Two legendary fighters are set to run it back for the ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship at ONE Friday Fights 22. On June 23rd, iconic striker Sam-A Gaiyanghadao makes another run for gold when he rematches former titleholder Prajanchai PK Saenchai in the co-main event of the card. An interim belt has been introduced because the reigning ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Champion, Joseph Lasiri, is unable to defend his strap due to injury. 

With over 350 wins under his belt, Sam-A has already earned his place among the elites of Muay Thai. Upon his arrival to ONE, he continued to build on his legend by claiming the inaugural ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title in his second fight.

The bout between the two accomplished ONE fighters is expected to be an enthraller

He lost the coveted crown to British standout Jonathan Haggerty, so he moved down to strawweight – his natural weight class – and claimed the inaugural World Titles in Muay Thai and kickboxing there. To date, he is the only fighter in the promotion’s history to claim World Titles in two weight divisions and two sports.

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In July 2021, Prajanchai shocked the world in his promotional debut by outlasting the legendary Thai over five rounds to take a majority decision win and the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title. Sam-A then announced his retirement in February 2022, meaning that he vacated the kickboxing throne in the process.

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Meanwhile, Prajanchai’s reign atop the strawweight Muay Thai division didn’t last long. In May 2022, Lasiri defied the odds when he forced the 28-year-old superstar to quit on his stool, earning him the World Title. The PK Saenchai product has since rebounded from that loss, defeating compatriot Kompetch Sitsarawatsuer at ONE Friday Fights 1 earlier this year to claim his 339th career win in Muay Thai and kickboxing competition.

Both Sam-A Gaiyanghadao and Prajanchai PK Saenchai are set to add a win to their record

For his part, 39-year-old Sam-A couldn’t get rid of his itch for competition, especially after seeing his brother-in-law, Superlek Kiatmoo9, and other friends compete in ONE Championship. With the promotion introducing ONE Friday Fights, it was only a matter of time before he would make his return. After claiming wins in local competition, Sam-A proved he is still in world-class form by knocking out WBC MuayThai World Champion Ryan Sheehan at ONE Friday Fights 9 this past March. 

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He aims to complete his comeback by avenging his loss to Prajanchai and reclaiming his spot on top of the division in August. However, that won’t be an easy task, as his rival is motivated with the same fire to redeem himself from his own setback. 

Stay tuned for more announcements about ONE Friday Fights 22, which is set to be headlined by the highly anticipated ONE Heavyweight World Title unification bout between Arjan Bhullar and Anatoly Malykhin.