ONE Fight Night 13: Muay Thai God Tawanchai To Face Davit Kiria Under Kickboxing Rules

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Fresh off a lightning-fast first title defense, ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion and Thai superstar Tawanchai PK Saenchai finds himself in the midst of conquering two sports in ONE Championship.

The Thai prodigy starts his quest to rule the featherweight kickboxing division on Saturday, 5 August, at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian inside Bangkok, Thailand's Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Tawanchai will swap the 4-ounce gloves for 10-ounce kickboxing mitts when he meets Davit Kiria on the main card, and his transition to the new sport will excite fans the world over as the stoic striker looks to double his gold.

The 24-year-old has exceeded all expectations since arriving in the promotion in May 2021 at ONE: DANGAL, where he dispatched Sean Clancy and set the tone for his ONE featherweight Muay Thai campaign.

Since then, Tawanchai has turned in remarkable displays against the likes of Niclas Larsen and former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title challenger Saemapetch Fairtex en route to earning a shot at the division's crown held by former kingpin Petchmorakot Petchyindee at ONE 161 in September 2022.

Tawanchai outstruck Petchmorakot that night over the course of five rounds to become the new ruler of the division. And, in poetic fashion five months later, the 2018 Lumpinee Stadium Fighter of the Year had his homecoming against Jamal Yusupov.

In just 49 seconds of the opening frame of their bout at Lumpinee Stadium, Tawanchai stopped his challenger with a debilitating leg kick that sent the Thai star's compatriots into a frenzy.

With the Muay Thai division under his careful watch, Tawanchai now relishes more gold - the gold in question being the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship held by Chingiz Allazov. But the first step he must take to realize his dream is overcoming the battle-tested abilities of Kiria.

A well-respected combat sports veteran, Kiria is a former Glory Lightweight World Champion and Kunlun Fight World Max Tournament winner. Despite those accolades, the Georgian hasn't quite managed to piece the puzzle together since joining ONE.

Kiria fell short to divisional roadblocks in Enriko Kehl, Giorgio Petrosyan, Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong, and Mohammed Boutasaa before further honing his craft on the regional scene. Now, having notched back-to-back victories outside of ONE, Kiria looks to upset Tawanchai's momentum in his home territory.

With Allazov and Marat Grigorian going to battle for the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title in the evening's main event, Tawanchai will have plans to make his presence known in the division against Kiria earlier on the card.