Sam-A Gaiyanghadao is on the cusp of reclaiming ONE Championship gold, but he has to go through a familiar foe, who has bested him in the past, to get there. On Friday, June 23, the Thai striking legend is set to face Prajanchai PK Saenchai for the ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Friday Fights 22 inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Sam-A dropped the undisputed divisional crown to his fiery compatriot when they met in February 2022, heralding him to announce his retirement.

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao wanted to rectify previous his mistakes in the rematch

But the draw of competition was too great for the former two-sport king, and he returned to ONE’s global stage at ONE Friday Fights 9 earlier this year, where he scored a scintillating second-round knockout win over ISKA and WBC Muay Thai World Champion Ryan Sheehan. Having proven that he’s still in top form, Sam-A will now have the opportunity to avenge his last loss in the promotion.

“After I lost to [Prajanchai], I always wanted a chance to redeem myself. Because I still believe I made a mistake too early in our last fight. I got hit too soon, and that forced me to change my game plan. I really want to correct my mistakes,” he said.

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The 39-year-old superstar sees a lot of differences between his first fight with Prajanchai and their upcoming battle on June 23, not least of which are the conditions that fighting had to take place under last February due to the global pandemic.

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao believed the presence of a crowd will have a positive effect on his game

But now that things have returned to normal, Sam-A is ready to put on a show in the Thai capital. “I think this time will definitely not be the same because we are going to fight at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. In our first fight, due to COVID, we had to fight in silence, an almost empty stadium, with no audience allowed to cheer for us”.

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“But this time we will have plenty of cheering from our fans that will enhance the energetic vibes. It will be an exciting fight, for sure.”