Saemapetch Fairtex has long been one of the toughest fighters in ONE Championship’s bantamweight Muay Thai division, and he wants to prove that he deserves the hardware that comes with it. Saemapetch’s journey has been nothing but a relentless force to prove himself and his recent endeavors have helped him to attain a valuable skillset at just 29.

At ONE Fight Night 23: Ok vs. Rasulov this Friday, July 5, the Thai star will look to move up from his #4 spot in the divisional rankings when he faces top-ranked contender Nico “King of the North” Carrillo inside the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Saemapetch’s quest for ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title

Saemapetch’s tenure in ONE dates back to July 2018, and he has amassed nine wins in 14 bouts and challenged for the bantamweight Muay Thai crown in that time. His previous opponents are no less than established as well. The Thai sensation has fought against Felipe Lobo, Nong-O-Hama, and Tawanchai PK Saenchai.

His four knockout victories show he can get the job done, and he’s ready to take out the surging force of Carrillo to take a step toward competing for the gold once again.

“If I can beat Nico, it’s up to ONE to give me a World Title or not. At least I’ll be ranked #1 as I was before,” Saemapetch told ONE in an interview. The Fairtex Gym standout can afford to put all his focus on his upcoming match, as the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title is already set to be contested soon.

Saemapetch observation on his upcoming opponents

Reigning divisional king and two-sport World Champion Jonathan “The General” Haggerty is scheduled to square off against flyweight kickboxing titleholder Superlek Kiatmoo9 at ONE 168: Denver on Friday, September 6, inside the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

Both men are on dominant win streaks and as good as Haggerty is, Superlek has a legitimate chance to unseat him from his throne. As such, Saemapetch isn’t looking too far ahead of his match with “King of the North,” since he doesn’t know who will hold the crown come September.

But as a constant competitor, he plans to welcome any opponent with open arms once he moves on from Carrillo this weekend. “I never thought about which opponent ONE would offer to me in my next fight. Looking at the rankings, we had to meet each other anyway. I’m not worried about fighting anyone. I can fight anyone in our division – all of them,” he said.