ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai is aiming for two-sport glory in ONE Championship, and he wants to do it by beating the best. PK Saenchai has been willing to for that champ-champ status for quite some time now and seems like he will be finally getting his chance for it.
The Thai star will get a shot to do just that when he meets former strawweight kickboxing king Jonathan Di Bella for the vacant World Title in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 68 this Friday, June 28th, inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Prajanchai PK Saenchai looks forward to a rescheduled bout with Jonathan Di Bella
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The pair were originally set to fight at ONE Friday Fights 58 back in April, but disaster struck when Di Bella fell to an illness that ultimately caused him to miss weight and hydration, be stripped of the gold, and have to withdraw from the fight altogether.
View this post on Instagram
In an interview with ONE in the lead-up to their rescheduled clash, Prajanchai admitted that he wasn’t aware of the circumstances at that time, and he expressed his excitement at getting to take on the Canadian-Italian star this weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I didn’t know a lot about this incident. I just knew that Jonathan didn’t pass his hydration test. I felt sorry for him. But we must follow the rules. I didn’t feel upset. I was just disappointed that I missed the chance for gold,” he said. “After that day, I didn’t think I’d have the chance to fight him again. When I found out he was my next opponent, I was happy to finally get a fight with him.”
Quest for redemption and glory
For a proud warrior like Prajanchai, it appears there is no honor in taking a belt but not beating the person who held it. As such, competing against Di Bella is very important for him and his dream of becoming a two-sport titleholder in ONE Championship.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
It will be a tough challenge, though. While the Thai star is well-versed in Muay Thai, he will be stepping into Di Bella’s world when they contest the strawweight kickboxing strap at ONE Friday Fights 68.
And though he may have been stripped of his belt in April, the 27-year-old remains undefeated in the ring. However, Prajanchai is unfazed by Di Bella’s credentials, and he is looking forward to finally showing the product of his months-long preparation to his home crowd inside Lumpinee this weekend. “I’ve been ready for a long time. I’m just waiting for fight day to come,” he said.