“You Can’t Underestimate Him” – Tawanchai Believes Victory Won’t Come Easy Against Jamal Yusupov

Add us on Google

Souvik Roy

Feb 9, 2023 | 3:50 AM EST

“You Can’t Underestimate Him” – Tawanchai Believes Victory Won’t Come Easy Against Jamal Yusupov

Add us on Google

Souvik Roy

Feb 9, 2023 | 3:50 AM EST

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai may be riding an impressive streak of victories against some of the best strikers on the planet, but the ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion is refusing to walk into his first World Title defense feeling overly confident.

Watch What’s Trending Now!

The 23-year-old puts his gold on the line against Jamal “Yeniciri” Yusupov in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 7: Lineker vs. Andrade II on Prime Video on Friday, February 24, which goes down inside the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai lauds his hugely experienced opponent Jamal Yusupov

While he’s undoubtedly fired up to compete in one of the most iconic venues in the Muay Thai world, the divisional king admits he will be on his guard throughout the scheduled five-round affair.

“[Yusupov’s] strength is heavy, strong punches. He hardly has any weaknesses. He’s one of the strongest fighters. You can’t underestimate him in any way,” the PK.Saenchai athlete said.

Yusupov is a three-time Russian Kickboxing Champion. And, at 37 years old, he’ll bring a wealth of experience to the Circle when he meets 23-year-old Tawanchai. But the Thai athlete, ONE’s 2022 Muay Thai Fighter of the Year, doesn’t necessarily believe this will cause him many problems when they meet. After all, the defending World Champion already owns 128 career victories – compared to Yusupov’s 63-fight resume.

Tawanchai PK.Saenchai will need to be at his best for a victory

“Of course, he has extensive fighting experiences, but they’re not superior to mine,” he added. Yusupov has posted three highly-impressive wins in his ONE tenure – against multiple-time World Champions Yodsanklai Fairtex, Samy Sana, and Jo Nattawut.

Those fighters are far from a walk in the park, so Tawanchai feels he may need to dig deep if he wants to leave the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with a successful World Title defense under his belt.

“The key in this fight is my inner fire. I’m hungry for the victory. I’ll never give up on anything easily,” he said.

Written by

Souvik Roy

1,315 Articles

The coveted scrap between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002 was when I realized the passion for combat sports within my family. My interest in combat sports began watching scripted pro wrestling shows. It was my father who directed me towards combat sports and it wasn’t until the late 2010s that I discovered the world of MMA and the UFC. Like many of you, I too, tuned in for the infamous Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor bout live on October 6, 2018. Being an ardent fan of the UFC (and Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier), I was always looking to have conversations about the same with others. But to my disappointment, I hardly found any followers of the sports to interact with. So I took it upon myself to do my part in popularizing the thrill and the agony behind the purest form of unarmed combat. At EssentiallySports, I try to bring the readers closer to the athletes and focus my coverage on exploring the human side of these martial artists. I’m a musician during my time free from reporting MMA. I operate as the lead vocalist of a rock band that aims to make their mark among the audiences with their original alternative-hard rock songs. You can hit me up at-

Know more

Edited by

Rohini Kottu