Rags To Riches: Seksan Reveals How ONE Championship Changed His Life

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Seksan Or Kwanmuang has quickly made a reputation for himself as one of the most fearsome strikers in ONE Championship. But the Thai scrapper didn't exactly start out that way.

The journey of "The Man Who Yields to No One" culminates in his U.S. primetime debut at ONE Fight Night 16: Haggerty vs. Andrade on Saturday (November 4) as he returns to Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, to face Johan Estupinan in 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai action.

Way back when Seksan began lacing up the gloves, he admits that he wasn't the toughest boy in the neighborhood. It wasn't until he moved to Bangkok that the boy learned to become a man.

"At first, I cried every day. I could only call my parents and cry all the time. I cried during training, in the bedroom, even when I took a shower. I cried a lot when I was young," he said.

"It took me months to adjust to Bangkok. I had never been away from my family, so it took many months for me to get used to it."

Before ONE Championship elevated Muay Thai to a global sport, it used to be the case that money was never enough for a fighter to fall back on. The Rajadamnern Stadium and WBC Muay Thai World Champion knew that to be true.

So it wasn't until he joined the ranks of ONE's Muay Thai scene that he began to see a difference financially. And after five barnburner performances and subsequent wins in the Lumpinee Stadium ring, Seksan earned the lucrative US$100,000 contract.

The money has enabled him to secure his family's future and put a permanent roof over their heads. After all, along with winning prestigious World Titles, that's been the driving force of Seksan's career. He has played the long game, and now he's reaping the rewards.

"My motivation is my family. Both of my kids and my parents. My [ONE] bouts changed my family's life a lot. They can live a better and more comfortable life," he said.

"I have savings for both my kids for college, I have money for my parents. More importantly, I bought a house in Nakhon Si Thammarat. I've been very successful with ONE.

"I was thinking about stopping fighting at the age of 34 or 35. I never thought I would get this much money. I feel so happy," Seksan said ahead of his Fight Night debut.