous in both. I just love competing under ONE Championship, whenever the opportunity comes up. When ONE calls me, no matter the discipline, I will be there.
“I mean, I’ve fought Superlek and Panpayak, so you know I don’t back down from fights. I’m one of the few guys that Superlek hasn’t knocked out in ONE. And I was out of my weight class at that time. So I never say no to a fight.”
Despite achieving success in Muay Thai, Botelho maintains that kickboxing remains his primary focus. No matter the outcome of his clash with Thongpoon at ONE Fight Night 25, he will still have the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title in his crosshairs.
He added:
“My goal is aimed at the strawweight kickboxing belt, though. I think I have a great chance to win this championship. I want to prove myself. I want to win the belt next.”
