{"id":320424,"date":"2025-12-17T06:37:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T06:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/320424\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T06:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T06:37:10","slug":"i-want-that-second-belt-tawanchai-stays-focused-on-two-sport-dream-ahead-of-kickboxing-return-at-one-friday-fights-137","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/320424\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Want That Second Belt\u2019 \u2013 Tawanchai Stays Focused On Two-Sport Dream Ahead Of Kickboxing Return At ONE Friday Fights 137"},"content":{"rendered":"

ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai<\/a> will return to action on Friday, December 19, carrying the weight of unfinished business and an unshakable belief that his two-sport World Championship dream is still very much alive.<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old Thai superstar faces Chinese standout \u201cSpirit Dragon\u201d Liu Mengyang<\/a> in a main event featherweight kickboxing clash at ONE Friday Fights 137<\/a>, which will emanate live in Asia primetime, inside Bangkok\u2019s iconic Lumpinee Stadium.<\/p>\n

Tawanchai\u2019s last appearance ended in heartbreak when former K-1 Champion Masaaki Noiri<\/a> finished him in the third round of their ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Championship battle at ONE 172<\/a> in Saitama, Japan.<\/p>\n

But the pride of PK Saenchai Muaythaigym refuses to let one loss define his kickboxing career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He has spent the past nine months dissecting what went wrong and will now return to prove that his lone setback in the discipline on the global stage was merely a detour \u2014 not a dead end.<\/p>\n

Tawanchai told onefc.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last fight with Masaaki, I made a mistake and got hit by his punch. I don\u2019t feel like I performed poorly. The plan was good, but he came prepared. When I threw a knee, my guard dropped, and I got caught cleanly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was deeply disappointed in myself after that fight. I feel my capabilities weren\u2019t at 100 percent, and people may feel that wasn\u2019t the real Tawanchai. I know where the mistakes were, and I need to fix them.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that Tawanchai isn\u2019t a kickboxing novice stumbling through unfamiliar territory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Thai striker debuted in the discipline with a bone-crushing third-round finish<\/a> of former Glory Kickboxing World Champion Davit Kiria<\/a> in August 2023. Just three months later, he cruised to a unanimous decision win over ex-WMC World Champion \u201cSmokin’\u201d Jo Nattawut<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Having taken notes from his two triumphs and the loss to Noiri, the featherweight Muay Thai king is ready to prove his credentials in the art are legitimate:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been training exceptionally hard, reviewing my weaknesses, and strengthening my defense. I won\u2019t go into detail, but just wait and see the improvements in this fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people might say kickboxing isn\u2019t for me, but I believe I can adapt and prove myself. No one becomes a champion instantly. You have to evolve and face challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Equipped with the belief that he can steer his career back on track, and inspired by the birth of his firstborn<\/a> son, Tawanchai is ready to do what he does best when the bell sounds inside the Mecca of Muay Thai.<\/p>\n

The PK Saenchai wizard, who defended his Muay Thai throne by acquiring his sixth highlight-reel victory<\/a> in ONE Championship against Superbon<\/a> at ONE 170<\/a> this past January, aims to deliver the same statement-making violence to shatter \u201cSpirit Dragon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Should he add to his gallery of finishes, Tawanchai will shift his focus onto a trilogy against Superbon, this time for the latter\u2019s ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis fight won\u2019t go to the scorecards. This time, fans will see a 100 percent version of Tawanchai the kickboxer. My goal is simple: I want that second belt. That drive makes me confident that I will be the kickboxing champion next year.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Tawanchai Takes Aim At Liu Mengyang<\/p>\n

Before a potential rubber match against Superbon, Tawanchai PK Saenchai must first handle business against a dangerous Chinese striker who\u2019s been making plenty of noise in the lead-up to their ONE Friday Fights 137 headline attraction.<\/p>\n

Liu Mengyang has appeared to talk a big game, even going so far as to reportedly claim that the Thai superstar is afraid of him.<\/p>\n

For someone who\u2019s faced the best in the world and consistently emerged victorious, trash talk from an opponent is just background noise:<\/p>\n

\u201cLiu Mengyang claimed I was afraid of him, but I know better; people say things for engagement. We\u2019ll find out the truth in the ring.\u201d<\/p>\n

That said, Tawanchai acknowledges that Liu brings a world-class arsenal to the world\u2019s largest martial arts organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Chinese standout has scored notable victories over Shadow Singha Mawynn<\/a> and Noiri, which means he\u2019s battle-tested against elite competition and brings a skill set that demands respect.<\/p>\n

He continued:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI see Liu as a tough, durable fighter with good punching skills. That\u2019s what\u2019s visible right now. As for his weaknesses, you\u2019ll have to watch the fight to find out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cExperience is important, and he may have an advantage there, but everything can be trained and improved. For my weapon of choice [for this fight], it is still going to be that powerful left kick.\u201d<\/p>\n

While he accepts that Liu has the upper hand in terms of experience, the PK Saenchai athlete has left no stone unturned to ensure he completes his redemption arc before the year ends.<\/p>\n

The path to Superbon\u2019s crown runs through this fight, and the Thai star knows there\u2019s no margin for error.<\/p>\n

He concluded:\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis fight is crucial. I cannot afford to lose, as it will make my path to the kickboxing title much harder. My fans were disappointed last time, but this time, we will win together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai will return to action on Friday, December 19, carrying…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320425,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[2560,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-320424","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxing","8":"tag-boxing","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}