Tawanchai To Return At ONE Fight Night 7

After being named ONE’s 2022 Breakout Star Of The Year, Tawanchai PK.Saenchai is set to return to action at ONE Championship’s second event of its 2023 calendar.

The last 12 months saw Tawanchai rise from featherweight Muay Thai contender to undisputed World Champion.

He ended the storied run of longtime divisional king Petchmorakot Petchyindee in September by outworking his compatriot over five rounds to take the unanimous decision win, and he gets to kick the new year off by cementing his position atop the stacked striking division.

The Thai superstar’s first test to his throne will come in the form of Turkish star Jamal Yusupov in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II, which goes down in his hometown of Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, 25th February.

Tawanchai’s knockout power has quickly seen him rise through the ranks in ONE, helping him amass a three-fight winning streak along the way.

Two back-to-back knockouts against Saemapetch Fairtex at ONE: HEAVY HITTERS and Niclas Larsen at ONE 158 last year were enough to earn him a World Title, which he made the most of against Petchmorakot at ONE 161.

But as the saying goes, defending the championship is a bigger challenge than winning it, and Yusupov will be looking to ruin the champion’s homecoming party.

“Yeniceri” also enters the bout on a three-fight run, having dispatched Yodslankai Fairtex with a second-round knockout and both Samy Sana and “Smokin” Jo Nattawut over three rounds, respectively. 

The Turkish torpedo may not be a spring chicken at 39-year-old, but having amassed a record of 54-9 in his career, his threat to 23-year-old Tawanchai is highly credible.

Yusupov has also been known to take a licking and keep on ticking – most recently seen in display in his back-and-forth war with Nattawut last July at ONE 159. 

The World Champion will be kept on his toes throughout the scheduled five-round affair, and Yusupov will be keen to pressure him into a firefight. 

All eyes will be locked on Tawanchai in the evening’s co-main event. If he’s able to surpass his Turkish rival, there will be a raucous crowd reception at the legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.