ONE Fight Night 7: Three Keys To Victory For Tawanchai In First-Ever Title Defence

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bangkok, February 7: Tawanchai PK.Saenchai is set to defend his ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship for the first time since beating Petchmorakot Petchyindee for the title in October last year at ONE 161.

The 23-year-old will face none other than number 2-ranked contender Jamal Yusupov at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II.

The two featherweights will stand across from each other on Saturday, 25 February, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Ahead of their ONE World Title matchup, we break down three keys to victory for the Thai superstar.

Use His Height To His Advantage

Tawanchai will have a 4-centimeter height advantage over Yusupov, giving him the length he needs to maintain control of the fight.

The PK.Saenchai athlete has won three out of his four Circle fights by finish, and he can do the same against Yusupov if he keeps a healthy amount of space between him and his Turkish adversary.

"Yeniceri" tends to close the distance with his opponents, so if Tawanchai can keep him at bay, he will have a better chance of setting up another knockout.

Rely On His Push Kicks

While Tawanchai is talented in all aspects of "the art of eight limbs," his push kicks are where he excels.

Most notably in his fight with Niclas Larsen at ONE 158 in June 2022, the Thai made good use of his push kicks to punish his Danish foe.

By landing a push kick on Yusupov, he could create the necessary distance to set up a barrage of punches to the head, just as he did to "Dreamcatcher."

Keep The Pressure On

Anyone who has watched Tawanchai fight before knows that he is unafraid to match his challenger's pressure, whether that's against former titleholder Petchmorakot Petchyindee or #4-ranked contender Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong.

Tawanchai's exciting style of fighting is one of the keys to his success inside the Circle, contributing to the incredible achievements he has made so far.

If he maintains this same level of aggression against Yusupov, it's certain he can out-perform the 39-year-old featherweight and add another win to his remarkable 128-31-2 record.

Don't miss any of the must-see action at ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II on Saturday, 25 February, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Source: Media Release